Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is normally a very cautious politician when he is confronted with questions about the general election. He is normally also not one who brings up the subject voluntarily when addressing a crowd, especially when we are still two-thirds through the present term.

But, in just 24 hours, the Nationalist Party leader twice spoke of the next election as being a chance for the people to once again give his party the opportunity to lead Malta after having realised that, under the PN, the country has made great strides forward.

He said that the PN should keep its feet firmly planted on the ground, but it should be convinced and convincing that it has lifted Malta to unprecedented highs, and that ultimately the electorate should realise that the PN is still the better party, even because the Opposition has so far failed to present its proposals. The greater part of his speech on Tuesday was dedicated to what the PN has done in comparison to the nullity of what the PL has so far said it would do.

And, if in the first opportunity he was pushed into saying what he thinks following a question during an interview on the Floriana granaries as part of celebrations for Malta’s 47 Independence Day anniversary, in the second instance he voluntarily chose to close off the traditional PN mass meeting on 20 September with a cry similar to those made weeks or days before people cast their vote.

And yet we are at least 18 months away from the next election. Although the Prime Minister can wait until August 2013, the chances are that the election will be held some time between March and May of that year.

Still, on these two occasions, it seemed that the Prime Minister wanted his listeners to start thinking about the next election. Or, maybe, he has understood that people are already talking about it and that the tension is already slowly building up, and he wanted them to start thinking, as from now, that according to him the PN is the more reliable party to be in government.

True, it was Minister Austin Gatt who pumped up the party spirits with his declaration that the PN will be in power for the next 20 years. It was a typical Austin Gatt remark that endears him with the Nationalist supporters and has the reverse effect on Labourites.

But Dr Gonzi followed up with his own comments that were not as direct as those of Dr Gatt, but still were strong enough to indicate that, in the mind of the Prime Minister, the election has already taken up a priority seat.