Step 1: First of all if you say you want to bring Unity, make sure you really mean it.

Step 2: Try and convince the whole population that you really mean it.  Roughly half the population will take you on your word.  The other half will be somewhat sceptical. It’s a good idea to send out some clear messages to convince the latter half that you really mean it.

Soon there will be a new Leader of the Opposition. Start off by congratulating the new leader and make it a point to issue a clear statement that you look forward to working with him/her and developing a good working relationship of mutual respect. Make it a point to make the first move and invite him/her for a courtesy meeting.  Better still call on the new leader at the PN party headquarters to convey your congratulations.

Make sure that you make it clear to all members of the cabinet, members of parliament and other high ranking officials of the party as well as all those occupying positions of trust or directly linked to the party that any offensive, vulgar and personal diatribes against the new leadership of the PN will not be tolerated.  Follow up on your warnings by taking swift action against anybody who does not comply - immediate dismissal from his/her position of trust, a public admonishment for MPs, divesting members of cabinet of their portfolio if they fail to comply should send a clear message that you mean business.

Of course remember to clearly instruct One news, l-Orizzont, it-Torca and Tony Zarb that trawling the new opposition leader’s past in an attempt to discredit him/her is off limits.

Always speak politely and courteously in Parliament, to the media, to the public. Avoid aggressive and vulgar language, even when you think you’re off mike.

Step 3: Look at the electoral programmes of both parties. Identify areas of common ground. Where legislation is required appoint cross party working groups to draw up drafts for new legislation to ensure unanimity. Including respected experts who are apolitical or from opposite sides of the political spectrum will go a long way to demonstrate your commitment to working with those who “disagree” with you. This would also ensure that the legislation is robust, beneficial to all  and passes through parliament smoothly and swiftly.

Step 4: Immediately halt any further transfers of civil servants on the basis of political creed.  Ensure that all direct appointments carried out over the last few years are withdrawn and that calls for applications are issued for those posts.  Appointing independent, external members to selection boards will ensure that only those who are competent and qualified for the role, irrespective of their political views are appointed - this is referred to as meritocracy and usually applies in modern democracies. Ensuring complete transparency in appointments to key positions will earn you respect. (PS: Transparency is another feature of modern democracies - you might want to work on this.)

Any incumbents who have behaved inappropriately during their tenure should automatically be excluded from the shortlisting process. To give one example, individuals like Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who has repeatedly crossed the line of civility and decency through his actions, posts and words should not be considered for any new position. Appointing your own girlfriend or partner as your personal assistant/PRO and then promoting her to the post of projects manager is highly inappropriate and completely unacceptable in a modern society. Removing Mr Anton Refalo from Gozo minister sends a strong message that anybody who appoints his own wife within the customer care unit of his own ministry will not keep his portfolio. It will save you a lot of problems - think Jimmy Magro, Neville Gafa, Edward Caruana, Robert Falzon, Cyrus Engerer, Michael Falzon, Emanuel Mallia, Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, Alfred Grixti, Franco Debono. You’d save a lot of divisiveness without them. You’d save a lot of headaches too.

The same applies to some of the most important posts - such as the Commissioner of Police, the Brigadier of the Armed Forces, the Attorney General, Magistrates and Judges.  Stop appointing friends, members of your party, sycophants, daughters of potential troublemakers to these key positions especially if they are demonstrably unfit for those roles.  In the case of the Commissioner of Police, the Brigadier of the Armed Forces, the Attorney General make it a point to consult the Leader of the Opposition and appoint only those individuals who have respect across the board for their integrity, honesty and competence. Definitely do not appoint a police commissioner who has openly expressed his admiration for your private parts. You could even go a step further and implement some of the proposals in the PN electoral programme in this regard - such as for example making appointments through a two thirds majority.  If you manage to get consensus on the appointees for these key posts it will earn you unanimous support in Parliament and across the country. It would also significantly raise the credibility of these individuals and will make it more difficult for the opposition party to criticise somebody they had agreed upon.  If you have a Commission report on the administration of Justice why not stick to some of its recommendations for a change?

Step 5: Ensure that the Judiciary and the Police Force can work independently and without any political interference. If you have followed step 4 above then gone will be the days where a whistleblower exposing bribery by a cabinet minister’s canvasser is swiftly accused of slander while detailed reports about wrongdoing against the same canvasser spend months gathering dust with no action taken by the police. Instead those who commit crime will be prosecuted swiftly and those exposing crime will not be intimidated. That will really help bring about unity as the population will start to believe that we are all equal in front of the law.

Step 6:  In the case of highly sensitive cases where serious allegations have been made about Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister himself ensure that due legal process is followed. Preferably go a step further - bring in independent external European investigators to follow up these allegations. If there has been no wrongdoing, the more credible the investigating authority the better for that desired unity.

Give them unfettered access to Government offices, the Prime Minister’s office, the Prime Minister’s private residence, implicated banks, offices of involved companies (Nexia BT) to show the whole country that there is nothing to hide, that all the allegations were false. Let everybody rest his mind that the integrity of our prime minister is intact, that the integrity of our ministers is intact, that the integrity of his financial consultant Mr Tonna and his chief of Staff Mr Schembri is intact.

And let those who made the unfounded allegations apologise unreservedly for their errors. Let the whole country unite and demonstrate to Europe, the whole world that our government is clean, transparent, and honest. Let us unite in defending the good name of our country and restore its standing amongst modern democracies.

Step 7: And finally. We will have a new president soon. There was once a Prime Minister called Gonzi who nominated the deputy leader of the opposing party as President.  A gesture of goodwill, if ever there was one. Now is your chance to do the same. Nominate Louis Galea, Joe Borg, Francis Zammit Dimech or any other grandee from the opposing party.  Then you will show that Unity is indeed possible - and that you really mean it.

Prof Kevin Cassar

Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Associate Professor of Surgery and PN candidate in the 2017 General Election