For the health of Maltese democracy, it is imperative, after months of mourning and heart-searching in some parts of Malta following the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, for the government’s (loyal) official Opposition to make its voice heard. But this can only be achieved if the Nationalist Party gets its act together.
There is a crucial need for disaffected Nationalists opposing the new PN leadership to concentrate on rallying to their beleaguered leader of the Opposition, Adrian Delia, to help give him credibility, rather than undermining him, in his key role of holding the government to account.
Nationalists seem determined to make life harder for themselves than they need to. Having so disastrously misread the public mood at the last election, is the PN now hurtling towards defeat at the next? At present, they seem addicted to fighting like ferrets in a sack, except even ferrets know when it is sensible to call a truce.
Their inability to accept the decision by the majority of PN members that Delia is the new leader conveys the impression of a party never happier than when at each other’s throats. The anger directed at Delia by the rebels is both mystifying and misplaced. The vote was entirely legitimate. PN now has their chosen leader.
Delia’s was a significant vote and it underlines the fact, too little noticed as yet, that there is a new figure in Maltese politics who stands under the old banner of Religio et Patria, but who may be about to do something genuinely interesting and novel – presenting a different approach to opposition politics in Malta.
The PN is in trouble. It is financially bankrupt. It is deeply split with not enough votes to affect any meaningful issue in Parliament. This makes it in effect politically bankrupt also. It doesn’t appear to know what it wants and, in its present state, would not be able to force it through even if it did know. This is deeply unhealthy for Maltese politics which desperately requires a functioning and constructive Opposition.
The Nationalists need to calm down. A house divided against itself cannot stand. A party that spends its time setting up circular firing squads will be the one to suffer. The party of Mizzi, Borg Olivier and Fenech Adami is being attacked on social media from within by over-excited types of the Eddie Aquilina ilk and others.
If PN is to emerge resurgent from its present low standing in the polls, Delia must be given a chance to transform his party into the “constructive opposition” which he promised during his leadership campaign. The only way that Nationalists can become again the electoral winning machine it has been for most of the time since Independence in 1964 is by proving they possess the range of policies to tackle the most pressing political issues of today.
But Delia can only do this if he can persuade the different factions in the party – “Busuttil/Said blocs”, and their allied Civil Society Network and Occupy Justice factions – to get behind him. He must seize the initiative and exercise leadership.
The Nationalists need to calm down. A house divided against itself cannot stand
“Constructive opposition” should mean the PN fighting the government to adopt common policy decisions which should unite the country, not divide it. It would mean PN taking the initiative in identifying national policy issues on which cross-party resolution could be achieved. Bipartisan collaboration has happened successfully before, for example in the financial services and ICT sectors, with huge benefits to Malta.
As new international pressures from the big EU countries on Malta’s financial services grow in the months ahead, PN should lead the way in working on a cross-party basis to ensure the country is prepared for the potential difficulties ahead. It should take the initiative – and the credit – for doing so.
The PN has an opportunity to develop bi-partisan approaches in various fields without losing its responsibility of holding the government to account. To take the lead in cross-party collaboration is not a weakness, but could be a strength.
There is, indeed, one issue that could achieve this straight away, as well as becoming the centrepiece of “constructive opposition” that Delia has promised. This is for PN to become the standard-bearer for delivering the long-promised National Convention on the Constitution.
Delia should declare that unless the Prime Minister keeps his promise soon to establish the convention, PN will set up its own shadow constitutional convention. How he then shapes the national convention will be crucial to its success. Delia must select somebody of stature, political independence and objectivity to chair the convention. There are many former Labour and Nationalist people of standing who could fit the bill, as well as many others of a similar background and experience to form part of the chairman’s convention team.
The selection of delegates to the convention should draw as wide a representation of civil society regardless of politics as possible, but must not be so large as to be unmanageable. The agenda and discussion during the convention should be carefully planned.
It is no good trying to cherry-pick aspects of the Constitution. It should work to a clear schedule lasting several months. It must be able to concentrate on particular themes and make clear proposals, guided by experts in those fields.
In one fell swoop, Delia would target the very issues that the PN insist need radical rehabilitation: Malta’s institutions; a much-needed realignment of the checks and balances of good governance; the rule of law. These go to the heart of our Constitution.
Moreover, Nationalists would go into the next general election campaign with a credible plan for implementing the key elements to emerge from a comprehensive shadow constitutional convention.
The Italian Marxist philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, whose best known slogan was “Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will” applies to the Nationalist Party today. PN needs the pessimism to see their situation as it really is, and the optimism to understand that if they have the courage to do difficult things, such as pressing for cross-party approaches on the big national issues or initiating the long-awaited convention on the Constitution, the situation will be salvageable.
But not if they do nothing.