On March 23, 2004, Lawrence Gonzi was appointed Prime Minister for the first time. Kurt Sansone analyses Dr Gonzi's five-year stay at Castille.

When Lawrence Gonzi entered Castille five years ago, few believed he would hold on to the reins of power for so long given that his party had been in government for almost 17 years.

Yet, this anniversary went almost unnoticed this week. There was no fanfare, just a solitary press release by the Nationalist Party and a commemorative feature on Net TV. No champagne bottles were uncorked at Castille either. It was business as usual, in a difficult economic climate the likes of which the world has not seen since the Great Depression.

Dr Gonzi came after Eddie Fenech Adami's successful reign as Prime Minister, which climaxed in 2003 when the people voted for EU membership.

With membership secured, it was Dr Gonzi's turn to manage the high expectations and widespread disgruntlement with a party that had been in power for years.

It was never going to be an easy task for him and the decision to go for eurozone membership in the shortest time-frame possible only made matters more complicated for him.

Politically, the introduction of the euro was always a make-or-break situation for Dr Gonzi and the scales of logic tilted more towards the 'break' scenario.

Grappling with the post-Fenech Adami legacy and unwilling to stamp his authority in 2004 by nominating a Cabinet that was largely a re-make of his predecessor's, Dr Gonzi needed a cause.

He found that cause in the euro. Taking under his wing the finance ministry and embarking on an aggressive deficit-reduction pro-gramme, Dr Gonzi not only managed to place public finances on a sounder footing but also won his gamble.

On January 1, 2008, when the Maltese Lira was relegated to the annals of history in the smoothest of transitions, it was a victory for the government but, more importantly, a crown-ing of Dr Gonzi's personal success.

The strength of his personality instilled confidence in people despite him being at the helm of a party disliked by many. The PN strategists realised this early on. Every opinion poll leading up to the last election showed that Dr Gonzi outstripped his own party in popularity.

His charisma was the single most important factor in rallying people to the PN's cause and it was by intelligent design that the party adopted the electoral motif GonziPN.

He won the election by the thinnest of margins and it seemed that voters were prepared to forget some of Dr Gonzi's faux pas over the previous four years.

There were several issues that could have potentially spelt the end of Dr Gonzi's political career - the wasteful idea of proposing a golf course on unspoilt land in Ghajn Tuffieha, which was subsequently reversed; the John Dalli affair, which was brought to an uneasy close four months before the election with Dr Gonzi absolving his former minister; the refusal to accept Jesmond Mugliett's resignation after the minister had stopped the dismissal of two employees found guilty of corruption from the Transport Authority; the seemingly lax attitude towards Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela who was allegedly performing private work in breach of the code of ethics for Cabinet members; the procrastination to provide the right incentives for low cost airlines to start operating; the choice of Eddie Fenech Adami for President, which did not go down well even with the most ardent of Nationalist supporters.

He survived on the strength of his charisma. Dr Gonzi was also helped in no small way by people's lack of trust in his direct adversary, Alfred Sant.

The first four years passed by with the ultimate victory secured in the March 2008 election, which gave Dr Gonzi an extended stay at Castille and another chance to shape the future of the country.

His conservative social views and liberal economic policy to roll back the frontiers of the State will now clash against the progressive discourse of a younger, energetic and charismatic opponent.

The battle for the hearts and minds of the middle class will take on a different dimension as trust may not be the single issue on which people will choose their next Prime Minister. Dr Gonzi will also have to be able to tackle what appears to be an unsettled backbench.

Four years from now Dr Gonzi would either have won himself another term in office or else be riding away into the sunset. Whatever the eventual outcome, his name has already been written in the history books.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com

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