The General Delegates Conference of the Malta Labour Party has elected a new party leader in the person of Dr Joseph Muscat. Now an MEP, he has yet to go through the constitutional hoop, to formally assume the onus of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

It was a long, hotly contested campaign by five contenders, all of whom had unimpeachable credentials. Intense interest in the outcome on the part of the media and political interests extraneous to the Labour Party distinguished the campaign.

The delegates had to choose one out of five candidates for the post. The way they chose indicates that they navigated by their own star, and that the pressures and pleadings, heaped on them through the media and the blogs, were like water off a duck’s back.

The one clear impression emerging from the result is that the delegates responded to the wind of change. The delegates demonstrated a clear option for a new element – a leader, identified with the mentality of the rising generation, and who carries, nevertheless, the necessary baggage, in terms of intellectual attainment and performance, on the European political stage.

Muscat was elected on the promise that he will strive to transform the MLP into “the new face of a new Malta”, one that will be inclusive, and anxious to win back the support of those supporters who were alienated or emarginated by inter-party rivalry. Much will depend on his ability to be seen to be delivering. In turn, his ability to deliver will depend, in large part, on the officials elected by the delegates’ conference, to form the leadership team.

Although the new leader will have a lot on his plate, time is of the essence, and the onus is on him.

Dr Muscat has taken over a party that has suffered three consecutive electoral defeats, and has been debilitated by factionalism. His prime challenge is dual: internally, to rejuvenate the party and, externally, to set the priorities for new party initiatives.

The “external” agenda is as urgent as the “domestic” challenge. Malta achieved the status of full EU membership five years ago, and is supposed to be a fully functioning democracy under the rule of law.

Embarrassing though it is, it has to be admitted that, notwithstanding EU membership, Malta still languishes in the grip of a sham democracy, where State authority is driven by the motor of brazen political arrogance, and where the interests of the common citizen are subordinated to political interests. The environment is such that democracy is surreptitiously disarmed or even paralysed.

The recent Voice of the Mediterranean episode is illustrative of the prevailing sorry state of affairs.

The Auditor General highlighted grave irregularities relating to the disposal of public funds. His findings were sustained by additional information from the independent media. .

Ministers and MPs, as well as the PN propaganda machine, were mobilised, and the whole affair was immersed in the murky waters of partisan controversy. There were questions about the competence of the Auditor General’s staff, and whether or not the prevailing financial laws and regulations apply in the case of joint Malta-Libyan entities. There was even an attempt to launch an investigation into the Office of the Auditor General.

In short, official quarters had all the answers except the one related to the defence of the public interest, and the safeguard of public funds when substantial amounts of money had been irregularly disposed of.

For weeks, there were public complaints and futile exchanges in Parliament on the matter. Nothing changed – until the whole issue evaporated into thin air, to be ultimately expunged from the electorate’s memory.

Since that time, public opinion has been regaled with an abundance of stories alleging irregularities on the part of Mepa. A point was reached when the protesting public took to the streets.

If this is “democracy”, it is an impotent and spineless democracy. It is certainly not one where the star of Maltese democracy shines to brighten the EU constellation!

Add to this the steady stream of stories alleging corruption and abuse of power, all of which are systematically smothered by partisan counter-propaganda, and the real picture of Maltese democracy emerges, in Hollywood parlance, “in glorious Technicolor”.

The salient fact of this story is that, in Malta, there are no fixed arrangements to hold independent and transparent investigations of reports (or serious allegations) of corruption, abuse or incompetence that lead to the contamination of the democratic environment.

This defeats the principle of accountability. It builds a protective wall to shelter incompetent or guilty parties. The law lacks teeth; democracy is handicapped, and deprived of the means of self-defence.

As a result, the Exchequer has been bled white in the process. Many have held to their ill-gotten gains to live the life of Riley.

All of this flows from a deep-rooted, maimed culture based on dependence for electoral support, very often relying on abuse of office or political favours, and often driven by arrogance.

However bitter the truth is, after five years of full EU membership, we still lack basic democratic structures.

We practice democracy on paper – because the people elect Parliament every so often, and we have independent courts to dispense justice. From that stage onwards, it is the Executive government that rules the roost, with ministers imposing their will at their discretion, and without the established machinery to guarantee transparency and accountability of government.

The government’s recent decision committing Malta to membership of the Partnership for Peace, without any form of consultation with Parliament or the electorate, and without an electoral mandate, was a clamorous affirmation of the above.

Joseph Muscat is qualified to tackle this and related issues, and to take them to the heart of Brussels. He is in a position to marshal support from powerful forces to bolster Malta’s democratic status.

If he acquits himself positively, his stature may well become larger than life.

If he manages to persuade all factions in his party to rally around its banner, the odds are in his favour—never mind the fury of his opponents, and the warped arguments of his critics.

[email protected]