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maltatoday SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2017 News 17 medium term but will create a backlash among the grassroots starved of their village meeting place. The PN's finan- cial woes cannot be taken lightly. Pressure to manage a deteriorating situ- ation forced Delia's predecessor Simon Busuttil to go with a begging bowl to large business operators. In a case that explod- ed earlier this year the db Group alleged it had been asked to finance the salaries of top PN of- ficials under the guise of false in- voices issued by the party's media company. The case is now in court after the PN contested the Electoral Com- mission's role as watchdog and investigator of political party fi- nances. Delia will have to come up with a viable plan to keep the party run- ning while avoiding the temptation of walking into a db-like scandal that would give his adversaries fod- der at election time. He may also have to revise his pledge to appoint paid directors in view of the situation. Getting the house in order may be of little bother to people outside the PN but if the problem is mis- handled it can create credibility is- sues for a party wanting to project itself as a government in waiting. Ideological wilderness Beyond the strategic moves to consolidate power inside the party and out-manoeuvre his political adversary, Delia will have to craft a policy platform. A political party is about ideol- ogy after all and in the wake of a Labour Party that has comfortably occupied the centre ground at a time of plenty, Delia's job is even harder. The PN has time and again shown its reluctance to embrace civil rights issues as a matter of conviction. In the wake of the IVF leave motion it increasingly looks less likely Delia will attempt to claw back that territory. The next test will come when the govern- ment pushes forward changes to the Embryo Protection Act. More challenges will follow if govern- ment adopts a liberalising view on marijuana use and prostitution. On the economic front the PN has to redefine what it believes in. From the party that championed privatisation it became the party critical of government's policy to rope in private investors in the health and energy sectors. From the party that believed in a shift from direct to indirect taxes, it became the party critical of gov- ernment's policy to raise indirect taxes to make up for income tax cuts. From the party that encour- aged development the PN became a party lukewarm on major con- struction projects. Delia has so far given little indi- cation of where he intends to take the PN on bread and butter issues, let alone the thorny civil liberties ground. He does not yet have an inspiring vision. He has made some noise on law and order, a move that sees him trying to capitalise on discontent in localities that are home to mi- grant communities. It is a danger- ous road that risks descending into xenophobia, prejudice and racism. How far Delia will go with this pol- icy still has to be seen but the PN desperately needs to find its politi- cal identity. The numbers are not on Delia's side but many would be willing to give him a chance before passing judgement. While Delia may take his time to develop a strategy to re-unite his party and start developing a cred- ible political platform that reaches beyond the anti-corruption calls of the past four years, the next ap- pointment is only 18 months away. The PN leader has said his target is winning the next general elec- tion but in a country crazed by elections, Delia may find out that his future could be sealed three years earlier. The European Parlia- ment election in 2019 could turn out to be his make-or-break year. Joseph Muscat: To stay or to go It was 2008 when a young man from Burmarrad stood up on the stage at the Labour Party head- quarters and asked people to call him by his name. Inside that packed hall, the brand 'Joseph Muscat' was born and nine years later, despite losing some of its lustre, it is still going strong. Confirmed at the last election with an even higher majority, Mus- cat is still on the ascendency as he presides over a thriving economy that has generated widespread wealth and jobs. And judging from the evaluations carried out by credit rating agen- cies and other international or- ganisations, it appears the sun will continue to shine for the foresee- able future. It is this 'feel-good' climate that has helped Muscat weather some of the political storms that came his way over the past four years. But it was not only this. His charm and the ability to react to even the most minute of concerns – vide the budget measure two years ago to invest money in the complete overhaul of a particular street in Marsa – continues to inspire trust. Panama blues The Panama Papers scandal and the Prime Minister's reluctance to remove Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri risked derailing the gov- ernment. The affair angered many and gave the Opposition ammuni- tion to mobilise people. It was Muscat's sternest test since becoming Prime Minister and it al- so put his friendship with Schem- bri under the spotlight. Muscat reacted by taking the most confusing of decisions. Mizzi was forced to resign the deputy leadership of the Labour Party and his ministerial portfolios were taken away from him only to be re- tained as minister within the Office of the Prime Minister. No action was taken against Schembri. The moves helped thwart a par- liamentary embarrassment when an emboldened Opposition filed a 'no confidence' motion against Mizzi. During the European Parliament hearing on Leo Brincat's appoint- ment to the European Court of Auditors, the former MP admit- ted he had voted against the mo- tion because of the parliamentary Whip system. Brincat had been critical of Mizzi's decision to open a company in Panama and he was not alone. However, all government MPs eventually fell in line and a vulner- able Muscat survived to fight an- other day. It was at this juncture that the Opposition failed to realise that after a barrage over several weeks, people were fed up of listening about Panama and offshore com- panies. People understood that no proof of corruption had materi- alised and Mizzi had paid a price. They were willing to close one eye, not to upset the applecart. Muscat capitalised on this and shifted the discourse onto bread and butter issues, which the PN could not counter. An impatient electorate Then came the Egrant saga. The accusation first levelled by slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and later taken on board by Simon Busuttil was that Muscat's wife, Michelle, owned the third mysteri- ous company that had been men- tioned in Panama Papers. The Egrant campaign tried to do the impossible – bring down the Prime Minister. The move backfired badly. The proof, supposedly held by a former employee of Pilatus Bank that showed Michelle Muscat as the owner of Egrant, never mate- rialised. By calling an election and re- questing a magisterial inquiry to which he pinned his political ca- reer, Muscat managed to turn the tables on his opponent. People believed him and from then on accusations levelled by the Opposition were simply brushed off by an impatient electorate that wanted the election over and done with. Excerpts of reports drawn up by the Financial Intelligence and Analysis Unit on Pilatus Bank that were leaked to the press failed to leave the intended impact. These reports implicated people close to the Prime Minister in money laun- dering, prompting the Opposition to ask for the scalp of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General for failing to act. But Muscat weathered yet an- other storm and went on to win the election with an even bigger majority. Not only did he trounce his opponent but he also threw the PN into disarray. Weathering the fallout The bolt in the blue came last October when Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a violent car bomb. Muscat acted quickly by roping in foreign investigators to help the police. He promised no stone would be left unturned and no re- sources will be spared to find the people behind the murder. Like Adrian Delia he was unwel- come at Caruana Galizia's funeral and was on the receiving end of harsh criticism that he had un- dermined the rule of law. Caruana Galizia's son, Matthew, had also laid the blame for his mother's death at Muscat's feet. But despite the demonstrations by the Civil Society Network and the bashing at the hands of MEPs, Muscat weathered the fallout. The trust barometer published by MaltaToday last Sunday shows Muscat enjoying the highest re- sults since becoming Prime Minis- ter in 2013. With his popularity at an all-time high, pressure will be mounting on Muscat not to relinquish the PL leadership in this legislature as he promised before the election. PL supporters and insiders insist that Muscat should not quit when he still enjoys widespread trust. The brand he crafted delivered two emphatic victories, transformed the country and could still win the PL another general election, they contend. Muscat will be listening to these growing voices within and out- side the PL but all will depend on whether his ambition for a top Eu- ropean post can materialise. Eyes on the stars It is a known secret that Muscat has been eyeing a top post in the Union he once reviled. His handling of the Maltese EU presidency positioned him to be a potential replacement for Donald Tusk, the president of the Euro- pean Council, when his term is up in 2019. Earlier this year Muscat saved Tusk's skin when Poland objected to his re-appointment at the helm of the council, in a move that earned the Prime Minister plau- dits. It appears that he has pencilled in his resignation for some time after the European Parliament elections in 18 months time. However, Caruana Galizia's mur- der has put a spanner in the works for Muscat's European ambitions. Beppe Fenech Adami alluded to this in Parliament when he deliv- ered an impassioned speech dur- ing a debate on the rule of law, call- ing on the Prime Minister to leave now. Muscat knows that the murder of a journalist is not something that can be easily brushed off in the realm of European politics. But he also knows that European politics is about the power game played by the different political groupings, including the Socialists and Demo- crats, where he is a highly respect- ed figure. Whether Muscat can be con- vinced to change his mind and stay on still has to be seen but in line with his style nothing will be left to chance. He has a year to put in place a succession plan that ensures the broad church he has gathered under the PL banner will be kept together. Whether that plan gets implemented in 2019 is solely up to him. ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt www.iden tymalta.com Career Opportunity Administra ve Officers (Accounts) Jobsplus Permit Number: 524/2017 Qualifica ons and Experience required: A minimum Level 5 Standard of Educa on or a job-related Diploma and two (2) years' experience or a minimum of 5 years' experience in a posi on requiring the employee concerned to take decisions, demonstrate leadership and show ini a ve. 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Interested persons are to send a covering le er together with a detailed Curriculum Vitae by not later than 10 th December 2017, addressed to Human Resources Unit, Iden ty Malta Agency, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Old Hospital Street, Valle a, VLT 1645. Applicants may also send by email to recruitment@iden tymalta.com Iden ty Malta is a government Agency established through Legal No ce LN269 of 2013. medium term but will create a backlash among the grassroots starved of their village meeting place. The PN's finan- cial woes cannot be taken lightly. Pressure to manage a deteriorating situ- ation forced Delia's predecessor Simon Busuttil to go with a begging bowl to large business operators. In a case that explod- ed earlier this year the db Group alleged it had been asked to finance the salaries of top PN of- ficials under the guise of false in- voices issued by the party's media company. The case is now in court after the PN contested the Electoral Com- mission's role as watchdog and investigator of political party fi- nances. Delia will have to come up with a viable plan to keep the party run- ning while avoiding the temptation of walking into a db-like scandal that would give his adversaries fod- der at election time. He may also have to revise his pledge to appoint paid directors in view of the situation. Getting the house in order may be of little bother to people outside the PN but if the problem is mis- handled it can create credibility is- sues for a party wanting to project itself as a government in waiting. Ideological wilderness Beyond the strategic moves to consolidate power inside the party and out-manoeuvre his political Delia's chances of political survival might be determined by the 2019 European elections, which will determine whether he can offer Muscat a real challenge