Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/977918
maltatoday SUNDAY 6 MAY 2018 9 News and on May Day Adrian Delia is in the unenviable position of leading a party which was not only trounced in two successive elections but is now suffering from a deep identity crisis And absent from Muscat's speech was any reference to environmen- tal issues and challenges which may well be seen as another example of emphasising strengths and ignoring weaknesses. Delia: Bar talk vision Adrian Delia is in the unenviable position of leading a party which was not only trounced in two successive elections but is now suffering from a deep identity crisis. Delia, whose good government credentials are often questioned by the family and followers of slain journalist Daphne Caruana Gali- zia, also sounds desperate to find a battle-cry for his party which puts him in tune with the concerns of the masses. Probably had Simon Busuttil been still leader, the message to those at- tending the party's lacklustre May Day "business breakfast" would have emphasised the need to restore the country's reputation through good governance, a theme which would have struck a chord in view of the focus of the international media on Malta. Still Delia may be right in rec- ognising the limits of such an ap- proach in winning hearts of voters – especially in regions where the party has seen itself decimated. Delia seems bent on voicing the concerns emerging from surveys, which show people being more con- cerned on migration and foreign la- bour than on corruption. But while these concerns are real, they are not grounded in economic decline or unemployment. Surveys apart, the impact of a sud- den influx of foreign workers cannot be ignored and one does not have to be xenophobic to express concern on the impact of 43,000 workers on the labour market, the environment and the infrastructure. What is problematic is not Delia speaking about the need of a plan to better manage this influx, but his suggestion that foreigners contrib- ute to a loss of identity. "Let us be careful of creating a country where foreigners come here to work but our children choose to leave because it will become a Malta they do not recognise any longer," Delia said. He also contends that "any plan has to take into account whether we want to change into something else, transform and lose our identity." Moreover Delia chose to raise questions without indicating how his concerns on identity and religion should be addressed. He gave the impression that he is simply pander- ing to prejudice rather than present- ing a vision. Indeed, it is more likely that changes in values are the result to exposure to global pop culture and the social media than to foreign workers. And apart from expressing his discomfort with consumerism, De- lia does not question the prevailing economic model which depends on attracting foreign workers at both the high and low ends of the labour market. One risk not mentioned by Delia is that the Maltese economy itself be- comes more dependent on a steady flow of foreign workers and more exposed to the dangers of a crash in any of the sectors attracting foreign workers. This in itself already fuels the national addiction for endless construction to keep the foreigners coming. Neither has he questioned the over-dependency on economic sec- tors like gaming and construction which depend on very different cate- gories of both skilled and less skilled foreign workers. It was no big surprise that Mus- cat lashed out at this statement by Delia while addressing the Labour meeting, for it gave the PM the opportunity to reclaim the PN's once-traditional openness towards global exposure. Ironically on this topic the parties seem to have gone full circle. It was once Labour that, before EU membership, would evoke fears of an invasion of foreign workers from Sicily, and it was Muscat himself before the election who suggested absconding international obliga- tions with regards to boat-migrant arrivals. With Delia now taking up this role, Muscat can position himself firmly in the European political mainstream as Delia drifts into a more populist direction. And with the economy still going strong, it is doubtful whether concern on immi- gration will translate in a change in political allegiance. In this way Delia is avoiding con- fronting Muscat on the issue where he is at his weakest, simply out of fear of repeating Busuttil's predica- ment while confronting him on an issue where the Labour leader may be on much firmer ground especial- ly among the PN leaning segment of the population. The question is whether in the process Delia is gain- ing any new ground among Labour voters. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt The fact that Muscat once again chose to pronounce his innocence on the Egrant allegations simply reinforced his silence on evidence, which suggests impropriety on the part of his closest collaborators