The long and winding road

It’s a long and winding road to early June, the date earmarked for the election of a new leader for the Malta Labour Party; and its very length may well undo Labour as a cohesive and viable political institution.
The three-month campaign has led to the traditional spin and backstabbing from people around and close to the contenders for the post of leader. This was from the outset inevitable, and the press, hungry for news stories, will always be a willing player to this intrigue. Sifting between pure spin and genuine news will not be easy. At one point or other they always merge into one.
As much as we would like to inform our readers of the policy standpoints of the many the candidates for the various posts, it is becoming more than obvious that policy is the last thing that will determine the next leader.
Rather, the deciding factor is likely to be the unseen hand of the “party administration”, and the credibility of the candidates with the individual delegates: the delegates who will surely but sadly throw out a proposal to allow members of the party to vote for the new leader.
There is little doubt in our minds that one candidate is competing against all odds. Dr George Abela has not only an uphill struggle in convincing the majority of delegates, but enjoys little sympathy from the administration.
Having said this, Dr Abela will also have to live with moments from his past as a former deputy leader, and defend himself from accusations of having abandoned the party 10 years ago. Nonetheless, he still has widespread support from the electorate; but not enough from the delegates.
Another area of this campaign which leaves us in little doubt is that Joseph Muscat is the favourite contender. It is he who is backed by the establishment: for instance, Dr George Vella, who today represents the respectable “patriarch” of the party, has stated that he foursquare behind the young Muscat. And that, in the party, means quite a lot. (The fact that Alfred Sant himself has voiced his opinion about George Abela is also indicative, but his comment only contaminates the contest.)
Muscat’s cockiness and youth may work against him, but his ambition and fervour to take up the post may well see him eventually crowned at Mile End.
But then again, a day in politics is a long time. Anything can happen between now and 5 June. Michael Falzon and Evarist Bartolo cannot be ruled out as serious contenders, even though Marie Louise Coleiro seems to have not taken off with her campaign.
As the contest continues, the leaks and stories continue to reach the newsrooms: some half-baked and clearly little more than rumours; others supported by hard evidence. The sensationalism around the campaign makes the reportage of this event riveting and interesting… but in the process it also leaves the Labour party scarred and hurt.
It may yet do worse. It may leave the Labour party so badly mangled and injured that it might not recover from the event at all.
This is the worrying part. The country after all needs a strong opposition to take on the political discourse and to confront the government on issues and policy. A weak and lame opposition is of no good to our democracy. In a sense it is in our interest that the election of the Labour party leader comes to a close as soon as possible. And that the resulting leader reflects the aspirations of a forward-looking party.
No sooner will the leadership battle end, than the next phase of campaigning will start for the deputy leader, and very probably for the officials in the administration, who will most likely be asked to resign before their term is up in January. A new secretary general to replace Jason Micallef is inevitable: the man is after all responsible, together with others, for the failings in the MLP electoral campaign.
There could very well be a veritable bloodbath and everyone in the Labour party is dreading the moment. Others will simply watch and look on.

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