Who will take on the golden boy?

Who will take on the youthful Simon Busuttil for the deputy leadership, ask some of the PN officials who are keen to project the image that the Nationalist Party - the one dubbed 'bleeding' by Mario de Marco, 'divided' by Busuttil himself - is alive and kicking?

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi wants a lively contest for the post of deputy leadership after nominating foreign minister and deputy prime minister Tonio Borg to the European Commission in the aftermath of the John Dalli resignation.

There is no doubt that Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, a force to be reckoned within the European People's Party group in Brussels and the Nationalists's golden boy, is the favourite for the post of deputy leader. And Gonzi has made no secret of it: after 'winning' the one-man leadership contest he put himself through in February, he anointed Busuttil as his special delegate to civil society - employing a new sidekick for his personalised outreach campaign with social partners and other stakeholders.

All this ceremonialism for the advent of Busuttil to the party leadership - if he does make it to the coveted post - has left a bitter taste for some of the hopefuls to the position.

It only takes a quick scan of the news to understand that three serious contenders for the deputy leadership, or even the leadership in a post-Gonzi scenario, currently have a lot on their plates to also employ a full-on campaign that could neutralise Busuttil's bid for the deputy leadership.

People like Mario de Marco, the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister,  Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and Justice Minister Chris Said, have spent most of 2012 occupied with the business of government's legislative efforts: censorship laws, Enemalta and the European Stability Pact, cohabitation and IVF, have taken up the time of these three 'papable' candidates for the PN's second-in-command.

"There is an impression amongst the party's councillors that Simon Busuttil is the party's choice, the prime minister's ideal choice. And yet the party itself is apprehensive about seeing Simon run for this post on his own. So whoever is rightfully interested in challenging him for the deputy leadership is not keen on entering a contest they know they are about to lose. That 'loser' tag can be damaging to them if they have leadership ambitions," one ministerial aide has told MaltaToday.

Since Busuttil's appearance on our television screens back in 2000 as head of the Malta-EU Information Centre, the profile of this very European of politicians has constantly been bolstered by his championing of national concerns such as migration. Inside Brussels, Busuttil also had the luxury of appearing detached from the machinations of the central government, taking up popular consumer rights' matters such as the removal of the satellite dish licence fee, changing the car registration system in Malta, or representing aggrieved residents in Lija on the emissions of white dust from the Blokrete factory.

Busuttil's championing of such consumer issues and the perception of his relative distance from the centre of power, although he is very much part of the Gonzi clan, have contributed to his suitability as the next deputy leader of the PN. And undoubtedly, aspirant ministers and even prolific backbenchers like Beppe Fenech Adami are wary of entering a contest that already seems to have a winner.

As one party insider described it: "If the PN wins the next elections, it's not taken for granted that the deputy leader who endured two or three months of a rough campaign will step into Gonzi's shoes. The prime minister will stay on as leader.

"If on the other hand the PN loses, there will be a new leadership contest eventually. So if anybody is interested in that prize, they would rather see Simon sweat it out in the electoral campaign, have the people 'try and test him', and perhaps see some of that 'Ken doll' look get scuffed about a little."

For all his telegenic and charismatic appeal, Busuttil does have some detractors inside the Nationalist government who are keen to see his Percival Mandeville image get knocked about a little bit. One government minister who spoke to MaltaToday simply said Busuttil is always "keen to throw some mud at the government if it suits him, and then pick up the plaudits when the government does something good".

This perception is perhaps illustrated by events such as Busuttil's haughty complaint to the Prime Minister, on the way Bank of Valletta investors appear to have been ignored by the bank after the financial regulator recommended full compensation for the lost savings in the La Valette property fund. People like finance minister Tonio Fenech, who appoints the chairman of BOV, are most probably not keen on Busuttil's haughtiness when it comes to government affairs that he can exploit for his popularity, just causes though they may be.

Or take, for example, Busuttil's refusal to turn down the Prime Minister's offer to run for secretary-general of the party a few years back. The calculated move spared him tending to the party's affairs when the PN was at its lowest ebb, but it also put off eligible contenders like Pierre Portelli, who refused to be portrayed as some second-choice runner.

"And now we have Paul Borg Olivier," the government aide noted wryly of the party's current administrator. "The question is: was Simon there when he was needed by the party, or does he get to enjoy the positive things only?"

The next few days should see some interesting names who will lend their services to the party as the token runners in a deputy leadership campaign. "Busuttil wants to have somebody run against him. Perhaps it could be part of a future deal to forge a new leadership alliance," the aide who spoke to MaltaToday said.

But the names of people like small business minister Jason Azzopardi, one of Gonzi's loyal allies, or even Nationalist MP and tourism entrepreneur Robert Arrigo, being touted to run against Busuttil, raise doubts over whether a race between a minnow and a big fish would only be done for the pretence of a hotly contested position.

"If they contest the position out of their loyalty to the party, it's also because they know that with Busuttil in the position of deputy leader for three months will not cost him dearly even if the PN loses the general elections."