Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/959046
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH 2018 News 7 the economic growth in the country can be attributed to a construction boom and the increase in foreign workers in Malta. This why Muscat now seems focused on new industries like medicinal cannabis and block chain. Muscat also hinted that he is not afraid of taking risks. While noting that "risk-free" decisions do not exist, he crit- icised his predecessors, saying they feared making a move out of fear of facing a backlash. "If decisions turn out to be a success the merit goes to the people, if not government has to shoulder responsibility", he rightly notes. But what if these risks come at the cost of good govern- ance as was clearly the case with the acquisi- tion of public hospi- tals by Vitals? Muscat acknowl- edged that this "weakness" was being ad- dressed by attracting Stew- ard Health Care. But as has become the norm nobody is expected to take political re- sponsibility for investments which not only failed to ma- terialise but which raised reasonable doubts on govern- ance. Equally problematic is Mus- cat's failure to send a strong message against corruption and bad governance in any of his keynote speeches. While Muscat risks being perceived as being hypocritical if he does so, his silence may be in- terpreted that he is too com- promised by the actions of those around him to take a firm stance on a crucial issue. By sidelining the issue, Muscat could be inadvert- edly sending a message to underlings that all is well as long as the country becomes more prosperous. This may well end up- c re at i n g even more problems in the future as the 'anything goes' mentality further digs its roots in the Maltese psyche. He could at least acknowledge that his party could have done a much better job in cleaning up the stables, as promised be- fore 2013. The Opposition's dilemma Delia was absent during a debate on the Pilatus Bank in parliament as this coincided with his first international outing as PN leader-by attend- ing a European summit of centre-right leaders, which is in itself an important step for a new leader finding his place in his international political family. But in so doing he allowed former leader Simon Busuttil and internal critic Karol Aq- uilina to take the centre-stage in last week's parliamentary debate. But Delia can't be accused of remaining silent on this issue. He immediately called for the revocation of the licence in a press conference in front of the law courts and repeat- ed the same message while addressing a political ac- tivity on Sunday. Yet ironi- cally what grabbed public attention was his remark that the Christian popu- lation in Europe is di- minishing and by 2050 and Europe will 'no longer be Christian'. In search of the holy grail Although he made this re- mark only after calling on the government to shoulder polit- ical responsibility for tarnish- ing of Malta's reputation in the financial sector, the quip on migration may suggest that Delia is keen on touching an- other raw nerve in Maltese society. Delia is ignoring the fact that many foreign workers in Mal- ta hail from 'Christian' coun- tries but linking migration to Christian identity may be his own way of linking mounting concerns on foreign workers with his party's cultural roots. Yet this risks further alien- ating both liberal voters and businesses thriving on foreign labour. Delia may be seeking to tick the concerns emerg- ing from surveys but he seems oblivious to the complexity of his own electorate. Delia has understandably refrained from interpreting the arrest of the Pilatus Bank chairman as a sign of vindica- tion of his predecessor's en- dorsement of claims made by slain journalist Daphne Caru- ana Galizia on Egrant. On the other hand Simon Busuttil was keen on em- phasising that the Opposi- tion has long been speaking out against Pilatus Bank, and that the Attorney General, the police and FIAU "could and should have done something, but did nothing." Inevitably the allegations against the bank chairman raise questions on his modus operandi, making the allega- tions made in Caruana Gali- zia's blog more plausible. This is so because the creativity al- legedly used to skirt around US sanctions in itself raises doubts on whether the bank used the same creativity to dodge other constraints. But there is always a dan- ger in joining dots which can only be connected in hindsight. Delia's reluctance to do so is understandable, consid- ering the electoral fall out in 2017. In fact, Egrant was clearly the weakest link in the Opposition's arsenal before the 2017 general election. In re- ality Egrant simply gave Muscat the oppor- tunity to call an elec- tion from a position of strength and served to eclipse serious accu- sations against Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. Muscat's showdown with Busuttil on Xarabank, days before calling for an elec- tion which exposed the Op- position's flimsy case on the Egrant claims, at that point in time, may well explain the outcome of the election. This time round there still exists the risk that serious concerns on the operations of Pilatus Bank are once again obscured by the parallel saga involving Russian whistle- blower Maria Efimova. Delia may also be paralysed by uncertainty on the pending magisterial inquiry on Egrant which may bring some form of closure to the case. For the PN, Egrant remains a sort of holy grail, which may poten- tially bring Muscat's downfall but also risks destroying any credibility the party has if the allegations are dismissed. The best strategy for the PN may be that of sticking to the facts at hand – which are serious enough to warrant a strong response – and stray away from speculation on matters which have yet to be established. Rather than rais- ing the heat, the PN may well let the protagonists slowly boil in their own stew. Delia's game may be to let Busuttil – whom he appointed as spokesperson for good gov- ernance – continue his past battles while he tries to steer the party in another direction. Still if he is too absent on cor- ruption, any vindication on Egrant risks strengthening the hand of his adversaries within the party and re-opening the leadership question. The problem for Delia is that he seems lost in his quest for an alternative holy grail; a battle cry which can broaden the appeal of his party. In the meantime, issues related to good governance and corrup- tion continue to dominate the news cycle and the PN is constantly forced to react. The question is how to tackle the corruption issue because to narrow the gap in the next electoral appointment Delia also needs to win over voters who voted Labour, despite its bad record on governance be- fore 2017. This means that he needs to seduce them by find- ing a narrative which can keep the anti-corruption crowd on board while attracting mid- dle-ground voters who still doubt the credentials of the PN as a party of government. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt of a banker's arrest people, if not government has to shoulder responsibility", he rightly notes. But what if these risks come at the cost of good govern- ance as was clearly the case with the acquisi- tion of public hospi- tals by Vitals? Muscat acknowl- edged that this terpreted that he is too com- promised by the actions of those around him to take a firm stance on a crucial issue. By sidelining the issue, Muscat could be inadvert- edly sending a message to underlings that all is well as long as the country becomes more prosperous. This may well end up- c re at i n g