On Monday, Joseph Muscat revealed another difference between his leadership style and that of Alfred Sant – by not fielding press questions after the Budget speech. Raphael Vassallo on the Labour Party’s great image gamble
Striking a presidential pose beneath the twin flags of Malta and the EU, Joseph Muscat took pains to look like a plausible future Prime Minister with his post-Budget address in the Palace courtyard on Monday night.
As far as stage-management is concerned, it was a quantum leap forward from the days of Alfred Sant – who as a rule would hold his post-Budget press conference in the Opposition party’s pokey and dimly-lit parliamentary offices upstairs.
But the change in format also speaks volumes about the radical gear-shifts currently taking place at all levels in the Glass Factory at Mile End. Sant – who, as Prime Minister, also relinquished the traditional chauffeur-driven car for his own Mazda 626 – was evidently keen on projecting the image of the Labour leader who shares the aspirations, concerns and basic lifestyle of the man in the street.
Not so Joseph Muscat. Consciously modelling his public persona on the Sarkozy/Obama “celebrity” approach to politics, the 34-year-old Labour leader evidently understands what the previous Socialist generation found so difficult to stomach – that to be a winner, one has to also look like a winner.
Nor was this the only departure from the traditional Labour way of doing things. For once the lights dimmed and the cameras stopped rolling, journalists were surprised to discover that – unlike Sant – Joseph Muscat had no intention of actually answering any of their questions.
Instead, he treated the media to a rousing condemnation of Budget 2010’s every proposal: starting with the claim that government had undermined its own economic vision by “irresponsibly raising water and electricity tariffs once more”; eroding the quality of life of thousands of citizens across the full spectrum of Maltese society.
Interestingly, throughout his brief address Muscat repeatedly referred to Gonzi and Fenech by name... but not to “the Government”, “Cabinet” or any other variation of the same theme. Coupled with his references to various unresolved scandals – in which Fenech has positioned himself as lead protagonist - the innuendo is hard to miss. Just as the Nationalist Opposition once harped on a “gvern tal-klikka”, Muscat appears keen on projecting the image of a government hijacked by an “inner sanctum” of untouchables.
So all in all, top marks for Joseph in the style-and-soundbite department. But does the transition also come at the price of substance?
Asked to account for the disappointing lack of question-time, PL press officer Kurt Farrugia explained that Monday’s event was intended to be a statement in response to the Budget, as opposed to a full-blown press conference in its own right – adding that the Oppositon had only just heard the Budget speech, and needed time to digest its contents before providing a detailed response.
This response, we have been promised, will not be long in coming. But still: for a press more accustomed to the fiery ways of Alfred Sant – whose post-budget press conferences would often steal the government’s thunder, while simultaneously exposing the Labour leader’s penchant for shooting from the hip – the change in strategy appears to crystallise a permanent dilemma faced by Joseph Muscat and his new “progressive movement”.
In part conditioned by a hostile independent press, Muscat is evidently keen to dispel the patiently cultivated image of Labour as a chaotic, disorganised and above all, accident-prone party. Instead, his PR team is clearly working overtime to project a totally opposite image: that of a streamlined, disciplined and dynamic movement, capable of attracting new voters while at the same playing the game as equal partners on the international stage.
But if Muscat’s strategy to avoid mistakes is to put himself in a position where he simply can’t make any for lack of opportunity... well, then it is only a matter of time before his detractors start accusing him of cowardice, and avoiding the media spotlight altogether.
After all, in politics you can never really win...
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