The better part of valour

Franco Debono is not the first Nationalist MP in history whose actions dealt a blow to the Nationalist government of the day. Nobody recalls the names of the MPs who voted against the party line in the 1950s, but everybody recalls that George Borg Olivier stood fast and later achieved our country's most important political step in history - independence.

The problem with Franco is not just that he has insisted so much about his pet issues with the Prime Minister. Most of his arguments are reasonable and make sense, but the way he has gone about his demands will certainly not bring his ideas to fruition. Even more telling is the fact that what Franco was demanding is not even in the PN electoral programme for the election that saw Franco Debono elected for the first time as a PN candidate. In the immediate future, his proposals will end up being discarded, only to be reactivated some day in the future for somebody else to take the credit for them. Franco's efforts will prove futile.

It is obvious that Franco is an intelligent man but it is also obvious that, despite his intelligence, he has managed to paint himself in a corner of his own making - a corner from which he cannot escape unscathed.

His performance in Lou Bondì's programme on TVM last Tuesday confirmed his intelligence, his tenacity and his impatience and, considering everything, he came across positively; even though he was jittery at times. There were moments when Franco was much more lucid that Lou, even though he left a few questions unanswered.

Franco is impatient and cannot wait any longer for the government to take up his useful (and I am not being sarcastic) suggestions and to improve a number of laws: improvements that would undoubtedly strengthen our democracy.

So he withdraws his support of the government, probably triggering an early election. In so doing, he unwittingly makes a mockery of our democratic political system that led to the - albeit slight - majority of the electorate voting for a Gonzi led Nationalist government for a full five year term. Many have concluded that his personal ambitions have clouded his vision, as is indicated by his persistent and recurrent emphasis on the claim that he was a bright student at school.

Moreover, Franco's attitude is akin to those voters who blackmail election candidates: give me what I want, or else... Franco is certainly not giving a good example in this respect!

It seems that Franco cannot realise that he is being too clever by half and that as soon as parliament is dissolved he will become a Mr Nobody with no achievement to his name; a sorry footnote in Malta's political history, if at all.

It is a pity that his strategy is so self-defeating, his methods so crude, and his tactics so short-sighted. Whether this is driven by his egocentric drive that pushes him to extremes - as seems the case - is irrelevant as far as this argument is concerned. I am here talking about the way politics is played, not just in Malta but all over the world. Any politician who uses Franco's method in any political setup will find his head metaphorically rolling onto the basket as sure as that of Louis XVI of France after the guillotine's blade hit his neck.

Compare Franco's antics with the Deng Xiaoping story. His economic policies were at odds with the political ideologies of Chairman Mao Zedong. As a result, he was purged twice during the Cultural Revolution but regained prominence in 1978 by outmaneuvering Mao's chosen successor. When his moment came, Deng opened China to foreign investment, the global market, and even private competition. Today he is credited with developing China into one of the fastest growing economies in the world for over 30 years and raising the standard of living of hundreds of millions of Chinese. Had Deng rebelled against Mao the way Franco rebelled against Lawrence Gonzi, he would have never outlived him and achieved what he believed in. But Deng had the patience that Franco does not have.

This is just one well-known example. History is replete with stories of successful politicians and reformers who had to wait and bide their time until they made it to the top and started to put into practice what they believed in.

Instead of biding his time and pouncing at the right moment, Franco has opened up a premature onslaught, attacking the leader of a political party that, despite the different bickering factions within it, is known to close its ranks swiftly whenever it faces a serious threat.

Meanwhile, he is being outmaneuvered by the same leader whom he has targeted with no holds barred. On Tuesday, the PN Parliamentary group passed a vote of confidence in the party leader; on Wednesday it was the turn of the party executive; and soon it will be the turn of the party's highest body - the General Council - to take a similar vote. The end result would be that Lawrence Gonzi would have strengthened his hold on the party.

Unless Franco Debono is persuaded to change his tactics, an early election is unavoidable. Now that Joseph Muscat has decided to take the plunge and has proposed a motion of non-confidence in the government, this would be even more likely.

However by the time the election is held, Lawrence Gonzi would have prepared the way for blaming Franco Debono's intransigence in case of an electoral defeat. He would also have taken a very important step leading to his being reconfirmed party leader, notwithstanding the electoral defeat that was looming on the horizon anyway; irrespective of Franco Debono's antics.  

This means that instead of removing Lawrence Gonzi from the PN leadership, Debono would have unwittingly helped to pave the way for his consolidation in the leadership position. This is why Debono's strategy is self-defeating.

Why an intelligent person does not realise that he is following a strategy that is basically undermining himself and his own overt ambitions is a very interesting question. I dare not answer it as I am just a political observer and any interpretation of mine would amount to pretentious psychobabble.

Undoubtedly, Franco Debono has made a very intriguing expose' of his courage and valour... but he has forgotten all about the better part of valour: discretion.