Political arrogance is becoming a symptom of contemporary politics. There is a political dark side to this process with a blanket refusal by the reigning party to contemplate alternative political scenarios and overcompensate through an unwillingness to consider equally plausible political alternatives, especially in an era of zero-sum politics. The idea of embracing political humility has come to be regarded as a symptom of political weakness rather than strength despite a willingness to entertain alternative ideas and contemplate full-scale political change. Whatever happened to the hand of friendship offered by the Prime Minister to the Opposition immediately after the last general election and his commitment that arrogance will not be tolerated?
This is not a plea for a coalition government but one must acknowledge that the most successful delivery of domestic policy in the last 40 years has taken place when political leaders have had to bend to the will of their political opponents in order to govern, with Mintoff, Fenech Adami and Alfred Sant being the most prescient examples. Political arrogance is becoming an adjunct to political debate. It is manifesting itself as a method of simply points-scoring in the public arena with the aim of simply looking to impress at the expense of the ruling majority’s political opponents. It is the supreme form of political hubris.
Maltese society is a house divided. Yes, things have been worse at various points in the country’s history, but that is not saying much. We are more divided than we have been in decades, cleaved asunder by partisan sorting, economic inequality and rampant clientelism. These forces have been further exacerbated by new technologies that facilitate the laser-speed proliferation of inaccurate information that has had deleterious consequences for many people and pits different groups of Maltese against one another. If history is any guide, a society cannot long withstand this state of affairs.
This is not to say that during the long 25 years of nationalist administrations the arrogance of power never reared its head but not in such a short time and with such intensity as at the moment. When Muscat’s Labour Movement swept the Nationalists out of power we were promised a Malta for all, where everyone can work with Labour and get on with life, meritocracy and that the rule of law, transparency and good governance would reign supreme. Apparently, all of those promises were just lip service as year after year they were stealthily replaced by a Malta for the ruling party die-hards and loyal to whom the incumbent administration feels indebted. Appointments and promotions are made and given to known party activists, disguised as meritable through the parliamentary public appointments committee. Meritocracy was substituted by mediocrity and favouritism, transparency was ousted by the suppression of vital public information and good governance continued to turn rotten by the day.
Why did it have to come to this? Back in 2013, there was a general genuine feeling that Malta would finally breathe a new and fresh air of politics that promised interesting and much-needed changes in the country. Pity, though, that it turned out to be a complete let down. Equally pitiful, however, is the unforgivable state of hibernation into which the nationalist party let itself fall when it was overwhelmingly voted out of power. With time, civil society and the media have grown to be a veritable pressure group successfully revealing major scandals and corruptive practices surrounding contracts related to national projects. These two have taken over the function of the Opposition in holding the government to account. In the last few years, the NAO, the outgoing Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life have had many occasions in which they felt the need to flag a number of maladministration, bad governance or corruption-smacking instances. Their remedial recommendations were either left by the wayside or made short shrift. As is being made short shrift of the constitutional duty of consultation with the result that we have a perilous stalemate in filling the vacancies of the vital office of the Ombudsman and the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. A mentality of non-resignation, to which we are resigned, has become pervasive among those having the reins of the country and keep on passing the buck for any gross faults or shortcomings committed under their watch.
Labour is close to realising the superiority of the righteousness of its political cause or creed. We are witnessing a growing number of ministers adopting an approach to politics based on their belief that their charming personalities and impressive rhetorical skills can change the world with a magic touch. For them and others of their ilks, intractable problems are simply due to the stupidity and selfishness of a conservative mindset. We are witnessing an extraordinary amount of arrogance in every Labour’s claim of having been the first in doing this or that.
Robert Abela is still on time to make amends but it has to be on a larger scale than that of the reversal of decisions concerning Żonqor Point and the Marsascala marina project after bowing to growing public pressure. Hopefully, the same thing will happen after the insensible legalisation of playing music outdoors in Valletta until 1am. There was a legend about the sun never setting on the British Empire, but it collapsed when the common man united. Similarly, the common man has the capacity to teach Labour a lesson for displaying the arrogance of power just because of its majority in Parliament and its days could be numbered if the common man united against it.
Arrogance of power. Yes. By this phrase, I do not mean the misuse of power for personal ends, which is political corruption in the usual sense. I mean something that is often well-intentioned and even idealistic, rather than something sleazy and corrupt. I mean a certain self-righteous sense of superiority in those who hold power, especially in those who hold power for a long time that makes them contemptuous of people without power whom they dismiss as “stupid” or somehow morally deficient in their motives. This type of arrogance has set a tone in our politics that is disturbing and makes some people withdraw from the public debate (and makes others shout even louder in public debate) with negative consequences for our democratic society.
Dr Mark Said is an advocate