One sure sign that an administration has outstayed its welcome is when it commits one gaffe after the other, and arrogantly assumes that no one is going to speak up.

It has happened before and it’s happening again now.

What Lawrence Gonzi et al are failing to realise is that the growing discontent and mounting criticism created by Jesmond Mugliett’s political interference in the re-instatement of the two ADT officials is about much more than this case per se.

It is the mounting exasperation and frustration of an electorate that has had it up to here.

For a lot of voters, this latest blunder, coming hot on the heels of the bribery that took place for the acquisition of boat licences, is really the last straw.

What is even worse is hearing our Prime Minister fly off the handle in Parliament because we are not appreciating the fact that appropriate steps were taken to rectify the wrongdoing. (Why does this administration keep insisting that we should be grateful every time it does its job?)

Gonzi seems to be missing the point: what is irking all of us is that there do not seem to be enough adequate mechanisms to nip this wrongdoing in the bud in the first place. Not to mention the fact that people of questionable integrity have been put into positions of a certain responsibility.

You see, when people learn that there is corruption (no matter how “minor”) in the public service, their next line of thought is “who knows how much more corruption there is which hasn’t been unearthed yet?” This, they tell each other knowingly at the hairdresser’s, in the office canteen and on the bus stops, is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

You can’t really blame us for this cynicism – it’s like when you catch someone in a lie; inevitably you start to wonder how many more lies he has told you before and then you begin to ask yourself whether anything he says is true.

The trust is gone and the smooth veneer of respectability has lost its sheen; once that credibility has been tainted, no amount of damage control will smooth over the cracks.

There have been too many occasions when politicians in this administration have slipped and faltered over things they have said which are not quite true. The spate of statements and press releases isn’t doing much good either. Maybe they should just all stop talking and take a time out.

I think their advisers (if they have any) should also tell them to stop making promises they can’t keep, especially when it comes to project deadlines and budgets. Let’s face it: The opening dates and astronomical costs of Mater Dei, the St Paul’s Bypass and now the Manwel Dimech bridge have become a standard joke. Now we are being told that work on the new and improved Ta’ Qali crafts village will start next year. If we had such a thing as stand up comedians here on television, they would be having a field day.

Oh but hold on! Eight patients were seen at Mater Dei on Thursday so that certain equipment could be tried out on them. Good golly gosh, this is just too much excitement for one day – I really need to sit down.

Our politicians really could use some advice from Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool some of the people some of the time, you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

Just tell us the date...

Meanwhile, the election will be held sooner than you think, right around the corner, in fact, probably this October/ November... or so the rumour mills are saying.

Since the date of the election is always a guessing game, you can hardly blame people for starting rumours.

I have never understood why the date of the next election always has to be such a closely guarded secret, with “leaks” of when it’s going to be causing some people to go into a paroxysm of excitement. Why can’t we just have a set date, like they do in the US, where it is always held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November every four years?

But no. We have to have a situation where the select few know when it’s going to be, but the rest of us don’t. It seems to give the government in power a great kick to keep the Opposition guessing. What they are forgetting is that it keeps everyone on edge, especially those who have to plan something major in their lives, like a wedding. As most people set their wedding day at least a year in advance, it is not always possible to move the date once deposits have been paid.

I’ve heard of weddings that were virtually ruined for the poor couple whose guests were more intent on finding out the election results rather than enjoying the celebration.

Not to mention the tension created by throwing a bunch of people together who have different political views.

The uncertainty created by knowing that an election is coming but not knowing the exact date, also causes havoc with business and the economy. Decisions are postponed or put on hold (not to mention that everything virtually grinds to a halt for three days until the votes are counted.)

Meanwhile, the signs that a general election is very close can be seen in the stepped-up tempo of media propaganda, house visits, and campaign flyers in the mailbox. Both sides are busy dishing out the dirt on each other, and let’s not forget the telltale sign of people taking digs at Dr Sant’s physical appearance.

So, come on, just tell us the date. Then we can decide whether to plan that trip abroad... either to be here or not, depending on just how enthusiastic we are about voting.