Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525500
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 AUGUST 2024 6 OPINION Labour's meltdown risk It happened to the PN in 2017 and, now, Labour risks facing the same threat. Labour is in the midst of a political meltdown, unable to manage a domestic economic agenda or coherent policies. Castille is in turmoil; parliament is par- alysed; and the country is looking on in astonishment and dread. If it is to survive and overcome this collapse, it must un- derstand its sources. The dysfunctionality of the Labour Par- ty is largely a matter of Prime Minister Robert Abela's personality. To anyone with the right frame of mind, grandiose self-regard, pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, expressive shal- lowness, parasitic lifestyle, impulsiveness, failure to accept responsibility for his ac- tions and short-term quick-fix policies are symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder. Outside Malta, initially, Joseph Muscat and now Abela might have epitomised the polished, self-assured European statesman. Inside Malta, they are increas- ingly seen as a liability. Many genuine La- bourites fear that they could lead them to disaster. Abela's reluctance to change course in the face of widespread protests over so many issues reinforces the view that he is aloof and out of touch, while his tone can come across as arrogant and elitist. The consequences could be dire. At a minimum, Abela lacks the psychological characteristics needed for constructive governance: Honesty, dignity, compe- tence, empathy, relevant experience and the capacity to plan. These are strong and hard words to swallow, but they are no- where far from the stark truth and must be swallowed by whoever is imbued with good intentions for the country. His predecessor, Joseph Muscat, some- how managed to convince an electorate fed up with long years of waning and no longer creative Nationalist administra- tions that he and his 'Labour Movement' had all it took to make those characteris- tics a welcome reality. It was only a few weeks after his resounding electoral vic- tory that all that hype and great expecta- tions turned out to be a devious, deceitful and false commitment that fooled a great chunk of the electorate, with a repeat performance by Abela in the 2022 general election. The irony of it all is that today, Joseph Muscat has the temerity to take jabs at Abela for being more and more discon- nected from the masses. It's like the pot calling the kettle black. Such an incomprehensible and illogical phenomenon can partially be explained by the fact that some thrive on ignorance and simply go along with the flow, glean- ing all that they feel they need to know by reading the mass media or listening to the twisted views of their earthly mas- ters as expressed on radio talk shows or rehearsed speeches on television, the one medium that can distort and divide more than truthfully inform. These people bring hardship upon themselves and on honest, right-mind- ed and decent citizens. They care little or nothing about how to seriously decide which party would best serve their inter- ests and best help develop the country in the interest of all the people. An example might be a citizen who is swayed by the charisma of the political leaders, their catchy but divisive phrases, or who sees beauty in the logo of a cer- tain party. These people do not take the time to in- vestigate each party's credentials, weigh its policies on nation-building, check out its track record, and then see how each party fits into his or her perspective of what constitutes solid grounds for sup- port at the polls. Then, once that has been decided, they ought to have a look at that party's can- didates. Eloquent speakers and the most intellectual should not be the main con- siderations, but personal morality, integ- rity, credibility, consistency and spiritual values, coupled with an honest desire to serve all the people. With Muscat now thankfully and tem- porarily out of the way, the hope in the country is that "adults in the room" will keep Abela's tendencies in check. Labour's political meltdown risk might not appear to be that dramatic, but it is serious enough nonetheless. It is abundantly clear that some of the Labour politicians in the news now or in the recent past have neither personal principles nor an honest desire to serve the public. Their stupidity, uncaring actions, rhet- oric, inconsistencies, arrogance, and inability to listen and take constructive criticism make them out to be plain op- portunists who put personal advance- ment ahead of their devotion to truly serving their country or people. It is enough that Labour has been deep- ly corrupted by corporate lobbying and campaign contributions. It should have been enough that Labour was heavily burdened with unprecedented massive corruption scandals from day one that it swept into power. Labour's growing troubles will surely leave loyal Labour and floating voters with a ballot box dilemma come the next general election. It doesn't speak to peo- ple's needs and concerns any more. More than one former Labour sympathiser has long been warning Labour against alien- ating its activists and supporters. The party needs to provide moral and intellectual leadership. The trouble with Labour, one of the troubles actually, is that with its focus on fighting or preparing to fight elections, it ignores the war of position in civil soci- ety: the struggle to challenge and change entrenched and widespread habits, prac- tices, attitudes and beliefs that obstruct or inhibit progress towards a fairer, greener, happier, less divided and more democratic social order. Unless and until the party develops the capacity to provide such moral and in- tellectual leadership throughout society and at all times, not just during elec- tions, its room for manoeuvre, in or out of government, is bound to remain tight- ly constricted. Mark Said is a veteran lawyer Mark Said