Dr Mario Felice, a veteran politician whose credentials are unimpeachable, has emerged from the shadows to bare his reflections on what he described as the “Gonzi/Dalli drama” (The Times, 7 February).
The drama relates to “the unorthodox way of Mr Dalli’s resignation, its strange acceptance without any explanation or justification, and more so the very immediate appointment of a junior colleague to replace him”, which, in Dr Felice’s considered view “defies all the unwritten laws and conventions of any civilized and democratic Cabinet government”.
These are strong words by any standard. The striking thing about Dr Felice’s sally in the media forum is that he had much more to say about the issue of party leadership than on the Dalli episode.
He went straight to the point and prefaced his argument with a Confiteor: “We must all candidly acknowledge,” he said, “that certain events in our government’s history remain shrouded in imperfect visibility – and this may be conducive to suspicion of irregularities, if not of unbecoming tactics.”
Dr Felice pointed out that the PN’s devastating performance, both in the last local council results and the European parliamentary elections, urgently called for a radical reform in the party’s hierarchical structure, influence, and its leadership’s attitude and public image.
He left no one in doubt about his line of thought. He said expressly.” The leader has to prove himself by far above his party’s intrigues, the vendettas and the lobbying of a small clique of diehards who carry no weight with the Maltese electorate but who seem to be in the Prime Minister’s good books.”
“Leadership, good and strong leadership,” he wrote, “is the basis of democratic government. Creative and effective statecraft give the statesman flexibility and the dialectic of compromise. It greatly strengthens the leader’s will and determination to adjust himself to the contemporary historic and political truths and necessities. This would, in turn, guide and dominate his profound and indispensable valuation of change, of real adjustment based on popular and public intuition.”
Dr Felice was as fair as he was unequivocal. He declared unhesitatingly: “So far there is no basis to doubt the Prime Minister’s good faith and sincerity in his decisions even if we may strongly disapprove of them.”
He added in the same breath that “the natural temptation to serve one’s inner circle and to curry favour with some petty party bosses will, and should at all times, be overshadowed by the leader’s dedication to what he should feel is in his country’s best interests”.
Dr Felice did not mince his words. He wrote textually as follows: “I call on the Prime Minister to use his powers and convictions and not escape the reality of how much is at stake. In all truth, his party’s immediate future is at stake. Unfortunately, the chances of his party being re-elected do not look bright at all.”
Admirably enough, Dr Felice wrote without animus and steered off the personal angle by sticking to fundamental principles. He was not the first to denounce the lack of transparency and the suspicion of irregularities associated with the Gonzi government’s performance, all of which featured repeatedly in this newspaper and other sections of the media. But he is the first local elder statesman to venture in to the public forum and to stand up and be counted.
More than ever, Malta needs the disinterested input of its citizens, particularly those whose experience and accumulated wisdom entitles them to speak with a measure of authority.
It’s high time that the media and civil society pool their combined resources to illuminate the Maltese political skies and to provoke public discussion on issues that matter for Malta’s economic, political and constitutional development.
There is much that is frivolous that distracts the electorate. There is next to nothing to promote and encourage civic and political education.
Meanwhile many politicians have their partisan agenda and their fish to fry, while the process of political polarization intensifies.
It takes leadership, working hand in hand with civil society, to restore the balance
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