In the bestseller Team of Rivals historian Doris Kearns Goodwin writes about Abraham Lincoln’s genius in rallying his fiercest rivals and opponents to be part of his cabinet in 1861.
When asked by the editor of the Chicago Tribune on the reason behind such a risky decision, Lincoln candidly answered: “We needed the strongest men of the party in the cabinet. We needed to hold our own people together. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services.”
Lincoln, rather than ostracising those who had vilified him in public and ran against him for the nomination of the presidency, roped them in to be part of this team. He had shown greatness and leadership but, mostly, foresight for that cabinet would oversee the amendment to the constitution, abolish slavery and win the American Civil War. The rest is history.
Back to Malta, almost three months after Labour’s third landslide, and one fine Saturday morning, local NGO Moviment Graffitti conducts one of the most welcome public actions in recent history – arrive in Comino unannounced, remove the already laid out deckchairs and make a statement in favour of law and enforcement (hitherto inexistent).
Their landing on the little island goes viral but it is their message to the authorities which strikes a chord. It seemed the day would be carried by this symbolic act that unified a nation and shamed the regulatory authorities which show no spine to fulfil what they are tasked to do by law.
But this aura of satisfaction was interrupted around noon when reactions on social media, chat groups and news articles unfolded the umpteenth storm within the Nationalist Party. I shall not write about it here but some considerations on a larger malaise within the party in opposition are in order.
The reasons for the Labour Party clinching one victory after another are many. The last clear majority won by the PN was in 2003 and this was mainly attributed to a pivotal historical choice which the PN campaigned for, with Labour lacking an equal concrete vision to that offered by PN – a future as a member state of the EU. The narrative was coherent, and the campaign strategically conducted with a determined message supported by all.
Two decades down the line, four leaders after, the PN is barely recognisable as a political force. Reasons can be attributed to a generational change of leaders, policy choices, strategic planning (lack of) and an inability to read the sign of the times.
Political parties are designed to be collective actors, where strength is found in unity- George Vital Zammit
Such omissions are not uncommon even with political parties in other countries that went through similar phases, with one difference. Political parties are designed to be collective actors, where strength is found in unity, even when direction is questionable. The PN has lost its ability to do this, to toe a coherent line, where leadership, MPs, delegates and members sing from the same hymnbook, albeit with different rhythms (to keep the metaphor).
Why is this happening?
It is a known fact that the PN’s biggest virtue (freedom of speech, tolerance and democratic values) has become its biggest deficiency (political deadlock). Every political party experiences turnover but those who leave the PN do so with an axe to grind.
In July 2020, a few months before the change of leadership, I wrote that the “PN has become a dysfunctional party, with an affliction that has permeated within rank and file. The MPs’ behaviour has spilled over to social media and became a no-holds-barred cannibalistic frenzy”.
Nothing has changed. The situation is complex, but the model is simple to understand. If MPs cannot toe the same line, neither will the people they represent. Collegiality at every level has become elusive, incomprehensible if you ask me, for a party that lags drastically behind in the polls and which should seek only one objective: restore its dignity and credibility as a political force that can be an alternative government.
The current Leader of the Opposition, Bernard Grech, has called for discussion and deliberation to be held within the pertinent party structures. One cannot agree more. But is there enough time and space for party discussion? Conversely, there have been situations where the time taken to issue a party position has been excessively long.
Secondly, disagreement within the PN comes in different shapes and tones. Whereas the Labour Party holds almost hegemonic control over the party message, the PN struggles to have a common voice.
Thirdly, discord within the PN is immediately public. Discretion is non-existent and social media is immediately resorted to. No consideration is made to the impact of such outings, not to mention the ripple effect on party supporters who shred each other to pieces. This malady has become a recipe for self-destruction, with no end in sight. Taking disciplinary measures is no solution.
If all do not take cognisance that not only this is unsustainable for the party, this is a guarantee for a Labour generation of governments – with an inevitable invitation for another political party to usurp the leavers and enter the vacant political space. Up to now, no third party has managed but this might change.
Fatalism is never a good thing, especially in politics, where patience is key. The PN went from 132,426 votes (43.3 per cent) in 2013 to 123,233 votes (41.7 per cent) in 2022. There are plenty of reasons but one of them for sure is the party’s own afflictions.
People will trust the PN again when they see a ‘team of rivals’ (to borrow from Lincoln’s feat) working together ‒ one party, one goal. Differences will remain but they need to be harnessed to row in the same direction.
The party ought to provide more time for deliberation, thinking and creativity. This should be the role of the new deputy leader, with a sole mandate of gelling the pieces together, creating bridges, pre-empting fragmentation and healing wounds. Further haemorrhage is to be halted, reach out to those who left but bring in new votes and establish internal consensus.
Leadership, elected officials and party members are all responsible to prevent the party from its worse possible outcome, political oblivion and disintegration. Start now or this will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
George Vital Zammit is a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, University of Malta.