Saviour Balzan | Sunday, 18 January 2009

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Retracing George Abela

The nomination of George Abela for President is definitely supported by the majority of Maltese. He is also supported by dozens of sycophants who have not yet stopped writing about what a wonderful man he is. Truth is, he started being wonderful to them when he left Labour and started opposing Alfred Sant. Before that he was not wonderful.
Our collective memory is an important weapon, and it is important that we never forget. So let us remind ourselves of the past.
Perhaps Abela is as wonderful as they say he is, but so are many others, primarily Nationalist folk who sacrificed their careers and lives when they stood up to be counted in the turbulent 1980s.
Abela never stood up to be counted then. He is effectively a man who went with the flow, and never against it.
As the front-page story attests, he was in the electoral commission that shot down a minority report that called for an end to gerrymandering. In a comment to this newspaper, he defends the boundaries of 1987.
Now, gerrymandering and perverse election results are the main reasons so many individuals stopped believing in Labour and started supporting the PN. These two episodes were the reason why so many felt it vital to take a political stand which at times cost them their promotion, their business and their comfort.
All the new GonziPN boys and girls should know all about this, if they were still not born in the 1980s or too young to remember.
Later, Abela formed part of the winning triumvirate of the party that won Labour government in 1996 and which did away with VAT and froze Malta’s EU application. As a lawyer for the GWU, he supported the union in its ‘silly’ strikes at Air Malta; later, he suddenly changed tack and became the darling of the Nationalist party.
His nomination is opposed by a few who in years gone by had the gall to stand up to face arrogant Mintoffianism and the excesses of KMB mediocrity. In his decision to appoint Abela single-handedly, Gonzi acted decisively to thrust a spanner in the works at the Labour party. His decision was not based on whether George Abela really deserved the role of President; but whether he as Prime Minister would gain political points out of this appointment.
To be fair to him, he has gained many political points.
It is a great pity that the person questioning Abela’s nomination is Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who appears to be sucking up to militant Nationalists. But we all know why JPO is really irritated.
More interestingly is Simon Busuttil’s opposition to Abela’s nomination. Why should Busuttil oppose Abela? Abela’s candidature has clearly left Joseph Muscat with no room for manoeuvre.
Furthermore, Muscat gave the impression that he had a list with Abela’s name on that list. And yet there is no evidence of this list or that Abela, or anyone else for that matter, was on this list.
So much so, that Lino Spiteri – who was supposedly on this list – argued weeks after being mentioned in the press that he had never been consulted by Muscat over his alleged nomination by Labour.
And if Spiteri was on Muscat’s list, as Muscat insists he was, then why didn’t Muscat inform Spiteri of his intention to propose him for President?
Really, this is one big mess.
What is even more curious is Lino Spiteri’s three-week delay in clarifying that he was not contacted by Muscat after sister newspaper Illum reported the he was Muscat’s candidate for President. Spiteri did not even deny or say a word about the story then.
That was 21 December – eight days before Gonzi informed Muscat of Abela’s nomination.
I have this funny feeling that Abela did not even inform his bosom friend Spiteri about his nomination, which may explain why Spiteri was so terse in his first opinion in The Times the day after the revelation in the Sunday newspapers that Abela would be nominated for the presidency.
Which takes me back to last Sunday, when MaltaToday, together with four other Sunday newspapers, revealed the story.
When I called the PM’s personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi and asked him if the story was true, he rubbished it. Which of course goes to prove how seriously one can take the PM’s personal assistant’s statements next time around.
Finally, one must remark that the most irate guy on the planet must be Louis Galea. Abela’s announcement basically puts paid to any dream the Siggiewi heavyweight might have had of making San Anton his residence.
The more important lessons to learn from Abela’s choice for President should be the following.

(1) If you are a Cabinet minister and want to learn something about a government decision, stop waiting for the Monday Cabinet meeting. Start reading MaltaToday.
(2) If you have ever participated in making a perverse electoral result possible, please do not be concerned. Phone Lawrence Gonzi or Edgar Galea Curmi and leave them your name.
(3) Just because Abela defends the gerrymandered boundaries of 1987, failed to denounce violence and corruption in the 1980s, and was part of the leadership of a party that did away with VAT and froze the EU application, does not mean he is not fit to be President.

Now if you don’t mind I have one last job before the weekend is over. I have to dig up my copy of Michael Frendo’s 1980s paean to government excess ‘Is Malta burning?’ and burn it.
One final thing. For those Nationalists who think I am being unfair on Abela, perhaps they should consider that had Abela been the Leader of the Opposition today, you know today’s front-page story would be part of Gonzi’s arsenal in the next general election.

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