In September 1998 the Malta Labour Party took the electorate to a general election for the second time in 22 months. After a short administration of faulty rides and delusions, the government had lost a confidence vote in Parliament and it had become clear that the boat had been rocked and that Dr Sant, as Prime Minister, had failed.

To him it had become Mission Impossible. The tables had turned against him. This was not the case of a snap election because of a new Prime Minister. This was not due to a change in the helm as may be the case in the United Kingdom shortly; but the destiny of a government which had proved itself as not being competent to overcome the hurdles every government encounters during the first years of an administration.

The government was without vision and had reached a stalemate. Some even dared call it a still-birth government.

Prior to the 1996 election and during the months preceding that, the then and present Opposition Leader had repeatedly wooed the voters into daydreaming that a newly-elected Labour government would mean a breath of fresh air. Utopia was written on the board and rainbows must have been the order of the day as every possible whim was promised to a gullible section of the people. Yes, Dr Sant was ready to promise anything under the sun as long as this would ensure him a stint at Castille.

People did in fact gulp it all down and during the following two years or so saw delightful dreams turn into horrible realities. The promised land was no longer available to the Labour administration and very soon the electorate as a whole found itself gasping for air. Colours had turned into a shady grey verging on becoming pitch black.

The new Labour government was nothing more than a modern reflection of the Labour administrations of the days prior to 1987. It was then normal for the Prime Minister of the day to appear on the black-and-white screen on New Year’s Eve and tell us that there would not be any pay rises and that we would have to do more with less as austerity measures were in the pipeline.

What did in fact materialise was a government which immediately fell short of tangible policies to kick-start the economy. The shortfall between what was attainable and what had been promised was counted in miles. We also enjoyed a day or two of shop owners who took the bait and rattled their cash registers behind their cars only to have to go and buy a new one some days later. Then of course we had a near collapse of the economic system with the government going for more and more taxes and yet finishing with a definite upturn in the national deficit such that during the two-year administration, this rose by some Lm282 million.

Today, when the next election is close, we are faced with a party in opposition which is promising that should it be elected to government, it will be there for the Labourites only. MLP secretary general Jason Micallef has not been keeping any secrets but has put the turkey straight on the dish. That turkey will be available only for Labour supporters. Only such red-eyed boys shall lead the various parastatal and government-related entities. We have already had a taste of this in the past and I believe that the country stands to host a repeat performance if Labour gets a mandate to govern it.

This is the basic difference between our government and their administration. We govern for the better of the whole nation wherein the common good and benefit for the country carries more weight. On the other hand, the opposition, if in government, is ready to make the blunt choice from among the people. I stand to believe that any government elected to administer the country is put into office in order to administer the whole country for the betterment of the said country and its people and not only a chosen part of the said population.

I strongly believe that this government has done its utmost to help all the population. Various steps were undertaken to improve the situation in the education sector, social security and services sector, the health sector, matters relating to environment, the industry and economic fields as well as financial services. They do not choose between Nationalists or Labourites – but the choice is taken in favour of who is the better prepared to perform the job or whether this or that policy would better help the country. Malta cannot afford any other type of choice. If we let Labour entice voters to vote for them because they will only be a government for their loyal supporters, then Malta will miss opportunities. Malta will stand to lose as the nation cannot afford a Prime Minister or government which chooses from among friends of friends rather than from the best of the best.

If new Labour’s policy is thus, then that proportion of the voters which will have cast their choice elsewhere stand to be treated as second-class citizens and we could very soon start losing our competitiveness because of our political sympathies. Narrow mindedness of this sort is unnecessary.

Just imagine the day after next election with a Labour victory scenario. Applications for jobs or housing will return to be vetted by Labour Party club members. Business success will be measured according to the enterprise’s support to Labour during the preceding election. Let’s hope that we do not go back to the days when there were only jobs for the boys and when your success would depend solely on who you know and not what you know.

The writing is on the wall. Now it is up to you to decide which is the better way of life and how you wish to spend the next five years or so.

Tony Abela is Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister