The sad incident of Michael Frendo’s utter defeat at the Commonwealth elections is a sign of misguided political naïveté. On the part of whoever advised Dr Frendo, that is. We all felt so sorry for Dr Frendo, who was really a pitiful sight on television. But he shouldn’t have expected any better.

Needless to say, the Opposition was very intelligent when it adopted the strategy of declaring its unqualified support for his candidature from the outset. On the one hand, it was the patriotic thing to do. On the other hand, in case of victory, the Opposition could claim Dr Frendo was securing his future in anticipation of his party’s defeat at the forthcoming polls. In the case of defeat (as was the case), government apologists could never, ever blame it on them. Very ingenious and clear thinking indeed.

The same cannot be said of whoever advised Dr Frendo to embark on such a risky venture. This advice betrays political naïveté. For three reasons.

First, because the advice given was in the context of a contest with India. In an ideal world, a small country like Malta should be the preferred candidate, due to the higher probability of impartiality and objectivity. In the world of realpolitik, however, Malta stands no chance of throwing any weight about within the Commonwealth, for historical, geopolitical, and economic reasons. Historical, because the Commonwealth is the former British Empire, and it is therefore natural to expect Britain to call the shots. Geopolitical, because Malta is in Europe and the Mediterranean - two scenarios alien to the Third World. Economic, because compared to India, Malta has very little to offer other Commonwealth countries.

Second, that the advice given to Dr Frendo was politically inept transpires also from the consideration that it is very unlikely in the present circumstances for African, Caribbean and Asian States to vote for a EU country. Why should they make such a strange choice? Geopolitics and realpolitik suggest otherwise. The fact that at the end of the summit, the Commonwealth condemned the EU for scrapping a preferential trade deal with sugar-producing African, Caribbean and Pacific (CAP) countries should suffice to shed light on the north-south divide worldview which forms the backdrop of international relations and ultimately militated against Dr Frendo’s candidature. Cyprus’ support for Malta confirms this analysis. Surely, Dr Frendo was not given proper advice.

Third, was Dr Frendo’s role in the Pakistan episode really so enviable? Are we sure he rated so high in the Commonwealth hit parade when he acted as the helmsman in the exercise to put pressure on Pakistan? How do former colonies view Europeans who want to tell them how to run their internal affairs? I’m not referring to appearances, obviously, but to reality. Did Dr Frendo help his own cause when he spearheaded the efforts aimed at making Pakistan bow to international pressure? No answer should be given from the viewpoint of Europe and the West, but from the viewpoint of nascent Third World States, jealous of their independence after decades under foreign rule.

Possibly, and regrettably, that’s the only kind of exposure Malta got from the Frendo debacle. Was it profitable for us? One doubts it. Are we going to get foreign direct investment thanks to Dr Frendo’s exposure? Let’s hope so, but realistically speaking one doubts it. So one cannot really invoke serendipity in this case. This wasn’t like Columbus who sailed for India and discovered America. We cannot say Dr Frendo sought election and instead will get us foreign direct investment.

By acting on the misguided advice given him, Dr Frendo wasted a lot of precious energy, which he could have used for better ends within the EU. As a microstate, we do not have the extra resources to gamble on high-risk projects. The insensitivity of the advice given to Dr Frendo once again betrays a high degree of political naïveté.

To my understanding, there is only one positive aspect to the sad Frendo fiasco. We should seriously consider withdrawing from the Commonwealth, out of solidarity with our fellow countryman, Dr Frendo. And also because, ultimately, it is a big waste of time and energy from which we are probably getting very little if anything at all. Our foreign policy should concentrate on the EU and its presaged benefits, and let go of our colonial past.

Anthony Camilleri

SLIEMA