Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1114117
6 THREE Labour stalwarts – for- mer General Workers' Union secretary-general Tony Zarb, influential Gozitan party del- egate Guza Cassar, and Sant- era party propagandist Manuel Cuschieri – are coordinating a national petition asking Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to stay on as Labour leader. Undoubtedly, the question is why the petition is being set in motion right in the middle of an electoral campaign. In- ternally Muscat's decision to vacate the party's leadership before the next general elec- tion due in three years' time is considered irreversible al- though the departure could be more gradual if Muscat fails in securing an EU appoint- ment. Notably, the petition is aimed at persuading the PM to stay on for as long as pos- sible and does not suggest that he should stay on beyond the next general election. So the campaign aimed at convincing Muscat to stay on may well be seen as an at- tempt to galvanise grassroots support for the PL leader in the forthcoming mid-term elections, sending a message against complacency in view of the widespread expectation of a landslide for Labour. For beyond collecting sig- natures, the campaign spear- headed by the Labour vet- erans would clearly send a message that a strong vote for Muscat would be the most ef- fective way of convincing him to stay on as leader for as long as possible. In the absence of an external threat from the Opposition, which normally serves as a unifying force, the campaign will seek to rally die-hards in an appeal for Muscat to stay on. The sheer possibility that their vote may change the mind of a beloved leader may give Labour voters greater motivation to actually go out and vote. In short, the peti- tion may well serve to ensure a high turnout among a seg- ment of Labour voters who may not be so keen to vote in MEP elections either because of over-confidence or due to latent euro-scepticism. Still, a strong result by La- bour can work both ways. While it may send a message that voters have once again renewed their trust in Mus- cat, it also sends the message that the party is now strong enough to endure a leader- ship race in the comfort of enjoying a strong majority. Possibly, Muscat's intention may well be that of decimat- ing his adversaries to give his party enough breathing space during the leadership change- over. And while raising hopes that the Labour leader may change his mind, the petition may be off-putting for moderate Labour voters who actually see Muscat's determination to step aside before the next general election positively, as an insurance against Muscat digging his heels in Castille. In fact Muscat's promise to leave has so far balanced the cultish devotion displayed towards him by some of his support- ers. Any organised attempt to make him reconsider his de- cision may be reminiscent of Alfred Sant's change of heart after stating his intention to step down after losing the 2003 general election, only to announce his intention to contest again for leader a few weeks later during a mass meeting. While such a campaign may well be a genuine attempt by party stalwarts, it risks putting a spotlight on the uncertain future of the Labour Party at a moment when Muscat is him- self trying to project mid-term elections as a contest between himself and PN leader Adrian Delia. In fact the media narra- tive has so far been dominated by speculation on whether Delia would survive as PN leader after expected losses in MEP elections. Yet Muscat himself can't escape the contradiction be- tween his repeated attempt to give a presidential twist to mid-term elections (and putting his signature behind every candidate standing for these elections) and his re- solve not to contest another general election as PL leader. Instead of slowly letting go, Muscat is underlining his role as the party's best asset. Muscat himself has been keen to emphasise future so- lutions to everyday problems impacting the quality of life of voters, in areas like the envi- ronment, infrastructure and public transport. This itself raises the question on wheth- er Muscat is simply postpon- ing problems created by his economic model, fully know- ing that he won't be the one responsible for solving them. Judging by his performance in his debate with Delia last week, the Labour leader – de- spite remaining a good com- municator –looked more jad- ed than usual. Muscat himself has recently promised that he will not be leaving the party's leadership abruptly. But the absence of a roadmap on his departure creates a degree of uncertain- ty on the party's future. This is further underlined by growing uncertainty on who could re- place him as party leader. The suggestion that Kon- rad Mizzi may be tempted to contest sent shivers down the spine of those within the par- ty who are concerned by the damage inflicted on the party by the Panama Papers, and who hope that the next leader will clean the party's Augean stables. For one major ques- tion facing any future Labour leader is whether he or she would keep Mizzi in the Cabi- net. Chris Fearne's lacklustre speech on the 1 May mass meeting further underlined the risk of electing a leader who lacks the charisma of the present one. In his speech Fearne confidently spoke of Labour remaining in power for 25 years, trying to convey optimism in Labour's staying power for a post-Muscat fu- ture. He also gave the party a sense of purpose by setting its aim as that of creating a new class of 'rich' working class. Yet he clearly needs to work up his rhetorical skills to in- maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 MAY 2019 NEWS ANALYSIS JAMES DEBONO Out comes the old guard galvanising A petition that seeks to 'convince' Joseph Muscat not to step down as Labour leader before the next general election could well be used to galvanise the Labour vote ahead of the 2019 MEP elections