Clueless in Opposition

Joseph Muscat is gracing the headlines of the timesofmalta online pages. A Sunday headline is a great “catch” in marketing terms since it keeps the potential voters up to date with Muscat’s policies and positions. We have learnt recently that what Muscat thinks and believes does not necessarily reflect his party’s position but we also learnt that this has little effect on his popularity ratings with “the people”.

The Times post stresses two issues mentioned by Inhobbkom on One Radio this morning. Here is the J’accuse précis on what Muscat thinks:

1. Decisive action needs to be taken by the European Union on the unprecedented economic and financial situation the world is facing, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning

2. Dr Muscat expressed shock at the release from prison of Charles Muscat, known as il-pips, after serving 15 of 25 years. Mr Muscat had been jailed for  double murder. (…) he could not understand how this could be allowed by Malta’s judiciary system (sic). It was worrying to him as a father, as a politician and as a citizen. It was also a matter of national security, he said.

Now, given that this was not a Sunday coffee morning with an open subject and that this is Malta’ Opposition Leader going about his daily work that involves reminding people that this government is bad (very bad) and that as a direct corollary his party is the best solution since sliced bread we have to look at these two statements in that very light. EU policy and Criminal Policy it is then.

1. EU Policy

And here comes the first bomb. Before even seeing what Muscat (Inhobbkom not il-pips) is proposing, we have to actually look at what the problem is that Muscat is highlighting. Well, thankfully, Muscat seems to have been alerted to the ginormous economic disaster that is threatening the Western world. He gives a nod to the US downgrading of the credit rating. Then he informs the world that the EU needs to take decisive action. Here are the thoughts that rushed through my mind in between the ringing of alarum bells and flashing of lights:

(a) Our PM-to-be still speaks of “the EU” as though it is an extraneous entity when it comes to economic affairs and budgetary management. It’s the old Daily Mail and Daily Express business of blaming “the Europeans” for the fictitious regulations on the length of sausages. Does our PM-to-be know that the problem in this case lies with the 27 nations and with their management of National Budget in defiance of the strict rules that the EU imposed?

(b) Here’s some news for Muscat. President Sarkozy is pressing for a G7, G8 and G20 meeting in order for them to discuss the economic crisis ahead of a G8 meeting. “The EU” is merely part of a huge chain of decision makers that can suggest concrete action…and here comes the biggest surprise for Muscat…

(c) Decisive action will and has to begin at home. Austerity measures – the kind of which  the Greeks and Spaniards have already got the bitter taste – will need to be taken by national governments. What we have seen Labour’s FreeVote proponents do is generally criticise government intervention to reduce public debt and spending. We have seen for example Marie Louise Coleiro (or was it Justyne) declare that only a Labour Government can guarantee free health care. So to put it blandly, Muscat’s posturing on radio about abstract entities taking “decisive action” is only a populist statement designed to tell the people that he has absolutely no intention or plan to take such measures himself. Neither does he seem to be able to acknowledge that the current government should be taking those measures already – and that he should be backing them to the hilt.

2. The Judiciary System (sic)

“The people” are angry. They are angry that the pederast priests got punished with so little time in prison. They are angry at dog killers getting off leniently. You do not expect the man in the street to understand the reasons behind “we are servants of the law that we may be free”. The idea behind the rule of law is that it provides certainty – for the accused, for the victim and for the condemned. It does so by providing clear rules as to what elements should exist to find someone guilty and what the metre of punishment is.

Our PM to be is so eager to ride the wave of current public discontent with regards to crime and punishment that he rushes to blame the “judiciary system” (yes, the Times in all its infinite wisdom and eagerness to publicise Muscat’s latest banter translated “sistema gudizzjarja” literally). Muscat fails to note that this kind of problem emanates from parliament – if the crime is not well defined, if the punishment does not fit the crime and if the calculations for early release are too lenient then the source of the problem are the lawmakers – the gaggle of freevoters in Valletta.  The laws have been there for quite some time … some of them even survived the period of the Great Leader whose Birthday Everybody Celebrated on Facebook yesterday.

Conclusion

Muscat continues to show signs of populism at its worst. The greatest exposure is his inability to identify  the source of a problem and proceed to identify the solution. He is blinded by the need to resort to simple PLPN Grammar and Rhetoric. It’s the kind of rhetoric that resorts to simplistic reasoning aimed at reaching one conclusion: PN are hopeless managers in this day and age. The sad thing is that the people did not need reminding that the PN has taken more than a few twists for the worse in recent times.

What Muscat does manage to do is to also remind us that the alternative to the current unpopular government is absolutely devoid of concrete policies and ideas. That’s what happens when you are too concerned about riding popular discontent and throw any available mud in random directions in the hope that some of it will stick.

Sadly for us and as we all know… stick it will and how… here’s to a future headless government – all for the greater good of alternation.

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• After the dust settles -Muscat’s Cheek (akkuza.com)
• Sfegatati (akkuza.com)
• J’accuse : Wasted (akkuza.com)
• Veiled Arguments (akkuza.com)