MLP waiting for Godot

Yet again the Labour Party has failed to persuade the electorate that it can do a better job than the Nationalists at running the country. Despite promises that all that is wrong will be put right without the taxpayers' contributions, the electorate just did not buy it!

Okay, the tipping factor was Europe, but still time and time again the MLP leader painted himself into corners and did not match up to Eddie Fenech Adami in televised press conferences.

The latter was in great shape and oozed confidence, and now that he has achieved his main goal of getting Malta into Europe one wonders whether he will be thinking of taking a back seat.

But really, talking of back seats, the MLP leadership certainly needs to move on. When before the election the Sant/Vella/Brincat trio were saying that if they did not deliver, when in government, they would resign, I immediately thought that what they should have said was that they would resign if they lost the election. The former could have been got out of, but not the latter.

The trio did not deliver victory for their party, I would therefore assume that the Labour Party rank and file feel they must go. But are the rank and file getting the message that their party needs to elect a new leadership team if they really mean business?

Besides, a democratic country needs a tough Opposition which is also capable of governing. In the UK, where the Conservative Party is failing to present a tough enough Opposition to the Labour government, it has at least changed its leader.

Now Alfred Sant has said he will not be contesting the leadership, but there seems to be a lot of reluctance within the MLP core to let him go. The other two, and others waiting in the wings to replace them, are waiting for Godot.

Except for John Attard Montalto and Josè Herrera, the former acting as the cataylst and attracting the wrath of his party's machinery. But more on that later.

Now I know that there are some in the media who are, and have been, persistently and gratuitously mean to Dr Sant, but he played right into their hands. This was one of the factors which proved to me that he was not up to leading the country.

Because some in the media persistently attacked him he should not have condemned all the media, except his own (which after all is hardly an example of non-hostile and balanced broadcasting) and the GWU organ L-Orizzont.

Handling the media, especially if hostile, is something the next MLP leader should be able to crack if s/he (the "she" is purely wishful thinking because the local political machinery is still predominantly chauvinistic) has any hope of leading their party into government.

Newspapers are historically part of the establishment, therefore a placatory and seducing mode instead of an antagonistic one is what is needed. In fact Dr Sant did just that before the election he won in 1996.

But after his 1998 debacle, instead of ignoring his baiters and getting on with presenting a strong Opposition, he started playing victim to the 'nasty' media. And as we women know playing victim is the worst thing one can do if we intend to win.

Dr Sant also underestimated the wave for Europe. He and his entourage failed to feel the people's pulse and that spells political death. Sentiment-ality has no place in politics. One can like Dr Sant, but if he cannot win elections I would have thought he has to go as party leader.

I was looking for some kind of analysis on the future of the MLP in yesterday's L-Orizzont , but the only questions its editorial was asking were about Alternativa Demokratika's future! And the other opinion pieces avoided the issue completely, including the one entitled "After the election result".

The latter only told those who are talking about it to stay 'schtum' in public. As though the public is not fully aware and is expecting reactions from the MLP.

As much as the MLP machinery and the GWU are burying their heads in the sand over the leadership issue, the guillotine has fallen as far as the public is concerned.

And although Dr Attard Montalto said he was not wishing to push Dr Sant when he said he would be willing to stand as leader of his party, certainly the latter's camp saw Dr Attard Montalto's interview with PBS, Net and The Times, before Dr Sant's announcement, as just that.

In fact there are some in his party who are saying that Dr Sant would not have said he would not stand for election as leader had Dr Attard Montalto not made his statement that he is prepared to contest the leadership.

However, when I spoke to Dr Attard Montalto on Thursday he insisted "I had no doubt in my mind that Dr Sant would do the correct and honourable thing" when he gave his interview.

He told me he is being criticised by his party for pre-empting Dr Sant's statement, but he said Super 1 did not give him the opportunity to present his side of events to the party's rank and file.

"The MLP say the Nationalists lie, and are not to be believed, yet it looks like it is believing the lies", Dr Attard Montalto told me.

He rang Super1 since they were not present at the time of the interview at Ta' Qali and wanted to repeat the interview with his party's station, but he was refused because "others have expressed themselves ready to contest and an interview with you would be giving you an unfair advantage", the news editor told him.

"Yet Joe Brincat, indirectly, publicly attacked me by saying that the MLP should not express themselves in the English-language press but on Super 1", said Dr Attard Montalto.

Now I find that quite rich coming from someone who has a regular column in The Sunday Times. It also does not cease to amaze me how the MLP are always attacking The Times, yet Alfred Sant has a weekly column on Wednesday as has Evarist Bartolo on Sunday, and Leo Brincat is a regular contributor.

They are given the space. If they cannot convince the electorate, they should not shoot the messenger. As for 'hostile' interviewers, walking away from such an interview and crying foul is scoring an own goal. A successful politician will field awkward questions and if not reported correctly will be right to raise hell.

When I asked Dr Attard Montalto what prompted him to make his statement he said: "I feel that unless the MLP presents itself with a fresh approach it will not win the next election". This sentiment is shared not only by me but many within the MLP who are marking time.

"The Labour rank and file are not being reminded that Labour will have been in Opposition for almost 20 years at the next election," Dr Attard Montalto said.

I asked him why he has attracted such antagonism from his party. He thinks that the anger of such an unexpected major loss is being channelled at him.

He said that overnight the party machinery came into action to discredit him within the party and he is not being given any space by the MLP 'establishment' who has terrifyingly strong control of its media.

This backlash is of course keeping others who might speak out quiet.

He believes that the election was lost to Labour on March 8 and that many elements within the MLP were aware that Europe was going to be the determinating factor.

He had argued within the MLP Parliamentary Group against the three options given to voters and believed that people should have just been urged to vote No. But as the group did not agree with him he supported the three options at the general conference.

Dr Attard Montalto claims it was not personal ambition which drove his statement but rather anger and frustration at seeing his party lose yet another general election.

He would be quite happy to be deputy leader, and when asked whom he would like to see as a new leader of the MLP in that case, he mentioned Karmenu Vella as the ideal candidate.

Not a bad choice. Mr Vella was an excellent Tourism Minister in the last Labour government, he is charismatic and has admirers on both sides of the political divide.

Apparently, according to other sources, not only is George Abela reluctant to stand but the rift between him and Alfred Sant is as deep as the Mintoff/Sant standoff.

The MLP ruling group have this choice to make now - either it stubbornly persists that it is right and everyone else is wrong and that means resigning itself to losing even more support, or biting the bullet and accepting that losing one election may have been regarded as a misfortune, losing two and a referendum as carelessness, but to lose a third would be losing the baby as well as the handbag.

The message to Dr Sant and his band from their own party should be loud and clear - your time is up.

Now that the Nationalists have retained the reins it is time to show us they are worth the trust we have given them in delivering a better future and start making a difference on the big issues like the economy and the environment.

It is great to see that Giovanna Debono has retained her ministry and that Dolores Cristina has been made Parliamentary Secretary, but it would have been more imaginative to create that post within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After all, that is where Dolores has been making her mark.

We need to start channelling women in other areas not just the social sector. And lets hope Helen D'Amato gets back into the house through a by election.

But really both parties have shown us that they are only paying lip service to giving women their rightful place in the decision making process.

Nothing was done to attract women to stand for election and the Commission for the Advancement of Women needs revamping if it wants to retain any credibility.

Voters can only vote for the women who stand and there were precious few of them. Despite what the parties tell us they do not encourage their womenfolk to lead.

Marie Louise Coleiro or Helena Dalli within the MLP should stand a good chance of making it to deputy leader, but that will only happen if their party gets the fresh breath it badly needs.