In politics two years are a rather short period to draw definitive conclusions. One can only look for and detect some characteristics, some of which may be very encouraging and positive while others may be outright negative and should receive a thumbs down.

In an attempt to draw an objective assessment of political performance, one also has to bear in mind the famous quote by British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson who, in the mid-60s, said “a week in politics is a long time”. And right he was. Although this may seem contradictory to what I’ve stated earlier, rest assured that it is not.  Unexpected political gaffes can effortlessly upset an apple cart. The Café Premier €4.2million bail-out and the (non) building of a new power station in twenty four months have soured the second anniversary of this administration. It would be appropriate for the PL to keep the bottles of champagne chilled for another future event.

Let me take stock of some positive signs. After two years, the financial and social measures introduced early in this legislature have reached fruition. No doubt, the PL has the political clout and is full of enthusiasm to introduce other positive measures. However, the required competence to act as promised in a coordinated and seamless manner is lacking.  The partisan political appointments to senior posts, the rewards to switchers and the handing out of goodies to PL loyal supporters are making good governance difficult to achieve. Add to this a hint of condescension, and Malta’s credibility in international fora is also dented. At times, government is running fast but unfortunately in circles resulting in little headway, if any. 

But, two years still call for celebrations. I trust that the absolute majority who had put the PL in office are currently celebrating the second anniversary of the PL’s landslide electoral victory. Nonetheless, a small group are evaluating and comparing notes, and trying to figure out what has hit them in the past two years. A smaller group has already pledged to boycott the coming local councils’ elections, and an even smaller group has vowed to tear their voting document in the next general election. A smaller number may have realized that they have ‘inadvertently’marked their preference on the wrong side of the ballot paper in the last general election.     

To put things into context, the overwhelming majority of the electorate two years ago kicked the previous administration out of office. The Malta Taghna Lkoll slogan reverberated in all households in one way or another. It was a fresh and inspiring slogan which mesmerized people and caught the imagination of the electorate. The massive political wave created reached a sizeable number of people who were considered PN stalwarts. The electorate, tired of the previous administration, opted for a breath of fresh air. The PL promised transparency, accountability and meritocracy,and pledged these would be the kingpins of the new way of doing politics.   

This shift has stunned many and has changed the political landscape. Today, more people are quick to change their political allegiance for one reason or another. This may be a positive sign. It may even be considered as a sign of political maturity, but it can also be a symptom that our society is growing into self-centeredness. Though the common good is anexpected sine qua non, more people are becoming interested in their short-term gains, be they of whatever nature, shape or size.

With great care and caution, the PL should only be judged on what was promised. It would be unwise to ignore what the PL has managed to achieve in the past two years. The PL has successfully reduced the water and electricity tariffs in all households, and shortly will extend the reduction to the business community. Unemployment is in check and free childcare is available to encourage families achieve a better work/life balance. The introduction of the same sex union legislation is another feather in the PL’s cap. Tourism is still achieving record numbers. There are other issues which were successfully addressed.

However, government is still in time to take remedial action to fulfill the transparency, accountability and meritocracy promises. The upholding of these promises should see the PL comfortably win a second term. On the other end the PN can give the PL a good run for its money if it is capable of energizing its grass rootsand start thinking outside the box. Both political parties are in time to adjust and shift gear one notch.