Prior to the general elections of 2013 and of 2017 Joseph Muscat and the Labour Party presented two electoral manifestos to the nation. They included promises galore; promises of heaven on earth; promises of everything to everyone. In both general elections the majority of the electorate ignored the warnings not to trust Muscat and Labour and eventually gave two successive mandates to Muscat to become Prime Minister.

The true character and what a person is really worth come to the forefront when the person concerned is entrusted with power. Joseph Muscat prior to both general elections is different to Joseph Muscat as Prime Minister. Promises made are disappearing, are going with the wind. Instead of the humility promised, we are faced with arrogance, with haughtiness and with hardheadedness. Instead of a Government that listens, we have one that ignores, does not consult, dictates, thinks that it is always right and overturns the known truth.

Labour has no divine right

The wisdom of a politician is not measured by how well he / she manipulates the minds of the electorate prior to an election, but by how capable he / she is to turn words and promises into action. A good politician should be loyal to the people before and, much more, after an election. He / she should listen, esteem and serve the people and not use the people how and when he / she feels like. Honesty with the people is a very important factor.

A few months afer winning the election of 2013, Joseph Muscat declared that in certain cases “the Government will not follow the opinion of the people”. The mirror of Labour’s past reflects its future. In 1981, Dom Mintoff did not respect the decision of the majority in the general elections and, more recently, in 2003, after the election results of the referendum for Malta to join the European Union, Alfred Sant declared that “his” partnership had won.

The strong majority backing that Joseph Muscat and Labour received in the general elections of 2013 and of 2017 does not give them a divine right to overturn the promises made. With these majorities, reflected in the seats of the House of Representatives, Muscat and his government can decide but they may not always be right. They have to keep in mind that Malta belongs to all of us. Muscat and his government must understand that the people is sovereign and that the seat of Prime Minister that Muscat temporarily owns has been lent to him by the people until the people decide otherwise.

Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is a tool through which a false image is given whilst hiding the person’s true character and the truth. The hypocrite says and shows things that in reality do not exist. He / she who says or does things that he / she himself / herself used to criticise is a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is a total collapse of the principles that one declares. The word hypocrisy is derived from the Greek word meaning acting, jealousy or cowardice. A hypocrite does or says things that he / she used to condemn vehemently or acts against his / her declared ideals, or expects from others qualities which the hypocrite does not practise. We sure all remember Labour’s slogan “Zero tollerance to corruption”. Labour should practise what it preaches or preached.

Whoever says or promises one thing and does the opposite – which is a deceit – is a hypocrite. Deceit and hypocrisy walk hand in hand – birds of a feather. In life, one has to be careful not only to what is said or what is promised but what is the motive behind what is said or promised. Being a coward – another form of hypocrisy – one can say or promise things in order to deceive. Such a person says or promises things far off the truth. Joseph Muscat boasts that Malta is the best in Europe but we all know what Europe thinks about Malta.

Slogans of hypocrisy

Over the last six years plus, Labour inundated the Maltese with sweet sounding slogans. Since well before the general election of 2013, Labour started besieging us with slogans. We have heard and seen billboards all around the Maltese islands  promising “Malta belongs to all of us” (Malta tagħna lkoll), “So the environment truly becomes a priority”, “Meritocracy”, “You can disagree with us but you can work with us”, “L-Aqwa Żmien” (The best time), “Malta f’Qalbna” (Malta in our hearts) and a multitude of others.

Malta does not belong to ALL of us but to the select few. We all know how the environment became a priority with the axemen at work on the majority of our trees. Meritocracy has been turned into muscatocracy. We are aware what happens with those who show disagreement with the government. Whether we are passing through the best time and whether Malta is in their hearts (or in their pockets) is more than deceitful as much as is the slogan “Zero tolerance for corruption”.

If the Maltese were truly passing through the best time and if Malta was really in the Government’s heart, with the boasting about the surplus the workers and their families and the pensioners would not be facing the phenomenal increases in the prices – and I am referring only to the bare essentials – bread, milk, postage rates and fuel amongst others.

Last Sunday when Joseph Muscat boasted about the recent survey issued by the NSO said that these figures do not include the effects of the last two budgets that, he said, were free from any tax increases. The Maltese know that when presenting the last two Budgets, the Minister for Finance gleefully declared that the two Budgets had no tax increases. This is deceit, hypocrisy at best. The Maltese are experiencing the effects of the price increases in between Budgets.

Labour’s hypocrisy has no beginning and no end.