Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1489031
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 DECEMBER 2022 months ago. Abela managed to sedate the nation by keeping himself away from the fray, avoiding bruising interviews at the risk of look- ing detached from everyday life problems. In this sense the perception of Abela as a "patri- cian politician" who has always had it good in life, also thanks to lucrative contracts awarded by the Gonzi administration, may well be his Achilles' heel, especially at a time when infla- tionary pressures pushed more people in to the brink of pov- erty. But all this changed in the Autumn, with Abela becoming more of a protagonist: first by framing the budget in socialist discourse, and then wearing the reformist mantle which he has also inherited from Muscat, to challenge the last taboo of the traditional establishment: Mal- ta's total (and inhumane) bans on abortion. Following Muscat's playbook, Abela had already used his honeymoon to deliver a ma- jor liberal reform in the shape of a new law aimed at widen- ing access to IVF, which fur- ther exposed Bernard Grech's weakness as he flip-flopped in another major U-turn on PGD testing. And in the aftermath of the Prudente case, Abela framed the proposed amendment to allow a termination of preg- nancy in cases where the life and health of the mother is in grave danger, as a defence of women's rights on which he is unwilling to compromise. And it his challenge to this taboo which may well earn Abela an unlikely place in pantheon of reformists. For while months ago Abela himself looked like Labour's equivalent of a Law- rence Gonzi, this issue has giv- en Abela the edge in terms of stature. Yet Abela's hawkish talk on migration, accompa- nied by a clampdown on mi- grants overstaying their visas, still gives him the opportuni- ty to please Labour's redneck crowd. Clearly Abela does not like the snowflake label, and migrants provide him with a convenient punching bag. Ultimately the balancing act pays off. While the latest Mal- taToday survey suggests that Labour has lost a couple of points, its super majority re- mains intact and unchallenged. Lingering governance shortfalls The removal of Malta from the FATF greylist boosted the government's credentials in taking the necessary action to restore Malta's reputation. For by removing Malta from the greylist in the space of a year, FATF has certified the island's concerted action to address various shortcomings in con- trolling the flow of dirty mon- ey. Yet this was not matched in similar zeal for reforms aimed at fighting corruption, regulat- ing lobbying and limiting the number persons of trust, as confirmed by the latest report by the Council of Europe an- ti-corruption watchdog GRE- CO. And the lack of progress in solving the various mysteries related to various spin-offs of Panamagate and Daphne Caru- ana Galizia's assassination risk leaving the country in a state of collective amnesia, as the events leading to the downfall of Abela's disgraced predeces- sor become a distant and for- gotten memory. In this sense Malta risks being plagued by the ghosts of mysteries left un- solved as happened to Italy in the frivolous 1980s, after its so- called "years of lead". It is this aspect which dwarfs Abela's stature as he still appears una- ble or unwilling to make a clear break with the past, except for an attempt to sideline Muscat apologists like Manwel Cus- chieri from the party media. Abela has also defused ten- sion by avoiding needless controversies generated by controversial members of his pre-election cabinet. Ian Borg was transferred from roads to foreign affairs, Edward Zammit Lewis, Rosianne Cutajar and Carmelo Abela were left out in the cold, while Miriam Dal- li, Clyde Caruana and Aaron Farrugia, three ministers with a more technocratic approach to politics, were regaled with super-ministries in charge of vital sectors like energy, the environment, the economy, in- frastructure and the country's finances. Mixed signals on the environment One of Abela's first moves was honouring the pledge to shift the American University from Zonqor to Smart City, in a bid to greenwash his government while still accommodating de- velopers who will benefit from an intensification of develop- ment in the area. But while the promised tunnel linking Malta and Gozo has been put on the backburner, the government bizarrely keeps defying its own climate change agenda by pro- posing an airfield in Gozo. And as the country holds its breath on major decisions on infrastructural road projects and land reclamation Abela keeps talking on "the need to balance environmental and economic considerations" – an approach which is also rem- iniscent of the Gonzi admin- istration: having delivered a knock-out blow to the environ- ment through the extension of building boundaries in 2006, it became more cautious after 2008. But like Gonzi before him, Abela shows no willingness to change the rules of the plan- ning game and his party is at a loss when faced by civil society resistance like Graffiti's actions in Comino. Clearly under Abela, Labour's love affair with big developers continues with permits still be- ing dished to whet the appetite of the likes of Joseph Portelli. But Abela is increasingly vul- nerable to criticism from La- bour's own grassroots. Not to mention the growing number of political agnostics, especially among the young and tertiary educated, including disen- chanted young people brought up in Labourite families. And while after two years of COVID restrictions and now the impact of the war, Abela may be tempted to press on the accelerator… Labour is aware of growing discontentment in its own heartlands. So one may expect more talk of balance as more projects get greenwashed to become more palatable. Abela is increasingly vulnerable to criticism from Labour's own grassroots. Not to mention the growing number of political agnostics, especially among the young and tertiary educated, including disenchanted young people brought up in Labourite families Abela has also defused tension by avoiding needless controversies generated by controversial members of his pre-election cabinet. Ian Borg was transferred from roads to foreign affairs, Edward Zammit Lewis, Rosianne Cutajar and Carmelo Abela were left out in the cold, while Miriam Dalli, Clyde Caruana and Aaron Farrugia, three ministers with a more technocratic approach to politics, were regaled with super-ministries