I find it irresistible to refrain from drawing comparison between the PN strategists’ game plans and the famous book Games People Play by psychiatrist Eric Berne, in which he outlined and studied in depth a whole series of functional and dysfunctional social interactions.
A few weeks ago I dismissed the Nationalist strategy for the Euro elections as ‘Oh, What A Circus!’, evoking without wanting to memories of the musical Evita.
But as the weeks plod on, and the Nationalist candidates run shorter of ideas, gimmicks and effective punch lines, most of them have suddenly converted themselves into a virtual Opposition Party, trying to come across as members of a government in waiting ready to take over from the existing government. All this when in fact, all the Nationalist candidates, even those who might be elected, will be in no position in the coming years directly to influence the way in which the executive of the country is run, as well as the manner in which it conducts its decision making process.
We have had MEP candidates rubbishing WasteServ for assuming a larger than necessary role that has effectively crowded out the private sector’s potential role with the minister concerned begging to differ.
While an environmentalist candidate was heard declaring on Radio 101 that an incinerator was necessary, a business community representative who has decided to take the plunge as a potential PN candidate came out against incineration, dismissing it as a last resort measure, both during a public consultation meeting at Marsaxlokk during a telegraphic intervention before performing a quick disappearing act, and also to be fair in public statements.
We have had an energetic young female would-be MEP standing up to Tonio Fenech on the car registration tax only to be shot down in a bloodless manner by the minister concerned.
The same fate awaited the environmentalist candidate who tried to ‘teach’ Austin Gatt how a consultation process should be held over the Ghadira Road project, only to be treated the same way flies were invariably treated when fly-swatters were still to be found in most households.
The latest twist to the ‘games that PN candidates for MEPs play’ had yet another MEP-wannabe going even one step further than the PL has formally done so far (since it is still taking stock of the situation), that the new waste management plant at tal-Lewz l/o Sannat, Gozo should be actually relocated.
Dreaming on as most of them are doing he even tried to reassure us that Minister Pullicino is receptive to the ‘valid arguments’ being forwarded by him for the dropping of this area for the siting of the waste management plant and that he will take a judicious decision in due course.
I do not know whether he said so in tongue-in-cheek manner or else to force the minister’s arm in a diplomatic manner but I had to struggle to hold back a smile when he concluded that after all, in his opinion, Minister Pullicino concurs that environmental projects should first and foremost enjoy the support of the community at large in order to succeed.
To be honest, the minister never gave me this impression. This was evident recently when he attended a rowdy public consultation meeting at Marsaxlokk on the incineration issue as well in a subsequent article of his in another newspaper.
It so happens that these are the same people, and this happens to be the same party, whose leader expected Joseph Muscat to shut up a former leader for speaking the way he did about the Euro and VAT in the House of Representatives during a recent intervention!
When we express diversity of views we are dismissed as resorting to a discordant cacophony while in their case it reminds them of the beautiful colours of a rainbow.
I know that we have a psychiatrist in the House and a very professional and good one at that. I have often joked among colleagues on both sides of the House that we need him engaged on a full time basis in the House proper.
It might be interesting were a psychiatric exercise to be carried out, of the way certain MEP candidates have been performing, mapping out their strategies and speaking during this campaign – ego-tripping excluded! Some comic relief in the campaign does no harm. And to be fair we have had more than our fair share of it!
Meanwhile one must thank these Nationalist MEP candidates for proving through many of their statements that we have an out of sync and jaded administration.
In concluding I cannot agree more with Ranier Fsadni when he rapped the PM and Simon Busuttil this way: ‘The PM and Dr Simon Busuttil are right to insist that on immigration Malta should be sending a single, clear message... so should their own party!’
The commander in chief
A senior military source recently claimed that at this time, the Prime Minister is the Commander-in-Chief and that ‘we’ i.e. the army, are ready to follow the orders as they come as far as illegal immigration is concerned. It seems that we are back to the standard and by now cliché-ridden solution that if the government has a problem then it must be dealt with directly by Lawrence Gonzi. Some might argue that it might not be such a bad idea after all, until they start remembering how he has allowed the environment to continue being raped, MEPA to run foul of the most basic elements of transparency and accountability, while relegating sustainable development to a meaningless buzz word.
But the joke becomes even staler when we read that “Tonio Borg flies to Libya”. Always basing myself on what I read in the press, this turned out to be nothing but a damp squib. The minister was merely quoted on his return as having said that there is a ‘renewed goodwill’ by the Libyan government to keep an open dialogue with Malta and Italy on immigration, thus implying that this goodwill has been lacking of recent. He also gave us a breaking news snippet that we hope to see the new Foreign Minister in Malta in the coming weeks.
Arguably, The Times described the whole trip best when it stated that Tonio Borg’s meeting with the former Head of the Libyan Intelligence Service was just an informal courtesy call following Mr Koussa’s recent appointment!
Mail: [email protected]
Web: leobrincat.com
Leo Brincat is the Main Opposition Spokesperson for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change.