Party politics will always remain a moving experience. By their very nature, party politics embrace currents, ideas and thoughts. Their very existence stimulates people from all walks of life. It is an on going debate – expressions and aspirations that coalesce to form a united front whose ultimate ambition is change. Change that hopefully moulds, twists and eventually transforms our society for everyone to be better off.
The ultimate aim of any political party is to spawn and incubate ideas. Political parties lend form and substance to these ideals. The relevance of these ideas is consequently put to the test at election time. It is through this process that these ideas are eventually implemented.
It is therefore of paramount importance that political parties remain consistent, relevant and quick to understand what is happening around them. Quick and wise observation helps politicians to navigate successfully through a myriad of obstacles, achieving balance and equitable solutions. Shaping such long-term solutions takes time, patience and a large dose of realism and pragmatism.
The new leader of The Malta Labour Party has an unenviable task ahead of him to achieve any of the above. Barely two months have passed and the signs do not augur well. Admittedly, regaining some sense of cohesion after three successive electoral defeats is no cup of tea. Undoing a series of untenable policies will be very difficult especially when the new leader was at the heart of many of these decisions. Attempting, albeit hopelessly, to remove the old guard has produced the weirdest of results. Dr Muscat’s attempt to appear moderate has been severely tempered by the delegates’ choice of deputy sidekicks. The resurrection of paladins of old Labour in the “new” administration has continued to thicken the plot. The latest goings on regarding the Secretary General and the installation of a new CEO completes the almost absurd state of affairs.
Another worrying aspect of the story so far is Joseph Muscat’s pressing need for appeasement both within the party and on the national stage. In the case of the latter, the whole shipyard saga is classic Joseph Muscat. Is it possible for Dr Muscat to stop trying to be Mr Teflon and tell us what his policy is on the shipyards? His conflicting views on the subject smack of political opportunism, attempting to play both sides of the argument at the same time. How does he propose to privatise the shipyards, employ the surplus workforce, offer alternative employment, offer decent redundancy packages and prepare the ’yards for viable sale, all at the same time? Hiding behind a non-committal stance may bring short-term relief but long-term successful leadership requires unambiguous, clear and consistent direction. We may put this down to lack of experience or possibly a superficial reading of the situation. It is abundantly clear that Labour is struggling to get its act together in these fast moving times. Maybe Evarist Bartolo’s dry observation regarding his party remains the best one so far, “The more things change, the more things remain the same.”
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Caroline Galea is a member of the Executive Committee of the Nationalist Party