Both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have been interviewed many times by the independent media in the past months, but one particular interview that the Prime Minister will surely come to regret is the one he recently gave to the Sunday Times. Meanwhile the PL side would do well to keep it in its archives for future reference.

Try and compare Lawrence Gonzi’s smile in the 21 June edition and his pensive and almost pained expression on the following page with his previous pics, and one will suddenly realise that not only has the country long lost its feel good factor but even the Prime Minister is finding it difficult and almost well nigh impossible to avoid looking downbeat and disheartened.

His replies to the pointed questions posed to him by Steve Mallia are sufficiently indicative of his political frame of mind, regardless of whether certain press reports that there were two takes of parts of the interview were correct or not.

He defended the lavish spending of his MEP candidates by claiming that the Labour side had invested heavily in their campaigns too!

In spite of a disastrous result Lawrence Gonzi tried to console himself with the fact that in his opinion the PN’s 09 campaign was much better than that of five years ago. All this at a time when various independent columnists have long concluded that the PN has just conducted one of its worst strategic campaigns ever.

For once Dr Gonzi had to admit that the PL was all the time setting the agenda and that he focused too much on reacting or responding to the PL’s allegedly ‘negative campaigning.’

Bearing in mind how the PN has been taking the electorate for a ride, year in year out, it takes some cheek and courage for the PM to claim that although they messed up the electricity charges issue they were not hypocritical. Try and compare their recent actions with all that they pledged in their manifesto and one will easily realise that they have been taking us all for a ride for months and years on end.

I liked the way the PM tried to distance himself from Austin Gatt without rubbishing him completely. He argued that it was not Gatt who messed the whole thing up, since it was a government issue. But he then suddenly switched into a different mode by reminding us – as if we needed reminding – that Austin (Gatt) has his own way of doing things and that he is critical of Austin on a number of issues, although he tried to cover that up by repeating that they failed on this issue collectively.

Lawrence Gonzi was at his worst when trying to play down Stefano Mallia’s role and links with Simon Busuttil when it is common knowledge how close they are professionally. He tried to lead us to believe that Stefano was a campaign manager but according to Gonzi he simply cannot be described as a person within the employ of Simon Busuttil. He stretched credibility even further when he went on to add that Mr Mallia is very close to a lot of people and that he is very close to the Chamber of Commerce and the business community.

I am not that sure whether the Chamber was pleased with that comment although it is an undisputed fact that he is a high ranking official of theirs. With the PN campaign manager occupying a key role in the Chamber and the GRTU front man running as a PN MEP candidate, independent minded businessmen and self employed workers must have felt rather queasy with that dubious cocktail.

If there is any issue with the leadership of the PN it is for them to figure out and sort out.

Gonzi was also rather rich in describing calls for Paul Borg Olivier to step down, as very unfair since according to him, he had done a good job while reminding us that it is also a tough job.

When asked whether he thinks PBO should be contested, Gonzi replied ‘If anyone wants to contest me, what authority do I have to stop anybody from contesting anybody?’ How he features in this equation is quite strange.

Forgetting for a moment that he has been promising MEPA reform since his election for party leader, Gonzi tried to justify his inaction on MEPA reform by claiming that his delay in listing exactly what he will be doing with MEPA was due to the fact that he wanted to listen to everyone and establish the best decision to take for this reform.

There might have been clear hints of what we should expect regarding the MEPA reform when the PM said that he is trying to get MEPA to respond to the realities we have today and for the future, adding that we have an economic situation and MEPA needs to pull its socks up. In which direction and how, God only knows!

Gonzi was on slippery ground indeed when he came to tackle the summer of discontent he is experiencing in party ranks. He philosophically told us that such disgruntlement worries him, but that it is part of life as well. When trying to mitigate the fact that many MPs are showing such discontent in public, Gonzi brought up the feeble argument that he does not think that they are doing it in public, adding that even if they are he has no problem with that since he prefers to know what is going on rather than just having yes men around him.

If I had to complain with my party leader and then follow it up in the media that would spell trouble, but according to Gonzi’s philosophy that is not the case. He first tried to lead us to believe that they (certain MPs) talk to him privately but then the media merely reproduces what is said to him, adding that this shows there is no secret there. But then when asked if he likes the fact that they air the details of private conversations in public, his stock reply was that if it is a private conversation, then he would expect people to keep that private, adding quite rightly...’ And I don’t like that at all!’

It is good to know that according to Gonzi nobody is threatening him and that he is not a person that can be threatened in this sense.

With this in mind I wish him political peace of mind and every success in his endeavors!

But the cherry on the cake popped up when the STOM editor asked him if he had lost his desire to be PM. Gonzi’s instant reply was “Absolutely not... This is something I enjoy doing.’

The editor suddenly butted in promptly by remarking: “You don’t look anymore as if you enjoy it.”

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www.leobrincat.com

Leo Brincat is the Main Opposition Spokesperson for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change