When the first political press conference of this election campaign was scheduled on the state broadcasting service MTV so that the caretaker Prime Minister Dr Gonzi could offer an olive branch to the electorate to kick off his election manifesto, he forgot to prepare himself for one important journalistic rule: questions don’t do damage, only the answers do.
On Monday night, the debate over whether a change in administration was truly needed became evident the minute Dr Gonzi was cornered by written statements at the hands of the journalists present, who served to prove how the PN party has continued to insult the intelligence of the Maltese electorate.
To questions on concerns that are on the mind of every voter in Malta, regarding education, untaxed overtime and high taxation, the answers were void. The subject of malicious threats against former PN supporters, or anybody else for that matter, raised the delicate question: can this nation ever trust the PN leadership not to retaliate against its own insiders or any other citizen when scandalous distortions erupt into the open?
To such relevant substance, Dr Gonzi came across on national television as a stumped politician. He appeared unprepared and confused and could only reply with limp and unfocused answers. The national belief that the PN leadership is threatened and Dr Gonzi is vulnerable was confirmed. The structure of his party’s election agenda has fallen apart, suggesting an overwhelming defeat in this election.
Try as the six journalists did during Dr Gonzi’s lengthy ramblings of irrelevant political answers, to point out that the premier was not addressing their questions, the moderator looked confused and too polite or instructed them not to interrupt.
So what hope is there of preserving anything that is remotely Christian or moral on this island of Malta, when journalistic responsibilities are based on partisan political propaganda that bends over backwards to pretend both are something that should be incorporated to manipulate facts for the sake of misinforming the gullible?
In Malta, more so since becoming an EU state, politics has become an art of unpalatable propaganda. One would hope that the EU is taking notice of the preparations for this election.
What exactly was gained by hollow answers to nine valid questions that were put during this lengthy broadcast will be verified on election night, because the first impressions of those solid pair of leadership hands disintegrated right before the eyes of the
electorate.
If this press conference was a measure of the political campaign Gonzi PN has designed to retain power, the conclusion is clear: the electorate is finally facing the truth and the collusion of the state media and the PN party is no longer a way of converting and attracting the new voter.
Education
One cannot understand the PN strategy regarding this MLP policy on education in their election manifesto. As it stands now, Malta does not have a good record with regard to student dropouts compared with other EU states, and almost everyone can conclude that, with the demands of today, the system for educating Maltese students needs reforms. When more EU states than ever, especially Britain, continue to study ways of upgrading their early education set-up with similar MLP proposals and from all accounts the students’ curriculum has improved, then are the Maltese to believe that this PN administration is more interested in constructing schools for the sake of building contracts rather than designing schools and an education curriculum that benefit and assist every young student on the island?
One would hope that introducing a reception class that prepares very young children to distinguish between social exposures in kindergarten and the more demanding study of education at the start of their primary level would be extremely beneficial.
While the PN has labelled this process a repeaters drawback, it has neglected to address its own failed education policies over the last few administrations, with an ever-increasing number of high school dropouts. Maltese families who have their children’s education at heart will quickly understand that the MLP education reforms are clearly superior.
Tax on overtime
If the PN election manifesto is proposing tax cuts and higher tax bands, which would roughly cost the treasury e46 million, why are the MLP reforms on the electricity and water surcharge, plus tax-free overtime, which would cost the same, not acceptable?
The Maltese economy would benefit more from the MLP reforms because their tax concessions would be better utilised where they are needed most, especially for workers on the bottom or middle tax rates. The economy would also get a bigger boost if these families are relieved of this massive tax burden, that has diminished their spending power due to the Government’s stubborn policies of disregarding oil hedging over the last four years.
PN Trust
The administration Dr Gonzi inherited was already knee-deep in questionable integrity and in 48 months as Prime Minister he has been unable to get a grip on controlling such underhanded insiders. The leadership qualities of this PN administration deserve special scrutiny because their common and contrasting qualities in cabinet demonstrate the nature of the worst results for the Maltese islands and there is little question that this kind of leadership uses imaginative daring and pugnacity along with cunning manoeuvres.
Now the ultimate fear is what a new administration will find when investigations into how the PN administrations operated are put in motion.
Dr Gonzi’s status as Malta’s brashest Prime Minister has been fed by his relentless braggadocio.
The whole bloody Maltese system is sick in its very notion of leadership, a balloon with a face painted on it, elected and inflated by the media’s diabolical need to reduce ideas to personalities.
These qualities have led the incumbents deep into party politics, where they have fought the unfaithful and smitten the heathen inside and out with the biggest nightmare for any administration, disregarding the law of unintended consequences.
Names like Dalli, Cocapardo, Woods and Said, along with numerous others, are a true testimonial of everything that has gone wrong with unchecked PN administrations.
While Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world, its political life under PN administrations has been the enemy of imagination. The amazing world of Maltese politics since its membership of the European Union is being executed beyond credence and driven by the absolute greed of the ruling few, to the detriment of the social net and human dignity.
When Dr Gonzi’s imagination was too weak to deal with opposing views to national dilemmas, his heart answered by casting suspicion on the underlying motives. However, at this stage of the political roundabout one would hope that the Maltese electorate has learned its lesson and will no longer tolerate greed and corruption to the detriment of their hard-earned taxes.
Amidst the PN media ramblings about how the Maltese are unsure of the future with a new MLP government and Dr Sant’s leadership, should they choose to elect and give him their mandate to govern this miniscule island, this nation has been feeling increased pressure on their future needs to dethrone a PN administration that has become evermore smug and arrogant, holding on to power by all means possible, for one simple purpose – to keep sharing the country’s resources with the party’s ring of well-connected partisans.
The stench of hypocrisy in Malta’s ministerial affairs is overpowering and can only be dispelled by the thorough change of a new administration backed up by a young and willing infusion, including new PN parliamentary members.
The PN’s squalid attempts to suppress legitimate criticism of this Gonzi regime by the opposition is a timely wake-up call for all those who thought condoning media manipulation and corruption was something Malta would leave behind as an EU state.
Perhaps the jesters in Dr Gonzi’s PN court, who continue so vociferously in support of his wretched administration, should pause and consider what effect of lasting shame another five years of scandals and corruption would have on them as deceitful government appeasers.
Do these gentlemen imagine they are going to elicit public sympathy for such a national disgrace on behalf of this failed and immoral administration?
The electorate will be asked to go to the polls by analysing a possible outcome that could reflect on the one hand a weariness among voters with the PN leadership, whom they identify with broken promises, scandals and virtual one-party rule, or vote for a sense of a new direction under Dr Sant and his policies of a new beginning of democratic socio-economic ideals.
Once again, one of those great influences that we call a “cause” arises in the midst of a nation, as it must learn to move forward in its bold decisions as a fully-fledged member of EU statehood.
This nation of new EU citizens must fetch the pump with clean water, if this last administration continues to muddle the waters of a political system that pursues ways of making a mockery of democracy.