Make no mistake. The election date has become almost irrelevant. The country has been in an election mode since the Independence Day Festivities, not of 2012 but of 2011, when Lawrence Gonzi launched into one of his most visceral speeches which had been most unbecoming of someone who had tried to project himself as a unifying figure.

Arguably, he could have already seen the writing on the wall, and the storm clouds gathering on his own political home front. And for this reason the more he saw his own party base and hold of his own parliamentary group weakening, the more he must have felt the need to try and reassert himself in an authoritative manner.

Since then, it has been downhill all the way for GonziPN in terms of connectivity, credibility and persuasiveness.

Last week, we had two mass meetings within 48 hours.

There were two pivotal factors to them all – the message that either side conveyed and how did they match up to each other in this evident study in contrasts, where credibility, persuasiveness and connectivity were the essence of it all.

The different tone, delivery and focus of the speeches made by the party leaders made it clear that while on one hand we have an inclusive Labour Party that has truly evolved into a movement of liberals, moderates and progressives, on the other hand the PN has relegated itself once more to being what it always was – a divisive party that can hardly paper over its own cracks.

Setting the tone of the negativity and smear campaigning still to come was confirmed by the evident bias and tilt of the leaked news about the forthcoming October TVM schedule of so-called ‘current affairs’ programmes, where if there is any truth to the reports carried, what should have been newsroom domain seems to have been virtually hijacked by production houses evidently known for their anchorpersons’ political prejudices, leanings and biases.

Change will evidently be a key factor of the forthcoming campaign; but with one big twist and difference.

Joseph Muscat has been reassuring, making it clear that he will consolidate all the positives that might have been notched over the years while striving to govern with a sense of tranquillity, stability and moderation that should all add up to a positive kind of change that will enable the PL to remain a listening government the same way that it has been a listening party throughout this whole term; Gonzi’s own notion of being a change agent has an almost perverse twist to it all.

Fully aware that his party faces the election not only as an incumbent but also as a fragmented party badly risking imploding before the election, not only did he disregard the prevailing instability within the country and his own parliamentary group by claiming, as he technically has every right to do, that he would keep on governing as long as he had the support of the House, but what was definitely far worse and frightening indeed, was his claim that every effort must be made to ensure that the PL will not be allowed to govern. Almost as if this was some divine right that he and his party had to decide about whether the Nationalist term of office should extend beyond its quarter of a century at the helm of the country. Word is already going around that certain people in strategic places will do their best to ensure that Labour will not work while Gonzi’s irresponsible echo of Simon Busuttil’s immature statement that a PL government could catapult Malta towards a bailout after two years or more in government, is sufficiently indicative of what one should expect from a party that simply cannot get round to accepting the prospect of being possibly shoved into opposition.

Gonzi and his ineffective general secretary played the fear factor to the hilt, as the only real reassurance that he managed to convey was that he sought to dismiss any claims of stepping down if re-elected.

For the PL, the mass meeting was no routine event.

It brought to an end a most successful congress – the first of its kind, that went way beyond gimmickry, posturing and buzz words. The people came, spoke and listened. And the people who participated in the week-long exercise did so out of conviction and without any fears or ideological baggage. Some of them were even independent minded non-PL members or delegates – from businessmen to members of civil society – who risked all by opening up in front of the TV cameras to air their views, concerns, aspirations and ambitions.

All those who followed the proceedings of the PL congress – either in person or else on TV – could tell that there was nothing stage managed in it all. Neither were there any attempts to shut anyone up even if what they said might have ran counter to previous official PL policy.

Most importantly, none of those who participated in the various workshops allowed themselves to fall into the trap of indulging in the type of personal attacks and smear campaigning that has already characterised the evident way forward being shown by GonziPN and the usual suspects in the so-called social media, as well as the printed media.

The people who came and contributed not only did so from all walks of life, but some of the leading experts in many a field opened up at a technical level pointing out flaws that we politicians might have so far held back from pinpointing so specifically.

The quote that stuck in my mind most was the frustrating outburst of a leading businessman who showed no surprise at the burgeoning bureaucracy and red tape, by claiming that once bureaucracy fuels corruption one can evidently understand the linkage even more.

There was evidently a time when the PN under EFA had worked hard at trying to put the individual at the centre of its decisions through dialogue sessions, but the moment the GonziPN clan hijacked the Nationalist Party, things took a drastic turning for the worse.

The PN became more and more insular, while notwithstanding certain cosmetic attempts to portray itself as a progressive movement, its true confessional conservatism shone through.

Throughout GonziPN’s speech, apart from the viciousness of his attacks, what stood out most were the key and pivotal subjects that he chose not to touch upon, such as IVF and cohabitation or gay rights and other civil liberties, the island’s non-existent energy policy and the shrinking middle class. Not even a hint about the way his party has failed once again to become a truly listening party except for chasing votes and dishing out favours by way of building permits, last-minute government appointments and selection boards, as well as renewal of contracts in government service for an over-extended period.  

Favours galore are definitely no substitute for the listening party that GonziPN had belatedly promised to turn his party into when he had won a single-handed campaign early in the year within his own party ranks, ostensibly to try and ward off the instability and lack of leadership trust and confidence amongst his own parliamentary group members.

Joseph Muscat shone throughout the past week.

His vision, credibility, powers of persuasion and connectivity came across without his resorting to any mudslinging or name calling the way GonziPN are by now well-known to do.

As his roadmap takes shape publicly, the party evidently seems well geared for the elections proper whenever they might be called.

The logistics of the PL congress augured well even on a purely organisational front.

But the one thing that stuck most in the mind was Muscat’s repeated commitment that a would-be PL government would put the private sector centre stage, be one of the most business-friendly administrations ever, and leave as much room as possible for private initiative not only among the entrepreneurial classes but also among all those members of society who had a dream to push forward, a feasible project to promote, and an ambition to explore.

The foundations of a fair and just society that relies on economic growth where all stand to benefit from it have already been laid from the Opposition benches.

It is now up to the people – not GonziPN and his acolytes – to decide when and who should govern the country.

Next time round, it will not only be a simple general election, but a real and stark choice based on the study in contrasts that emerged very clearly during the past week.

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www.leobrincat.com

Leo Brincat is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change