The Nationalist Party’s announcement of a ‘national protest’ was badly thought through. It came in the wake of the swelling anti-corruption demonstrations being held in Valletta and the news that Labour was planning a mass meeting on Sunday. It is good the PN withdrew its plan soon after it was announced. It reflects a leadership willing to listen to wise counsel. The PL too should heed the advice against inflaming the crowds.
PN leader Adrian Delia would have been totally within his rights to hold a meeting. The Opposition has a duty to make its voice heard loudly to demand a government untainted by suspicions of high crimes and misdemeanours.
When the fight against corruption was the PN’s main platform under Simon Busuttil, ‘national protests’ were held to forge a coalition against sleaze. The momentum was nipped in the bud by an early election and the majority brushed that issue aside.
Corruption is again an all-important issue, its defeat crucial to the country’s long-term welfare. But the difference this time is that the battle fought by the common man and woman is already being led by civil society groups. The attempted creation of a national rather than partisan movement by Busuttil is now starting to take place organically.
Events surrounding the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia have prompted such a level of outrage that Labourites concerned about where their party is heading are making their voices heard, some by joining the protests. That grassroots Labourite alarm must to some extent have been reflected by their MPs when they managed to oust Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona.
The disgust and anger being expressed on the squares is heartfelt, honest, truthful. The justice demanded by the protesters is not just for Daphne but for themselves, law-abiding citizens who feel they are being robbed, are hurt by the broken promises, angry at the depth of hypocrisy, shocked by the naked self-interest in the exercise of power and genuinely worried about Malta’s reputation turning to mud.
So any attempt to politicise these sentiments risks not only alienating Labour supporters who feel drawn to this growing movement but also risks harming the PN: its attempt to hitch itself to the bandwagon will be seen as a bid to promote its own interests.
Where the PN is needed right now is in Parliament, to continue conveying the indignation felt by wide swathes of society and piling more pressure on the other side to take action.
However, the seeds for cleaner governance are being sown at the street protests. Idealism and hope must never be sniffed at. Historically they are among the forces that have helped build democracies. With sufficient mass behind the demands being made on the streets, combined with a more assertive justice system and free press, leaders of the future may be less inclined to play fast and loose with the principles of institutional independence and separation of powers. They may even be inspired to build more effective checks and balances against the abuse of power.
That momentum must not be nipped in the bud by partisan interests but allowed to mature into a widespread realisation – across the generations, classes and political divides – that never again must Malta pass through the trauma of the present moment.