For the first time in this electoral campaign (of which there are five long weeks yet to go), the Labour Party seems to be on the back foot.
In the first four weeks of this marathon nine-week lackluster campaign, the PL seemed to be edging ever further ahead in the way it had been managed. Sometimes, perhaps, it was more quantity than quality, but the PL had put forward its ideas and seemed to be engaging well with the public. Its leader, Joseph Muscat, seemingly had an answer for everything – and they were well thought out answers too.
The Nationalist Party, on the other hand, continued to see its cabinet members embroiled in endless rumours of corruption and just seemed to be playing a defensive game – more often than not, being trumped by Labour.
The PN camp seemed to be devoid of ideas, the only thing of real note (forget tablets and other such notions) was the appointment of Simon Busuttil as the agent of change within the party – a sort of goodwill ambassador who is trying to lure disgruntled voters back into the fold. But other than that, there was not much to write home about (pardon the pun).
But yesterday there was a noticeable switch. The PL tried to counter the appointment of Dr Busuttil by appointing a new deputy leader itself, replacing Anglu Farrugia with Louis Grech – MEP. We do not doubt Mr Grech’s technical abilities – he’s a sterling MEP who has done well for Malta, and the European Union. But, Mr Grech has turned out to be somewhat of a flop in terms of public speaking, television appearances and ability to engage with the electorate. He is a smart man, with vast experience, but he just does not come across well in this game of cat-and-mouse that leads us into polling time. In short, he just doesn’t really have voter appeal. That, in itself, is not that much of a handicap in Maltese politics – he is the deputy leader and he will still get the traditional party base votes. But he is not really reeling in the undecided voters, those that the PL so desperately wants to attract to rejuvenate itself and move away from the working class base that continues to diminish as people’s lives are enriched through education, travel and opportunities that the PN has creates over the past two decades.
What compounds matters further, is the damning interview that Anglu Farrugia gave to a Sunday paper. No matter what one thinks of Dr Farrugia’s abilities as a politician, it is hard to ignore the fact that he was treated badly by the party he has served for so long.
When Joseph Muscat went walkabout in Paola yesterday, he was repeatedly asked questions by the media about Dr Farrugia’s removal and he simply refused to answer. His mood was sour, and his manner was that of someone cornered, someone who did not have an answer and someone who just did not want to play ball. The normally jovial and friendly PL leader just shut down and it was evident to all who were there that he was extremely uncomfortable with the line of questioning. The matter took a further twist as Dr Muscat did not turn up at Mater Dei as was expected later in the day. Is it a glitch? Did the PL leader have an off day? Is it campaign fatigue? Or is it the shift that the PN so desperately needs if it is to compete in this election. Today is a new day, and we will know as the day progresses. What is certain is that the PL needs to ground itself and take stock. Yesterday, it lost the momentum.