Argentina just elected a foul-mouthed far-right populist, Javier Milei, as President. He promised a free and unregulated market in firearms. He pledged he’d allow anybody to sell their organs to the wealthy sick. He called his fellow countryman, `Pope Francis, “a piece of sh*t” and “a communist turd”. He’s planning to abolish Argentina’s public education system and disbanding free public health services.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch Trump, Geert Wilders, secured the biggest number of seats in parliament. He’s called immigrants “scum”. His election programme promised a referendum on leaving the EU. He’s promised to ban mosques, Islamic schools and the Koran, calling it “a fascist book”. He wants the Netherlands to withdraw from the UN’s Paris climate agreement.
Across the ocean in the USA, Donald Trump is leading in the polls in five battleground states. In Nevada he’s ahead by 10 points. If the presidential election were held now Trump would win over 300 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed to take him back to the Whitehouse. This is the man facing countless criminal indictments including for inciting the 6 January violent riot at the US Capitol and for his efforts to overturn the 2020 elections. He’s bragged about sexually assaulting women, called them “slobs” and advised that “you have to treat ‘em like shit”.
Back on our rock, it-Torca triumphantly broadcast the latest survey results. Robert Abela enjoys the support of 43.4% of the public, a massive 22.1% ahead of Bernard Grech. That same morning Abela threatened the MUT. “Militant industrial action will get you nowhere,” he warned. He instructed his Education Minister Clifton Grima to pull out of negotiations until the MUT withdraws its directives. He incited the public against teachers: “It is not right that young children are made to suffer”. He portrayed teachers as egoistic and greedy: “We have such a strong proposal on the table, they’re being offered a package bigger than that offered five years ago at the last round of collective agreement negotiations”.
This is the same man who walked arrogantly past Jean Paul Sofia’s mother having ordered his MPs to vote against a public inquiry, then sped past the grieving parents to party at Girgenti. The next morning he escaped the wrath of the country on board his luxury yacht.
He praised Ian Borg for his involvement in the Transport Malta scandal. He retained Silvio Grixti as consultant at his office after the latter was questioned on a massive benefits scam. He defended Steward despite their hopeless record. He’s implemented none of the Caruana Galizia recommendations. He hid the Quintano report for months after Miriam Pace’s death under the rubble of her home.
Abela has been stumbling from one debacle to another, yet his approval ratings are barely dented.
What attracts voters to such leaders? A study in the Journal of Business Ethics identifies seven characteristics of such rough leaders - conceited, manipulative, selfish, pushy, dominant, domineering and loud. Those traits propel them to power.
Dr Brian Klass from University College London attempted to answer the key question of why we end up with such people in power.
He proposed three main reasons. First, power is magnetic to corruptible people. This is particularly true for those with a destructive psychological make-up known as the dark triad: Macchiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy.
Second, power corrupts. Even decent, well-intentioned people sometimes succumb to the corrosive effects of power. The easily corruptible don’t need much encouragement. They are more likely to lie and cheat and to communicate rudely and disrespectfully.
When Roberta Metsola was elected European Parliament Vice-President, Abela refused to congratulate her, spitefully commenting “Go and ask Metsola why she wants to gain political points by destroying this programme (passport sale)”. When the Times exposed his suspicious deal with Chris Borg he accused the editor of conspiring with the PN and used it as an excuse to refuse to answer questions. He falsely accused the newspaper of lying.
“Have fun with your blogs and books you entertain yourselves with,” he commented after Robert Aquilina published a book exposing the conniving between the police and the AG to shield Pilatus officials from prosecution.
“It’s a story you made up yourselves, ask who gave you the information,” he attacked another journalist.
Only authoritarians speak like Robert Abela.
Third, we give power to people for the wrong reasons. There are complicated reasons why we are seduced by charlatans and strongmen. Evolutionary psychologists argue that our brains haven’t really evolved much since the Stone Age, when following an over confident hunter might have been a good idea.
When we wonder how somebody so unfit for the job ended up in charge, we need to remember that we put him there - or at least most of our compatriots did, and will do so again if the polls are right.
The problem is that corruptible people are disproportionately drawn to power, disproportionately good at wriggling their way into it and disproportionately likely to cling to it once they’ve got it. Robert Abela is fast burning through hundreds of millions of borrowed euros to maintain his approval ratings. He’s already the Prime Minister who’s inflicted the biggest debt burden on the nation - now rapidly approaching 4 billion in four years.
We urgently need to figure out how to replace our corruptible ruling class with people who don’t want power and who will wield it justly. We shouldn’t be surprised when power hungry megalomaniacs are the ones most eager to put themselves forward.
Political parties shouldn’t wait for corruptible people to come forward. They should seek out those who’ve served their community selflessly and with proven integrity. We shouldn’t let those who spent their short working life siphoning millions out of the Planning authority only to claim tens of thousands more in “overtime”, anywhere near the levers of power. We should recruit those who see power as a burden not as a springboard for amassing personal wealth.