Malta will have a new prime minister in the coming days and the last thing the country needs at this juncture is a clone of Joseph Muscat.
Dr Muscat will go down in history as a serial winner of elections. He was one of Malta’s finest political orators, oversaw impressive economic growth and delivered important civil liberty reforms. Most importantly, Dr Muscat was a ‘doer’.
But under his watch, Malta saw an abysmal deterioration in rule of law and the environment, cronyism was elevated to an art form, and by the end of his forced resignation, amid shocking revelations emerging from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder probe, he is leaving the country’s international reputation in tatters. The damage has been done and we are likely to face the fallout in 2020 and beyond.
The two men who have presented themselves as potential successors have promised a different way of doing things, and that is a good start. Both Robert Abela and Chris Fearne have vowed to carry out reforms and to clean up politics.
But during speeches in front of the party faithful, both Dr Abela and Mr Fearne have sometimes come across as tacitly approving ‘old’ methods. In his most outrageous comment (at least in the public domain), Dr Abela said the civil society protests, which are being organised in a nationwide call for justice, are intended to “provoke”.
On the other hand, Mr Fearne managed to torpedo his moderate image in one ill-advised statement to supporters when he said that when he dies, he wanted the phrase ‘RIPN’ to appear on his tombstone. Pity he still does not feel the need to apologise.
Malta desperately needs to turn over a new leaf, and the sooner we have a leader bent on dismissing party tribalism the better. The era of putting party and its cronies before country needs to be eradicated. The need for a form of unity transcends slogans and the annual L-Istrina charity marathon.
It is understandable for a leader-in-waiting to resort to cheap tactics to try to win the votes of party members who ultimately will decide on who will be Malta’s next prime minister. But there is a difference between spouting nonsense to appeal to the lowest common denominator and another thing to present yourself as a commander in chief for all the Maltese.
What Malta needs in these troubled days is a prime minister who can transcend tribal politics, reach out to the fine people across the political spectrum and get them to work for the country.
The time of awarding the party boys and girls with the topmost and cushy jobs has to stop! It is time to weed out the several chairpersons/directors/persons of trust who are not fit for purpose and have been stuffed into quangos at taxpayers’ expense in the last few years.
What Malta needs is a no-nonsense prime minister with a big broom to sweep away corruption and cronyism, which have made one’s personal success depend on who you know, not what you know.
Malta’s next prime minister needs to ensure the necessary structures are in place to put a stop to the impunity which ultimately proved to be Muscat’s Achilles heel.
What Malta needs is a prime minister who stops turning the civil service into a recruitment agency to keep unemployment down. What Malta needs is a truly socialist prime minister who seeks social justice, who can reach out to those who can barely make ends meet.
What Malta needs is a prime minister who stops thinking short-term and realises the country cannot continue being sold to the highest bidder, to stop appeasing big business while ignoring the implications towards the common worker, residents and the environment.
The next prime minister needs to realise we cannot keep cementing every inch of Malta lest we continue killing the goose that lays the golden egg: our history and tourism.
The next prime minister needs to sit down with the thinkers of this country to exploit new industries which can create jobs and secure economic well-being.
We need a prime minister who puts education at the forefront, to help promote the basics of human rights and environmental protection. Malta needs a prime minister who promotes discipline, who tries to put a stop to the rampant ‘couldn’t-care-less’ attitudes prevalent everywhere – from driving and construction practices to hunting – because you know you can get away with it.
The next prime minister has a big job to do in these troubled days. If he intends to continue the slippery slide mastered by his predecessor, we are risking the worst of times.