Although Simon Busuttil (who I congratulate on his appointment) claims to have been surprised by the result of his election, as a number of friends can testify I had long predicted the outcome of the ‘race’ even before Tonio Fenech had actually committed himself to run. Down to the actual percentage!

Without implying that there was the same blood-letting as there might have been in the case of the leadership race proper between Gonzi and Dalli, the voting patterns and the people who were known to have rooted openly for Simon showed that GonziPN is still firmly in control.

Even if the impression was given that both Gonzi and Tonio Borg might have publicly chosen to take a hands off approach.

While I will stick to my long professed belief that it would be a mistake for us to pass judgment on who can or could serve the PN’s interests best under given circumstances, I cannot but pass a couple of observations from an analytical point of view. Rather than from the clouded perspective of an MP and Shadow Minister from the other side of the political fence.

As recently as last September the GonziPN machine was already gearing itself up to do its utmost to shed the baggage of an incumbent Prime Minister and government.

So much so that the banner title of Gonzi’s Granaries speech was that:

We are the change you want.

As in the previous year – but this time even more so – the atmosphere then was one that smacked far more of an election campaign than the customary atmosphere of usual Independence Day celebrations.

He had even gone one further by also stating that ‘we are the change that is good for you. This has been the cry of the Nationalist Party and we recast it today….’

The problem with most people I meet is that although there is more than a fair element of discontent with Gonzi himself people are simply fed up with this government.

It is too late in the day to erase from people’s minds the arrogance, insensitivity and self centered manner in which they have governed – almost as if there will be no tomorrow. The kind of hubris that also struck past administrations in the past. And ended up in punishing them deservedly at the polls.

The observations I would like to make without in any way denigrating Simon Busuttil – who even more so thanks to the strong media support  from certain quarters – had performed well in the EP are the following :

Did Gonzi approach Tonio Fenech to run on his own merits or was he more concerned that there was a big risk that Simon Busuttil would end up running on his own? Something that the PN could ill afford to let happen.

Was Gonzi pleased or displeased that Ministers De Marco and Said were intelligent enough to mark time…possibly until the general election results are known?

How should one interpret the fact that the Busuttil victory has been interpreted by many as a slap in the face for Cabinet Ministers, since apparently only Ministers Joe Cassar and Zammit Dimech were not known to have supported Fenech openly?

Could it be that some support was given publicly to Fenech’s candidature to make sure that he would not have any cold feet about running since he could well detect that certain dark forces were definitely loaded against him?

One did not have to read much between the lines to notice how the balance was evidently tipped in Busuttil’s favour throughout the campaign. The company chosen for a particular newspaper’s poll. The way an independent newspaper’s poll (which favored Busuttil) ended up being reported as a news item on state broadcasting. The evident bias during certain TVM discussion programmes. What I perceived as a WE tilt too. The way the editorial staff of certain newspapers expressed themselves on state broadcasting. Certain bloggers known for their unofficial but close links with the PN strategists. If one digs deeper one can find other traces easily… It does not take a Poirot to ferret them out.

Some were mystified by the fact that most of the key players were the usual suspects who had ganged up in GonziPN’s interests against John Dalli.

In spite of his commitment to win Ministers’ trust, Busuttil was evidently annoyed that Ministers backed Fenech so openly, so much so that he claimed that perhaps it might have been better if they held back to some respect.

That as pointed out by The Sunday Times the majority of ministers were not present when the result was announced was also telling, apart from the expressions one detected on the faces of certain PN ministerial heavy weights.

In the final analysis I have my doubts as to how wise it was for Fenech to secure Ministerial backing when they might be the most unpopular grouping in GonziPN while Fenech might have been wiser to think twice before taking the plunge, given that polls have invariably shown him up as being amongst the most unpopular of Cabinet Ministers. Obviously after Austin Gatt!

That a number of ministers could not even be reached by certain newspapers for comment on the day after of the election was equally telling thus implying that at day’s end without over dramatizing matters GonziPN could actually have a house divided.

While it is not for me to single out Busuttil’s positive attributes and or negatives, I must confess being somewhat irked by his patently obvious reluctance to take a stand on anything under the sun. Even as to whether he considers himself a liberal or a conservative. So much so that he claimed to be merely a centrist. Even though without labeling the party he admitted that the PN brings together a majority of conservatives and a minority of liberal minded people!

That he could not even take a stand on the divorce issue simply because he was an MEP and the issue had been resolved in the national parliament was rich indeed!

It must be interpreted as a snub for GonziPN and the PM himself that it took ousting Tonio Borg from deputy leader and bringing in Simon Busuttil for him to admit boastfully that now the PN is suddenly in a position to guarantee the policies, substance and results, and at the same time offer new blood, new energy and new ideas.

Busuttil must own up and admit that he was deeply involved in the 2008 election campaign; the drawing up of the empty promises laden manifesto and the co-ordination of many a pre electoral meeting held. As seemed evident - this time too – even until he got elected last Friday.

Where I am in total agreement with Simon is in condemning all those who may have in any way tried to rubbish him on the basis of attacks and or false rumors regarding his private life.

I sincerely hope that the same way that he dismissed such negative campaigning as unhealthy, he will do his utmost as PN deputy leader to ensure that his party’s machine and some of their most vicious fellow travelers will show the same respect for human dignity that he expected others to have shown towards him during the campaign for deputy leader.

While one can easily detect what could have triggered the SUNDAY TIMES editorial IS BUSUTTIL THE PN’S FUTURE?, there are certain observations that cannot be completely ignored or glossed over.

Mainly the following:

The first myth that should be dispelled is that this was a contest between friends. It was anything but…

What we saw were two very distinct factions within the party openly launching toxic missiles at one another.

There was also virtually the entire Cabinet making a statement, presumably to the party leader, that they were upset that the PN machinery had been working to install Dr Busuttil in pole position ever since he was given the somewhat strange title of Special Delegate.

How is Simon Busuttil going to persuade those cabinet ministers that he is there on merit?

But perhaps the most incisive comments were the rekindled memories of the acrimony that could not be extinguished regarding the 2004 leadership race, and the ticklish question as to whether it was healthy for the party to be exploring soul searching questions so close to an election and to be entering the campaign with a bruised Cabinet rather than a truly united force?

Only time will tell. On our part we must soldier on without tipping into any over confidence, complacency or false reassurances.

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