Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/405994
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2014 7 News or aping Joseph? 1980s and in the 1996-1998 interlude. But can it work against a government and a Prime Minister who is able to change the goalposts whenever its popularity is under threat? A Social liberal party What seems genuine is Busuttil's transformation of the PN into a more social liberal party. Busuttil came very close to admitting that abstain- ing on civil unions was a mistake, saying that this stance "hurt" a lot of people. Busuttil referred to a newly separat- ed woman whose "new family" con- sists of herself, her son and the son's same-sex partner. Still the very question asked by Bu- suttil on whether the party is coura- geous enough to accept diversity, is in itself an admission of how retrograde the party was over the past years. For the party still finds itself dis- cussing acceptance rather than de- fining new rights and obligations. For example Busuttil positively re- ferred to Naomi Bugre as the "black girl" who expressed her pride in be- ing Maltese. Still Busuttil did not go one step further by defining citizenship rights for the children of immigrants who have spent all or most of their life in Malta. Busuttil also has the habit of iden- tifying popular concerns like traffic and the drop in retail sales. But it is not fair to blame the de- cline in retail on the government when a major cause of this is the shift to Internet shopping. Moreover traf- fic problems have been accumulated over decades. In these instances, the PN's test will be that of coming out with new innovative policies rather than riding the wave of disgruntle- ment. No place for the dishonest? Busuttil has chosen his party's bat- tle cry: namely opposing nepotism. Busuttil admits that his party's record on such matters was not perfect but he accuses the new government of taking matters to an extreme. He substantiates his accusation with examples like the appointment of Sai Mizzi as a trade envoy to China, Michelle Muscat's friend as the Malta Tourism Authority's New York repre- sentative, and Joe Mizzi's sister-in-law as a cleaner in a department that falls under his political responsibility. In his speech Busuttil referred to nepotism and clientelism 24 times. He also referred to truth and honesty 10 times. Busuttil also lambasted with gusto the Taghna lkoll promise. "Malta Taghna Lkoll sidelined someone of the calibre of David Fe- lice to appoint Jason Micallef" But it may well be too early for the PN to turn honesty and rectitude as its battle cry. For the PN in govern- ment was never that strong when it come to meritocracy. Moreover cases of high-level corruption like the oil scandal still dwarf Labour's vulgar appointments. Busuttil also walks like an acrobat between defending his party's legacy and admitting the mistakes of the past. But his mea culpa still comes across as half baked. Moreover Simon Busuttil still has to face Labour's deliberate strategy of diverting opposition criticism by ex- posing another "scandal" under the previous administration. One clear example of this strat- egy was Konrad Mizzi's deflection of criticism on the government's missed deadline on the completion of the new power station, by pointing a fin- ger against former Energy Minister George Pullicino in relation to a €35 million contract awarded to the Al- berta Photovoltaic Consortium just before the March 2013 elections. In the conference Busuttil said that he will take the 'necessary steps' against Nationalist MP and former resources minister George Pullicino if the Police Commissioner finds a case against him. He also declared that there is no place in his party for those who are dishonest. This may indicate a new approach by the PN leader towards accusa- tions of misconduct by members of his front bench. By hinting that he may take steps against Pullicino if the commissioner finds a case against Pullicino, Busuttil is hinting that he won't wait for the conclusion of court proceedings before taking ac- tion if the police initiate proceedings against the former minister. He is also sending a message that his support for former ministers fac- ing allegations of corruption or abuse of office is not unconditional. Yet at the same time Busuttil seems to be making a clear distinction be- tween criminal responsibility and accusations of impropriety and bad administration. In this sense the fact that the police commissioner does not find any grounds to proceed does not automatically mean that there were no administrative shortcomings. Moreover Busuttil may have also exposed himself and his party to a situation where he will have no choice but to act against Pullicino even if charges against the former minister are politically motivated. But Busuttil has also left himself some space for manoeuvre by turn- ing the tables on Mizzi and Muscat, arguing that if the police cannot build a case against Pullicino, it should be they who should "shoulder the politi- cal responsibility". Another problem for Busuttil is that when promising that he will be close to the people he may well end up facing expectations by some to be well taken care of when the PN is re-elected to office. Busutttil did make it clear that the PN cannot compete with Labour and that be- ing close to the people also means telling no to people who make ille- gitimate demands and to have the courage to explain to them directly why their demands cannot be met. Busuttil also referred to the vin- tage slogan coined by Michael Frendo in the 1980s: drittijiet mhux pjaciri (rights not favours). Still one risk of embarking on a crusade against nepotism at this stage is that of appearing self right- eous at a time when people have still not forgotten the PN's recent past. One may say that through his speech and last weekend's conven- tion Busuttil may have consoli- dated his leadership and endeared himself with the Nationalist lean- ing segment of the population but he has a long way in front of him to attract switchers back to the PN. Simon Busuttil – cases of high level corruption like the oil scandal still dwarf Labour's vulgar appointments The message is that support for former ministers under a cloud is not unconditional