Simon’s Swansong: 9 Best Excerpts From A Battle Cry Against Populism
After four years in charge of the Nationalist Party, it ultimately all boiled down to this. Simon Busuttil bowed out as PN leader last night, giving an emotional self-reflective speech at a ceremony attended by relatives, political activists and supporters. Yet he also had one word of advice to his successor before voting opened – to continue his fight against government corruption and not to succumb to the pressures of populism.
Here are the most powerful extracts from Simon Busuttil’s final speech as PN leader.
1. ‘I am practicing what I preach’
Busuttil said he was overwhelmed by the number of people who urged him to reconsider his decision to resign as PN leader, in particular one woman who told him: “You cannot just enter our hearts and then leave as you please”.
Yet he stuck by his guns, as he wanted his resignation to send a message of political responsibility.
“One of the hardest things for a politician is to realise when the time has come to resign and give space to someone else,” he said. “After the election result, I felt my time had come. I did not resign because I lost heart or because I reached retirement age, but because I believe in political responsibility and I want to practice what I preach. I hope my resignation sends a message to all other politicians – both in the PN, but particularly so in the Labour Party.”
2. ‘I will keep on fighting’
Busuttil has said before he has no intention of giving up his parliamentary seat in the event Adrian Delia, who is not a MP, wins the election. However, it was never more clear than it was last night.
“As of Monday, I will start a new life and find a new job but I will keep serving as your voice of righteousness in Parliament,” he said. “On Monday, the court case [on whether a magisterial inquiry should be launched into the Panama Papers] will continue, and I will be there at 9am at court to fight for righteousness and against corruption.”
3. ‘Emotions often triumph over reason’
Busuttil said his leadership style was based on the “European model”, which he said meant seeking the highest standards, following the rules you set, not resorting to foul play and arguing through reason.
“Some people told me I was too rational and not emotional enough, and it’s true – reason often loses out to emotion,” he said. “However, despite my rationality, my heart has always beat and will keep on beating for the PN and Malta.”
4. ‘Internal debate is the PN’s strength’
Busuttil admitted the PN found itself divided over certain issues under his leadership, but said such internal debate is what actually breathes strength into the party.
“We’re not like Labour, where everyone just follows whatever the leader says, but we’re a party with a mosaic of different ideas. I consider this a strength and not a weakness.”
5. ‘PN was defeated by rampant populism’
In the strongest part of his speech, Busuttil blamed the PN’s electoral trashing on rampant populism by the Labour government – which he said was a monster the PN proved unable to defeat.
“People have asked me why the PN lost the election when righteousness is always supposed to triumph, and I don’t blame them for asking such questions,” he said. “Yet, our motto doesn’t mean righteousness triumphs automatically or that it always wins – it takes times to triumph.”
“Yet the main reason we lost the election is because we weren’t able to defeat populism. Malta is no different from other countries across the world, including the USA, which are experiencing populism. Populism means corrupting the truth, corrupting the country’s systems and corrupting people’s minds. It means making a mockery of the truth and turning it around on its head.”
6. ‘Joseph Muscat is a trademark populist’
Busuttil stepped down with one final dig at Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, saying his adversary’s populism shone through when he said Labour MEPs will vote in favour of Busuttil’s nomination by the European Parliament to a panel scrutinising judicial appointments to the European Court of Justice. Despite this promise, Labour MEP and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant abstained.
“Last Sunday, Muscat tried to show us all what a man he is by saying Labour MEPs will vote in favour of my nomination, but the very next day Sant abstained from the vote although he was present in the Chamber,” he said. “It’s not as though I needed his vote to get the nomination, but how can you say you’ll support someone one day and do the opposite the next?”
Busuttil warned Muscat has taken over Maltese institutions, such as the police and the Attorney General, who are refusing to investigate government corruption.
“I had to go to court myself to initiate an investigation, but Muscat has filed an appeal against it – he is doing his utmost to stop any investigations.”
7. ‘Joseph Muscat corrupted people’s minds’
Busuttil also accused Muscat of buying thousands of votes, by dishing out jobs and promotions on the eve of the election.
“How can one win against such rampant populism? Yet although we lost the election, we won the moral victory because we kept chasing after the truth and gave the public a clear choice,” he said. “After the election, someone asked me if I knew why children reacted so well to me throughout the campaign. He said it was because children can tell who is telling the truth, sometimes even more so than adults as they aren’t blinkered by jobs and promotions.”
8. ‘Fighting corruption is not negative’
Busuttil dismissed Labour’s mantra, which has been picked up by Adrian Delia, that his stance was too negative.
“Some have said we were too negative because we spoke too much about corruption, as though fighting corruption were negative and defending it were positive,” he said. “Corruption is robbery – imagine you catch a thief in your house but tell him you won’t report him to the police because doing so would be negative. Wrongdoing must be called out for what it is.”
“Yet we did not only speak about corruption, but provided a vision of equal opportunities, solidarity, and a higher quality of life in a beautiful country which is currently chocking in vehicle fumes, noise and dirt with complete disrespect to the environment and our mobility.”
9. ‘Leadership campaign left many wounds’
Finally, Busuttil threw in his two cents in the campaign to elect his successor, warning it has been too divisive and has left wounds within the party, which either Said or Delia must instantly go about healing.
“The campaign has left a bitter, even a painful taste in the mouth, and whoever wins will have a great responsibility to heal these wounds as quickly as possible,” he said. “However, I take heart in the interest generated by this campaign – it shows the PN has truly become the people’s party.”
Will you miss Simon Busuttil? Let us know in the comments’ section
READ NEXT: BREAKING: Simon Busuttil Steps Down As PN Leader
