The Malta Independent deliberately chose diametrically opposite headlines on the front page of yesterday’s edition.
The headline of our report on the closing speech of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi during the Nationalist Party’s general council in Gozo was “PN’s vision will lead it to electoral victory – Prime Minister”.
On the same page, the report of Opposition Leader Alfred Sant’s address in Birzebbuga was given this headline: “Government without vision or direction – Dr Sant”.
By choosing these two headlines, TMID wanted to highlight the two completely different ways that the two political leaders and their parties are looking at the country.
Dr Gonzi firmly believes that the country is moving ahead as planned and the island is overcoming the obstacles in its path to achieving better living standards. For Dr Sant, however, the administration has lost its sense of direction and there is a need for a change of government.
Dr Gonzi listed all the work the PN government has carried out over the past years, saying that the PN’s vision has allowed Malta to mature and that this same vision will lead the PN to a third consecutive electoral victory. He said the country’s financial status is more stable, thanks to the government’s efforts, and that increased investment in Malta is testimony to the solid economic policy being implemented.
On the other hand, Dr Sant said that the government is panicking and losing its credibility, while the country’s economy is stagnant. He claimed that the economy did not grow by 2.5 per cent in 2005 but rather declined by 1.5 per cent, and mentioned the tourism sector as one clear example of failure.
Nothing new, really, and for many observers it is to be expected that the two political leaders will have such opposing views on what is going on. What is perhaps unexpected is that these frontal attacks have started when the next general election is still two years away. If this is the way matters are going to be tackled a full two years before the people go to the polls, what is it going to be like when the election draws nearer?
It is sad that this country seems to be in election mode right from the start of a legislature. Issues do crop up and, more often than not, are treated differently by the political parties but you cannot have a country constantly in election campaign mode. Having a local council election every year does not help either. The political parties should try to reach agreement on the subject of holding local elections less frequently.
Dr Gonzi pointed out that the government takes decisions irrespective of whether local council elections are around the corner or not, and this is the right approach. It would be wrong if the government of the day postponed important announcements just because a local election is coming up.
But, to go back to the initial argument, it seems that the two political leaders are just speaking to their hard-core supporters, those who believe anything they say. Both Dr Gonzi and Dr Sant must understand that the number of these hardline supporters is on the decline, because more voters tend to question what the leaders are saying and it is not always the case that they accept what the politicians say.
Both are making the mistake of ignoring the fact that there are many people who today fall in between the extremes. These people no longer vote one way or the other just because their family always has done, or because they have done so themselves. The number of people who switch parties from one election to another is growing.
These people base their decision on what they really see and feel, and not what the politicians are saying they should see and feel. Preaching to the converted will not gain extra votes, but giving a more objective and possibly truer picture of what is happening around us will.