The two main political parties have seemingly been hit by what we can describe as the Carnival politics syndrome, considering the time of year.

In recent days they have attacked each other as if we are right in the middle of an election campaign. Although, strictly speaking, we are in a sort of election mood because of the local council elections to be held next month, the accusations being levelled have gone beyond what is expected.

They both seem oblivious to what the other is saying, picking things out of context, and continuously harping on them in the hope that people will believe them. Well, the hardcore supporters do, but both the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party are forgetting that there are many people who think for themselves.

Here are a few examples of what has been happening lately.

A suggestion included in a Malta Labour Party document saying that the Lm220 yearly bonus given to workers in four instalments should be removed has been taken by the Nationalist Party as being a proposal forming part of the MLP’s electoral manifesto. The denials made by the MLP that it is merely a suggestion that is up for discussion, and that the document in which it is included does not bind the MLP, seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as the PN has mounted a huge PR campaign on the matter.

At the other end of the spectrum, the MLP continues to say that there are commercial interests involved in the decision to modernise the Marsascala waste-recycling plant. The PN has said that the MLP’s claims are pure invention and has challenged the MLP to substantiate its them – to no avail.

Of course, the PN may be right that the MLP wants to remove the bonus and might eventually do so; and the MLP may be right that there are commercial interests involved with the Marsascala plant. But so far the MLP is insisting that it will not remove the bonus and the PN is insisting that there are no commercial interests involved in its plans to upgrade the Marsascala plant. So the bickering should stop at that.

Two more examples follow. Labour leader Alfred Sant said that more reverse osmosis plants have been built than was necessary. The PN pounced on this quote and interpreted it as being a suggestion that Labour would remove reverse osmosis plants and that we will go back to the 1980s, when Malta had a huge water shortage problem.

On the other hand, Dr Sant continues to state that a helicopter round-trip between Malta and Gozo, when the service is resumed next month, will now cost Lm50 when the government has said that only tourists will be paying that much and that Maltese and Gozitans will be paying Lm26.

The two political parties could not even come to terms on all that they discussed about the changes in the Local Councils Act. While agreeing on a number of amendments which were passed in Parliament, they could not reach consensus on the duration of the local councils’ term of office. The extension from three to four years would have meant that hundreds of thousands of liri would have been saved, not to mention the fact that it is more practical to have local councils running for four years rather than three.

There is no doubt that this kind of politics is not good for the country. It is understandable that political parties try to take advantage of any failings committed by their adversaries, but there are many controversies that could easily be avoided if more commonsense prevailed.

After all, both have the interest of the nation at heart. It is the manner of achieving this that differs. Misquotations, misinterpretations and misunderstandings do not help the country to move forward.