The sudden announcement that Alfred Sant would be operated came as a shock to activists in both the Labour and Nationalist camps, albeit for very different reasons: happening right before the year’s end, it robbed the build-up to the euro changeover and overshadowed any talk of record sums being collected at l-Istrina.
In the Labour camp, supporters were saddened to hear that Sant had fallen ill. But they were more confused by the ‘censored’ news that filtered out of the series of semi-farcical medical bulletins, highlighted with much pomp on One News in its regular updates. No questions were taken from the press in the first bulletin.
In the PN camp, Sant’s ill health sent the clear signal that someone needed to get back to the drawing board and redesign the whole strategy of how to tackle the Labour party in the upcoming election. It came as a surprise shock, even at the Office of the Prime Minister: instead of lifting the phone to wish Sant well, the Prime Minister opted to say it in writing with a letter.

Told not to procrastinate
Sant’s last appearance was some two days before Christmas. He had already been told that he could not procrastinate with this ‘problem’. The choice of finally seeing to it during the Christmas holidays was not without purpose. It allowed him to take advantage of the traditional political hiatus to convalesce. For he was certainly in no hurry to exit from the scene: close aides said it was not in Sant’s DNA to give up and that he would continue, even if he knew it did not help his health.
It was also no coincidence that the surgeon chosen to carry out the operation was a Labour candidate himself – although hardcore labourites seem happy to remind everyone that Prof. Anthony Zammit hails from a ‘Nationalist family’. Even the nursing staff helping him on a day-to-day basis were carefully chosen for their political allegiance and leanings. One nurse, a former state registered nurse (SRN) whom Sant knows personally, was asked to return to her old job to attend to the opposition leader.
News that Alfred Sant was not well had long been rumoured. Days before Christmas, this newspaper started to receive messages that the leader of opposition could be seriously unwell.
Nationalist punters blamed his looks on ‘drink’ – a malicious whispering campaign that is so effectively spread about and against Sant.
Sant’s ill health was finally confirmed on Thursday with flash news on One TV, leading to the mass conjecture that the former prime minister was not well at all.
Labour sources told this newspaper that the surgical intervention was major, aimed at removing what they described as a benign growth in the colon.
But there was never anything official. The rest had to be read through cryptic messages relayed to the newsroom by over-cautious officials.

Castro-like medical bulletins
The medical bulletins were brief and gave little or no details other than that the operation had been a success, and the patient was recovering well. MaltaToday last Sunday simply reported that the operation was aimed at removing a benign growth. But it also postulated the win-win situation that Sant’s ill health could serve Labour.
The Maltese-language Illum carried two exclusive interviews: one with Sant’s mother and the other with his sister. It gave an angle to the story that not even Labour party organs could offer.
Yet, it was the Sunday Times that rocked the boat last week. Traditionally withdrawn and careful not to look deep into personal problems, it decided to cross the Rubicon and announce with some unusual candour that the Labour leader was operated because of a malignant form of colon cancer.
There was no denial from Labour. But it was clear from comments made on One TV on Sunday morning and later in the day on One News that the party were not amused with the Sunday Times. There were no sources, no references; just straight reporting which however, led the Sunday Times editor to dedicate a leader to justify the news report.
The other media were unusually sparse in details. In the Independent there was not a single word about Sant – not even from his infamous pen-basher Daphne Caruana Galizia.
But needless to say Sant’s health raised a number of issues. First and foremost, that of how serious his conditions actually is: would he be able to continue? It follows that one should query whether he is up to the job.
And who? If any, the contenders for this post are the MEP Joseph Muscat, Gavin Gulia, Evarist Bartolo or a total outsider.
And it raises the serious question of how this will impact on the PN’s traditional ‘character assassination’ strategy of Alfred Sant.
And if he does return, and whether he does so with a vengeance… how will his opponents tackle him?

Zammit the candidate
Prof. Anthony Zammit will certainly benefit tremendously on a constituency level in the upcoming election due to his high profile in the Castro-like medical bulletins. Here he serves as the political ambassador for Alfred Sant.
It was clear this was the one time the doctors and professors could keep secretary-general Jason Micallef at arm’s length from Alfred Sant, and decide when and how he would organise his public relations with the public.
On Sunday, Prof. Zammit said Alfred Sant was doing well but he also added that Alfred Sant wanted to thank all the innumerable number of well wishers. Yesterday, on New Year’s day he went one step further and announced that Alfred Sant would be in a position to lead the Labour party in an election campaign.
Here was the quintessential medical bulletin mixed with a strange dose of political spin.
If Prof. Zammit’s statements were categorical, then Jason Micallef’s statement on Sunday that Labour was battle-ready and all set to go for an early election if it was called now, continued to prove how politically naïve the young secretary-general could be.
The one thing the Nationalists have been robbed of is their right to call for an early election, and Micallef was stupidly giving them a reason to reconsider a February election.
Gonzi cannot afford to be seen to be taking advantage of Sant’s ill health and yet, Micallef went on to state that his party is in full battle gear.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Nationalists will have to redraw the whole campaign strategy. They are already trailing behind in the polls and the news of Sant’s condition will not push them up. If anything, sympathy will work wonders for Labour. And they know it.

Strategies
In their strategy they will have to take a number of things into account. They cannot officially state that Sant’s ill health will render him a weaker prime minister compared to Lawrence Gonzi – although this could be true.
They could allow this perception to fester through a whispering campaign. But that can be dangerous.
They will have to replace the hatchet when it comes to Sant, and be less direct with their criticism of his persona. And they may well wonder whether a presidential-style election now makes any sense.
During the week after Sant’s operation, there were suggestions that Charles Mangion would be moving into Sant’s shoes. But the move is only temporary and if Sant cannot properly attend to his duties in the party, Labour will definitely go for a new face at the top. And it will be neither Michael Falzon nor Charles Mangion.
The party delegates know they cannot win an election with either of these men at the helm. That scenario could well demolish the PN’s chances of winning an election. It would be the worst nightmare before an election for a party in government.
The last thing the PN want is a fresh face compared to the 14-year-old leader of the MLP who has lost two consecutive national elections, but who believes he can make a comeback like Dom Mintoff did in 1971 after losing two elections in 1962 and 1966.
Jason Micallef has said that Sant will make an appearance at the party’s annual conference planned for the end of January. But such statement may turn out to be risky. What is sure is that Alfred Sant will need time to convalesce and his first appearance after the operation will be watched and monitored by everyone.
A day in politics is indeed a long one, and what lies in store for the future cannot be foreseen by anyone. Not even those journalists who pen their reports without revealing their sources.

sbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt