Last Sunday, the Malta Independent carried an article on the PN’s political campaign for the Local Council elections. According to the article, the PN Parliamentary Group is being kept in the dark about the political strategy that the party is adopting for this election. The accusation is that the PN is lacking initiative and drive while the PL is already mounting a fully-fledged campaign geared for victory. Judging from this article, the PN’s strategy appears  tantamount to what is known in politics as a fugitive campaign.

Part of the political success of Dr Joseph Muscat should be credited to the fact that he embraced the concept of corporate leadership. This means that he is more than ready to embrace new ideologies. At least, this is the perception that his party wants to generate among the electorate. The problem for the PN is that it is finding it very difficult to market its ideology. I think that this is the weakest point in the PN’s strategy and this is why Labour is succeeding in remaining strong despite all the scandals that have surfaced in the media in the past two years.

Ironically, the current winning formula in the USA is the combination of elements of Christianity with an anti-federal libertarianism. This is what the Republicans are doing today. In part, Dr Muscat has embraced the second element, that of neo-liberal politics, which he is slowly introducing into our economy.  

But what the PN really lacks and Labour has are individuals who can mould public opinion. The PN is still suffering from the fact that it had distanced itself from the local communities and lost contact with the base. The choice of the party to enlist a strong troop of young candidates for local elections is the smartest move till now and I am sure that this will help the party to remedy this deficit. But results here are for the long term.

There is no doubt that the business community has a role to play in politics. While the PN wants to build new bridges with the business community, both with the small and big business, yet such a community is quite comfortable with the present government.

The different issues that I see between Dr Muscat and Dr Busuttil are about the role that government should play on the local scene. Dr Muscat wants a big government and the choice of his cabinet confirms this. On the other hand, Dr Busuttil is more for the formula of a small government. He strongly believes that a small government leads to big businesses. In other words, the smaller the role of government, the bigger is the space for private enterprise to pasture. The theory holds that a small government gives more autonomy to its public sector. Success here relies on the choice of ministers and expertise in their field. This was the biggest failure of Gonzi’s Cabinet.

There is no doubt that both leaders want to create the right platform on which businessmen can better engage in trade. Both systems of government have their pros and cons. The fact that Dr Muscat’s government is still relatively fresh, his formula may appear to be working but I have my own doubts, at least, where public administration is concerned. Dr Muscat believes that with a big government, he can better achieve his aim of integrating our economy within the EU. Even in this case, the choice of inefficient ministers can have the same disastrous effect as that of a small Cabinet.

Yet, I am not sure whether Dr Busuttil is succeeding in cornering Dr Muscat in his own territory as till now, Labour’s economic policy is tantamount to what many on the Left call “creeping socialism”. In simple words, Dr Muscat is dangerously juggling between socialist principles and neo-liberal policies. At least, this is the feeling that I get from the way Dr Muscat is calibrating his political discourse.

There are points on which I totally agree with Dr Busuttil. One of them is about the production of water and electricity. These should have never been sold to a private company. But would such a stand earn the PN any brownie points in the next local elections? I doubt it.

On his part, Dr Joseph Muscat has remained untouched by the political controversy engulfing John Dalli, Michael Falzon and Ninu Zammit, despite his current support to these politicians. The same cannot be said for Dr Simon Busuttil. The fact that elements within the PN expressed reconciliatory words towards John Dalli and worked to change the statutes to have Michael Falzon on the PN’s executive council willnowhaunt the PN for years to come. I am sure that these decisions willhave an effect on the electorate’s perception and will influence the vote in the next Local Council election.

Perhaps, what Dr Busuttil should do is to invest more in human resources. By this, I do not mean that he should increase the work force within his party. Investing in human resources means that the party should create the right platform for generating new ideas. New ideas normally lead to innovation. There is no doubt that certain measures have been taken inthis direction. The creation of a number of political fora is a case in point. Local Council Elections can be the proof in the pudding, whether these new structures are bearing fruit or not.