With the world being what it is, descending ever deeper into the spiral of relativity, I have always believed that in secular politics one of the ways forward is to practise more than ever the theory of virtue. A virtue is a repeated habitual form of behaviour that helps us approach what is good - a habitual form of behaviour that leads us away from the truth is called vice. We all have our virtues and our vices some small some big. In real and political life, the idea is to work on our virtues in order to learn to make virtuous choices rather than vicious ones. The PN leadership race is slowly but surely reaching its pinnacle. Soon the members of the General Council will cast their vote and choose two members who will face each other in the final vote open to all party members. Given that the final victor will need to obtain two thirds of the total vote to succeed, I have always cautioned the supporters of the contenders to practise the virtue of prudence (for prudence read rationality) because at the end of the day, the successful candidate will need more than his supporting half of votes to win. Although I have made my choice who to vote for, based on that person's natural, positional and experiential qualities and capabilities to perform that singular function, I have kept an eye on all candidates because there is always a distinct possibility that I will have to confirm one or the other in that position if my preferred candidate does not make it to the top in the end. I suggest that other party members also take this approach.
I have two suggestions for the party and its members at this stage. The first is to practise the virtue of magnanimity, the condition of being magnanimous, generous, charitable, benevolent, merciful and big-hearted. If the PN is to win any general election, it must work as one team and the new leader has to be open to working with all PN supporters whomever they might have voted for in the leadership race. Secondly, it will make greater sense were the winner from the two-horse race to offer to work with the non-winner by offering to support him for one of the two deputy leadership roles. This happened when Eddie Fenech Adami won the leadership race of the PN and Guido DeMarco became deputy leader of the party. Party unity was then sealed. Therefore, I find it a bit disconcerting that while the leadership race is still going on, some individuals have already started campaigning for the deputy leadership. Prudence asks that one waits for the right time for this to happen and now is not the time! Political power pertains to politics and power, but ultimately it pertains to the virtue of offering a service to the nation which service often seeks one out rather than the other way round and then we are simply co-operators with what is required of us. There is no place for blind ambitions in this game!
Another virtue which would be required by the new leader of the PN, among others, would be that of seeking the truth. In today's world, truth is rather an early casualty in the game of spin, but ultimately it lies there and sooner rather than later, one must face up to it as it proudly and jealously manifests itself! Like the service we all offer society by the work we do, the vocations we are all called to perform in our lives, no one can claim to possess the truth. Rather it is the truth itself which seeks and touches us and we all endeavour to let this contact with the truth lead us on and try to give it validity! We should all unite in the work to collaborate with the truth especially those of us who believe that Truth is a Person! I still meet people in the party who tell me that I made a mistake in insisting on social media that the party, notwithstanding its position in favour of gay marriage, should have granted those with objection of conscience to this and other changes regarding the definition of parenthood, a free conscientious vote to those who asked for it. I am one of those who believes that Truth is a Person and anything but relative! In line with this, had social media not existed and access to certain other forms of media denied, I would have been constrained to shout out the truth from the rooftops if necessary! In my book, this was not an issue that would have created public disorder not to legislate on. Unfortunately, the opposite is rather true that the establishment of this legislation has created, and will continue to create public disorder, especially since it is not based on the law of reason! That the party failed to understand this and that some still see this as a deficiency, is one issue that the new leader must face. Will there be place for those who believe that Truth is a Person in the future PN or that truth must be sought out? Or is everything just an exercise in political expediency like the effort to legalize drugs just to impress a bunch of 16-year-olds to vote for us when we forget the concerns of their parents?
Aristotle says that the highest intellectual virtue is wisdom or Sophia, the wisdom to seek the truth, and the next highest mental virtue is prudence or the virtue of a rational approach to life and its problems. The new PN leader must possess a good dose of both. However, he must also possess a grasp of the character related virtues not least among which is magnanimity!
Dr Asciak MD, M.Phil PhD. is Senior Lecturer II in Applied Science at MCAST
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