Guest Post: Invictus No More
The European Parliament campaign was kick-started by Joseph Muscat’s awkwardly angled narrative that he would run on the Labour Party’s ballot sheet. His obliging henchman, Emanuel Cuschieri, served as his mouthpiece. Muscat then proceeded to play silly games, taking everyone for a fool.
In any event, it set the tone for things to come. In the weeks that followed, he took on a front-facing role, campaigning for various candidates, attending rallies, and spinning the outcome of the Magisterial Inquiry into a grassroots battlecry.
Robert Abela sang from the same hymn sheet as he decried the timing of the decision and called upon the electorate to defend democracy by showing their support for Muscat by voting for the Labour Party candidates.
Make no mistake about it, this election was made to be about Muscat, by Muscat himself but also by Abela, albeit for different reasons. Muscat, as has become customary, believes that his greatest defense against the unending allegations of corruption, is the electoral voice of his supporters. Abela, on the other hand, seems straightjacketed by Muscat, owing him some sort of undying loyalty; perhaps a debt he owes in return for Muscat’s role in electing him Party Leader. For Abela though, his vocal support of Muscat in the weeks leading up to the election, was also born of political expediency.
He wagered that Muscat still retained enough loyal support that he could use to his advantage. He wagered wrongly.
They both did.
For the first time in over a decade, this election seems to have told a very different story. Muscat’s front-facing involvement in the electoral campaign proved to be a poisoned chalice, as his supposed widespread and unwavering support base failed to show up. It’s no wonder that he has been uncharacteristically silent in the last few days. You can be sure that had the result been different, he would have been quick to take the credit. Another of his henchmen, Jason Micallef, tried to spin it earlier this week that the Labour vote did not come out because they were ‘confused by Labour’s messaging’. A strange thing to say, given that the message was loud and clear: vote Labour to show Muscat support. For the first time in years, Muscat is isolated and likely feeling exposed.
To the Labour Party, he’s become an albatross around its neck. The Party cannot afford to continue sticking its neck out for him, as the response of the electorate this time around indicates that Muscat has lost his luster. The scenes outside the law courts on the day of his arraignment showed that he, of course, still has the support of some sections of the Labour voting base. However, he has lost his hold over the more informed and wider voting base that once believed in him and offered him support.
Muscat may be the biggest loser of this election. He is Invictus no more.
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