With local council elections approaching fast, the two major political parties seem to be at each other’s throats in order to win an extra vote or two and possibly swing the election one way or the other.

The outcome of the results in most localities is a foregone conclusion, as one of the two parties enjoys a comfortable majority that will ensure a victory. But there are localities where the battle was close in the past and is expected to be likewise this time round too.

And so political activities are the order of the day and the leaders of the two parties are leaving no stone unturned to try to convince the electorate that their party is the better choice.

The other party contesting the 11 March local council elections, Alternattiva Demokratika, is also holding regular press events to push its candidates forward, but AD has so far chosen to keep away from the political controversy that seems to have gripped the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party.

That the two parties are at loggerheads and do not see eye to eye is not a secret and neither is it a surprise. But, while it is obvious that there is cross-criticism and especially so before an election, the impression we get is that the parties are overdoing it.

If Dr Alfred Sant visits a locality and gives it a mark – an exercise that does not carry much weight as we have got used to hearing that Labour-led councils have fulfilled nearly all their promises while those with a Nationalist majority barely pass – a few hours later a Nationalist Party statement is issued in reply.

If Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi says something then it is Labour’s turn to come up with statements in reply, unless it is Dr Sant himself who does so in the following Labour activity.

There are times when the Department of Information is involved too, as ministers are often quick to reply to MLP statements that concern government or policy matters.

Of course, everyone knows that statements and counter-statements are the heart and soul of politics as leaders boast about what they have done and plan to do while criticising the opposing party of not doing enough or anything at all.

But this is only interesting if the topic up for discussion is one of national interest, really of national interest, that is. A controversy over how many metres of pavement have been laid is not.

These trivial matters are only of interest to the fanatics, who compare and contrast every little thing that is done, although whether they do read or hear what the others have to say is a big question mark.

The political parties seem to think that they must cater for their hard-core supporters to show their strength. They do not seem to realise that these hard-core supporters will not change their political standing anyway.

Instead, they should pay more attention to the swinging voters, those who cast their preferences one way or the other depending on performance. These voters are ultimately those who help them win (or lose) an election.

Whereas, in the past, these voters formed a small percentage of the number of people eligible to vote, as time went by their number has increased. The way power has changed hands in recent elections – and this includes national polls too – ought to have opened the parties’ eyes that people no longer believe all that politicians say.

They have learnt enough and are open-minded enough to think with their mind, not with their heart. This scenario should be a warning to the political parties not to take everything for granted.

Yet, it seems that right now they are more interested in a kind of ping-pong politics that does little to help in the political maturity of the country.