Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1200489
7 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 JANUARY 2020 NEWS isation of the gravity of the situation fac- ing the country, which Abela downplayed through his campaign. Ironically, while Muscat is reported to have given his blessing to the so-called "diabolical pact" denounced by Abela in his firing shot for his candidature, fa- cilitating the endorsement of Fearne by ministers loyal to Muscat, Abela's can- didature effectively made it possible for Muscat to prolong his stay in office till after the election of a new leader. The leadership race that ensued meant that neither Fearne nor Abela could dis- tance themselves from the sitting leader, most disastrously for the heir apparent Fearne: Muscat conditioned the cam- paign right up to the eve of the vote, with an emotional farewell speech which evoked comparisons between the two candidates contending for the succession. In this way, Fearne started the campaign being perceived as the candidate backed by the party establishment who had tried to avoid an election among members, something, which may well have rubbed party members the wrong way. Initially underestimating Abela, Fearne spoke to the nation through proposals fo- cused on good governance and a "no non- sense" approach to government, going as far as promising to revamp Muscat's cherished passport scheme and com- mitting himself to appointing the police commissioner with a two-thirds majority, proposals which represented real change but which may have not gone well with Muscat loyalists. It was only in reaction to Abela's cam- paign that Fearne tried to appeal to the grassroots. To do so he resorted to drastic but empty slogans, like his distasteful jibe on having an 'RIPN' epithet on his grave. In panic mode Fearne pressed all the wrong buttons, even sounding arrogant by inviting Abela to an already booked celebration party, something which fur- ther alienated party members. Ironically it was a defeated Fearne who ended up not attending Abela's inaugural speech as party leader. But the final nail in Fearne's campaign was the heroic welcome reserved for Jo- seph Muscat last Friday, which evoked the contrast between Fearne's austere and sombre style, and the persistent appeal of Muscat's charisma coupled with the dei- fication of his family. Ultimately this set the mood for the vote, which saw Abela winning convincingly. In short, while Fearne was busy secur- ing an exit from the national crisis from above, taking party members for granted and exposing himself to the creeping per- ception of having made compromises to get the support of ministers to get there, Abela was busy on the ground securing the consent of party members. Thus Fearne's approach did not trans- late in a grassroot campaign for change and largely assumed that party members would simply follow the instructions of his very reluctant supporters in the Cab- inet, some of which may well have been hedging their bets and were not so emo- tionally invested in Fearne's candidature. Moreover, the awkward and unsolicit- ed support of Konrad Mizzi weakened Fearne's appeal as the reformist candi- date. On the other hand Abela did mobilise a bottom-up campaign, albeit one promis- ing continuity and which downplayed the scale of the crisis facing the country. But the questions remains: Was Abela simply following the rulebook to secure power, ultimately gaining a free hand un- restrained by compromise, to implement the required changes once elected; or will his approach to the campaign now con- dition him and prevent him from taking any significant action against the Panama gang? Words and actions Abela's inaugural speech does provide some clues on future directions. Once again Abela downplayed the situa- tion in the country describing it as sensi- tive but not tragic. Ideologically there were evident signs of continuity with Abela endorsing "trickle- down" economics, helping businesses to "make more profits, invest and succeed" but asking them not to "forget workers". Rather than a more socialist direction, this sounded more like an appeal to the good will of employers. Like Muscat be- fore him, he also lashed against the pol- itics of "envy" against those who "suc- ceed", in what appears as a jibe against anti-business sentiment on the left of Labour. His appeal for "self-discipline" is wel- come in view of the laissez-faire mentality which has taken deep root in various sec- tors, but it falls short of a clear commit- ment to address the moral crisis facing the country. Neither did Abela address the need for institutional reforms or address the reason which ultimately led to Muscat's downfall, namely the assassination of Caruana Galizia and the links between Jorgen Fenech and Keith Schembri. Abela's upbeat televised address to the nation on Monday night following his swearing-in was even more of a slap to the face of those expecting him to deliver change. For Abela made no single refer- ence to the elephant in the room which led to Muscat's resignation. Instead he spoke about economic growth and pros- perity. Abela's first appointment of JobPlus boss and economist Clyde Caruana as chief of staff also suggests continuity with Muscat's labour market and economic policies and contrasts with Abela's pitch on foreign workers being a threat to Mal- tese workers' wages during the campaign. The appointment is also an indication that the role of chief of staff will be more tied to policymaking rather than dubious business connections, as was the case with Keith Schembri under Muscat. From this angle Caruana's appointment was a breath of fresh air. The resignation of Keith Schembri's ally Neville Gafa from the Office of the Prime Minister was also a positive sign of dis- continuity, allaying fears that he would be retained after backing his candidature and even attending Abela's swearing in ceremony. What honeymoon? Labour supporters may be asking: doesn't the newly elected leader deserve a honeymoon period of grace and good will? While any fair assessment of his per- formance in the new role has to be based on his action over a few months, the ur- gent task of safeguarding the country's reputation requires urgent action. While party activists may feel entitled to enjoy a moment of celebration, non-partisans will expect decisive signs from the new government that no body is above the law. They will ask: Will the police and the institutions have the full power to in- vestigate matters which may cast a dark shadow on the legacy of his predecessor or implicate his closest associates? Abela's greatest advantage is that after being invested with moral authority by party members he has the strength to bring closure to this sad chapter in the country's history. But the temptation to overlook prob- lems in the name of party unity, may be too great to resist for a candidate who had no qualms taking a ride on the crest of Muscat's wave to win power. Much de- pends on whether support from the Mus- cat camp has come at a price. Prime Minister Robert Abela taking his oath of office on Monday