By the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone and we’ll be bang in the middle of surreal emptiness. 

The limbo between Christmas and New Year is the only time you are allowed, even expected, to lose track of both time and diary, because nothing very important ever really happens.  

Normally, the most pressing thing is to draw up a list of New Year’s Resolutions. 
Of course, this strange time of year may prove now to be even stranger, what with the courtroom drama that is continuously unfolding and Malta’s political temperature that is constantly rising (or falling?). But I have an idea that the current strangeness may not be purely ‘seasonal’.     

This will be the last article I write this year and although it’s usually the one time of the year I deliberately steer clear of politics, with a Labour leadership election around the corner, I’m going to have to break with tradition.  

I am always somewhat wary of political endorsements – of supporting one candidate over another – and this time round is no exception. 

There are several reasons for this, not least because I happen to know both contenders, and anything I say in favour of one will undoubtedly be perceived as disadvantaging the other. 

And yet a decade of experience writing this column tells me that the opposite could just as easily happen. Malta being in certain quarters both toxic and tribal, whatever I say will be held against me – and one or other of the candidates. And while I have learned to live with that, I certainly shouldn’t want my column to be used against a person aspiring, ultimately, to become prime minister.   

The new leader and prime minister will inherit not only a shell-shocked party but a shattered electorate and a country whose trust in its institutions is at an all-time low

For the first time since coming into power in 2013, the Labour Party finds itself on unsure footing, with many of its internal and external policies, structures and systems – including those of our country’s institutions – up for review and revision. The new leader and prime minister will inherit not only a shell-shocked party but a shattered electorate and a country whose trust in its institutions is at an all-time low. 

Half the country feels vindicated and resentful, the other half disappointed and betrayed. And both are angry. 

The Labour Party has definitely been dented by recent revelations and is arguably at its lowest ebb for years. So much for hitting the ground running in 2013.

The right person for the leadership is not just the one who can reposition the party and get it back on track. The problem is far more than losing two points in the opinion polls or haemorrhaging votes. It’s about a country which is bleeding out and needs intensive care. 

Far too much social, economic and international damage has been done. Order, health and wellness must be restored to the body politic, and the new leader needs to be someone who can spearhead a national and international healing process.

I believe that the right man for that job is Chris Fearne, and not just because he happens to be a doctor – a surgeon no less.  

Fearne will turn 57 next year. No longer young in a world in which politicians are getting younger and younger, but young enough when 60 is the new 40. Besides, I don’t particularly relish the idea of our nation’s highest political office being occupied by someone born after 1970. 

And yes, I am well aware that Joseph Muscat (b.1974) is my exact contemporary, and was 39 when he became prime minister – younger than both his opponents,  Simon Busuttil and after, Adrian Delia – since when he has held his own in adversarial debates and stood firm in the line of fire.

Indeed, Muscat never lacked confidence, faltered or appeared to be out of his depth or daunted. Perhaps he has even displayed too much confidence? 
It could even be argued that the current situation in which he finds himself is partly the result of overconfidence, in addition to a certain indiscretion, immaturity and inexperience in his dealings with others.     

I am a firm believer that, while age may not have many advantages, it certainly has the one advantage of experience. And I am not talking about political experience alone (of which Fearne has at least 40 years), I am talking about experience of life itself. We do get better at it as we grow older and acquire, for want of a better word, wisdom.

And with wisdom comes perspective, prudence and discernment. At this particular point in our political fortunes, I should like to see someone more senior at the helm. 

Fearne comes across as both a clean politician and a straight-shooter not easily worn down by pressure

At the same time, if we want a government to be more representative of the nation, its leader should be a person young enough to appeal to young and old alike. And at 57, Fearne is bang in the middle, although he may not take too kindly to being called middle-aged. 

There can be no question that Fearne has run the health ministry – arguably one of the country’s ‘super-ministries’ – efficiently, smoothly and successfully. He has acquired in the process a profound working knowledge of the way a ministry (and by extension a whole government) should work. His years as deputy prime minister have also served him in very good stead. 

Fearne comes across as both a clean politician and a straight-shooter not easily worn down by pressure. He is no-nonsense and possesses qualities that the country desperately needs. Moreover, he knows at first-hand that it is sometimes necessary to cut out cancerous growths – to remove all ties, even if it means cancelling long-established friendships.

Yes, politics is always tough. And in a place like Malta, where everyone is linked, associated and often indebted, it is tougher than most. Being in somebody’s debt is often the most challenging part of being a politician. It is so important for politicians to remain constantly vigilant and wary of anything and anyone that can undermine their office while leading them into temptation and bad habits that tarnish their idealism and our hopes.   

Fearne and his wife Astrid (also a doctor) have successfully raised three children, all of whom are now pursuing their own adult careers. This is indeed a feather in their cap, while her complete detachment from the world of politics is refreshing and even opportune. It would be, after the high exposure of Joseph and Michelle Muscat, a return to the lower profiles of Mrs Fenech Adami and Mrs Gonzi. 

It was Michelle Muscat’s misfortune, and mistake, to occupy the same headlines as her husband. Her children too were caught in the political limelight – the price you have to pay when you invite the media into your lives. 

Public trust in politicians and political institutions is right now at an all-time low in Malta. 

Let the best man win, and deliver the country from crisis. 

michelaspiteri@gmail.com