With Dalligate and the ping-pong going on between the PN and the former EU Commissioner no one can deny anymore that the rot has definitely set in in the corridors of power. It' s a total meltdown with bad news about the state of affairs in the PN capturing the headlines not only from week to week and from day to day but now from the morning to the afternoon and through to the evening.
Not only has the Prime Minister lost control of his parliamentary group, not only has he also lost his parliamentary group's majority in Parliament, not only will he now have to rely on the ambivalent support of an independent MP in a coalition fraught with dangers, not only will he have to face the unpredictability of one to two government MPs, but right on the eve of a general election he will have to tread with utmost caution in a deputy leadership contest that is in effect a mini contest for the future leader of the PN.
The longer Gonzi hangs on to power the worse it gets.
Although the political developments of the last couple of months impact negatively on the governance of the country and do no good at all to the economy and to the confidence of investors - now that we must also deal with a scathing report by the World Bank about Malta's inability to deal successfully with bureaucracy - I must confess that watching my direct political opponents in a frenzy of self-demolition gives me great pleasure. At 32, way back in 1998, I must have been one of the youngest ministers for a long time. It was a hellish baptism of fire as the Labour government had to deal with its own spate of internal strife that eventually led to an early general election and the downfall of Alfred Sant's government.
Doubtlessly what is happening now inside the Nationalist Party is, from my point of view, pure poetic justice. You cannot blame me, can you? Yes indeed, 14 years down the road the situation has completely reversed with JPO, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett calling the shots at the expense of a Prime Minister who cannot exercise authority single-handedly anymore.
And now with the former EU Commissioner tacitly suggesting that the PN is trying to ruin his reputation with a little help from some friends in Europe, not to mention the Arriva transport fiascos too of the last days to carry on componding the crises, the situation I would say is fast becoming hilarious.
As far as legislation is concerned Dr Gonzi will need to consult the no-holds-barred, now independent MP JPO to ensure its safe passage through Parliament. But Dr Gonzi will also have to keep an eye on the unpredictability of Franco Debono who, although still a government MP, cares little if at all about his party's whip and has already acted like an independent within his own party.
The Prime Minister's unfettered discretion now only lies in his authority to call an election at whatever time he deems fit. It is clear that neither JPO nor Debono can influence when he blows the whistle, unless of course they both vote against the government on a money bill, the most prolific of which is the Budget, thus killing off the Speaker's casting vote in the process, in which case Dr Gonzi will have totally lost the plot.
This is a moribund political party which has overstreched its natural life in order to accommodate various societal interests that see Labour as their nemesis. With Gonzi checkmated by his own ilk the end is now very near. Political history has shown that the electorate does not like voting into power a dis-united party. The Nationalist Party is not only divided, but the longer it holds on to power the faster it is crumbling.
Dr Gulia is the Opposition's Main Spokesman on Tourism and Air Malta