WILL JOSEPH MUSCAT'S ATTEMPT AT A NIXONIAN COMEBACK FAIL?

 

Can Joseph Muscat return to power, like Nixon did?

Malta watchers have made much of Joseph Muscat's distancing of himself from his old partner in crime, Keith Schembri, and have been wondering aloud whether Muscat is on mission to launder his unsavoury reputation, and is separating himself from his Labour cronies, whilst he reinvents himself. Whether Schembri, who is still facing criminal charges, and has intimate knowledge of Muscat's darkest deeds, will allow the disengagement is unknown, but assume it goes off without a hitch, with all the old guard of Muscat's Merry Men of Mischief.

 Known to be a student of history, is he perhaps modeling his comeback on the life of the American President, Richard Nixon? After all, Nixon's career was stained by dirty political tricks, and behind-the-scenes misconduct and even criminal activities, such as Watergate. If so, he is missing one of the most important lessons of our history, as there are limits to being the comeback kid, as Nixon learnt to his chagrin and dismay. Even when you win, your actions can be so counterproductive that you ultimately draw a losing hand.

Nixon, who lost the 1960 Presidential Election to John Kennedy, and thereafter a subsequent election for Governor of the State of California, was though by many to be finished politically, but he engineered his nomination for the presidency in 1968, and was elected. Is that Muscat's agenda, to rehabilitate his image over a period of time, and then stage a comeback, replacing Robert Abela, who replaced him, as the next Prime Minister? Stranger things have happened in politics.

Here's why Nixon makes a poor model for Muscat; ben when he was able to get back on top, he could not help himself, he eventually placed himself back on the outside, through resignation to avoid impeachment, and his subsequent efforts for a second comeback fell on deaf ears. he spent the last twenty years of his life in exile, not exactly in obscurity, but close to it. 

Someone needs to tell Mr. Muscat that, even if he manages to reenter politics, and succeeds in returning to power, his lack of conscience will eventually lead to his banishment, again, from which he will not be able to recover. His lack of character will bring him down every time, and the next time it will be much harder.

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