Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1465732
THE political credo of the 'un- sophisticated' politician whose name is Edwin Vassallo has been the subject of a great number of journalists, bloggers and observ- ers for many years. He was called all sort of names, including 'dinosaur' (Raphael Vassallo, 2020), 'mis- erable slug' and 'banana' (Man- wel Delia, 2020), 'bigot' (Sebas- tian Tanti Burló, 2021) and a politician whose intelligence is the size of a shrivelled pea (Kristina Chetcuti, 2020). These abysmal titles by right- wing exponents are added to the incessant mockery of One News reporters who often rid- iculed Vassallo for his stance on various areas of policy from IVF to gay marriage, from COVID vouchers to hunting and trappers interests. After 25 years of service in the House of Representatives, Vassallo's days in Parliament are over after having failed to secure a Parliamentary seat during the last general elec- tion. Many of his staunch crit- ics within the National Party were relieved that he is to be no more. The Party's establish- ment worked against Vassallo and other politicians like him who profess their political cre- do in the Catholic-democratic principles which are at the core of the PN's raison d'etre. Over the decades, this self- taught politician whose work- ing office is his own fami- ly business in Mosta went through a degrading metamor- phosis from the perspective of the the well-paid experts who are commissioned to 'modern- isee' the PN. From an asset in the 1990s when he served as junior minister responsible for the self-employed sector under the Fenech Adami adminis- tration, Vassallo was gradual- ly turned into a liability and, sometimes, an embarrassment for the party which he has al- ways considered as his natural political home. As soon as the results of the by-elections were evident, many Nationalists chose their own preferred requiem, wheth- er that of Palestrina or Mozart or Cherubini, and chanted it in memory of this unelect- ed, hence defunct, politician. They think that Edwin Vassallo is now out of politics and his speeches on morality, ethics and human values will be si- lenced for good. They are now freer to change the PN from within by rendering it more liberal and progressive in order for their Party to become elect- able again. Little do they know that their requiem for Edwin Vassallo is suspended because the true nature of Edwin Vassallo is to be political. He will continue to be a politician even if his parliamentary seat is no more. For Edwin, politics is not a ca- reer but a vocation – a calling if you like. Whereas careers are bound with an office, vocations are for life. Therefore, accord- ing to Vassallo's definition, his political trajectory must con- tinue despite losing his parlia- mentary seat. The chanting of any requiem is not appropriate at all because the politics of Ed- win Vassallo is here to stay. Notwithstanding a quarter of a century in politics, Edwin Vassallo was never criticized in terms of corrupt practices, power abuse, political patron- age, or populist views. Giv- en the dictum that 'politics is dirty', it is no easy feat to come clean out of public life where your words and actions are un- der constant scrutiny. Vassallo believes in the pow- er of politics but, at the same time, has always been disinter- ested in the politics of power. Assessing the relevance of distinguishing between politics and power requires some in- sights derived from an etymo- logical standpoint. The word "politics" originates from An- cient Greece, meaning "affairs of the cities". In his epic work Politika, Aristotle wrote at length on the role that politics and the political community must play in bringing about the virtuous life in the citizenry. Thus, in its Aristotelian ex- position, politics was originally linked to virtues, better quality of life and ethical leadership. However, over the centuries, its inferences grew darker until it reached a stage when politics became equivalent to filth, cor- ruption and viciousness. Such a stark metamorphosis may have been triggered by the introduc- tion of the word "power" from Old French povoir (meaning "the ability to do") in the 14th century. During this period, the word power started being used to signify strength, vigour and might particularly in bat- tle, as well as to indicate effica- cy, control, mastery, lordship, dominion, ability or right to command or control in politi- cal and military affairs. These vocabulary enrich- ments were epitomised in Nicoló Macchiavelli's The Prince (1532); a 16th century political treatise that uncov- ered the bare truth of realpo- litik in early modern Europe. This alternative forma mentis to the ideal politik of the an- cient Greek philosophers al- tered the way how the people perceive politics. Such a negative perspective is reinforced by contemporary experience wherein multitudes of politicians in democratic societies are focused on their own interests and legitimize manipulation, deceit and cor- rupt practices to retain their orbit of power. Edwin Vassallo has nev- er been one of the latter. His mission has always been to be truthful to what he believes in. Compromise has never been part of his vocabulary. Instead, terms like 'responsi- bility', 'consistency', 'loyalty', 'dignity' and 'solidarity' are among the most numerous in his political speeches. Ad- amant to his self-proclaimed maxim "That which is morally wrong is also socially, econom- ically and politically wrong", Vassallo will not cease to re- main an uncomfortable voice for all those who seek power before true politics. In his last promo leaflet just before the election in March 2022, Vassallo wrote "I prefer not to be elected because I be- lieve in a set of principles rath- er than to be elected because I believe in nothing." Those who chanted the req- uiem for Edwin Vassallo may better prepare themselves for an unexpected and unpleasant surprise. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 OPINION 12 Dr Mario Thomas Vassallo is head of public policy at the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, University of Malta Mario Thomas Vassallo A suspended requiem for unelected Edwin Vassallo