The local elections are around the corner. The Malta Labour Party is looking for a fourth straight win while the Nationalist Party seeks to halt the slide. Alternattiva Demokratika aim to win a few seats that will give them a bigger voice. Saturday’s elections may well be the last to be held before Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi calls a general election. This is how the three political parties are looking at Saturday’s polls.
MLP will not give in to complacency
The MLP is looking forward to build on the success of the last three local council elections. Michael Carabott caught up with the deputy leader for party affairs, MICHAEL FALZON to see what the party’s expectations are.
Malta Labour Party deputy leader for party affairs Michael Falzon may at first seem a little standoffish, but once you meet him and listen to him speak, it dawns on you that he is, in reality, a people’s person. As usual, I arrived late for my appointment to find Dr Falzon waiting for me. Once pleasantries were exchanged, I asked him about the MLP’s new style of campaigning, which has taken the MLP closer to the public.
“Well, it started off in 2004 when we took a conscious decision to get closer to the people, to feel the pulse of the public and to find out what they wanted from us,” explained Dr Falzon. He said that the tactic had paid off and the MLP was reaping the fruits of the seeds it had sown. “For three years running, we improved on our percentage of votes, so yes, it has worked,” he said. To follow up with the successful strategy, the MLP has made it a point to visit each and every locality around Malta and Gozo where local elections are to be held, at least twice during the campaign, Dr Falzon told me.
He said the MLP was looking forward to this, what is probably the last round before the general elections. “We are coming off the back of a good win in the 2004 local elections when these same localities were involved. For the first time, we polled an absolute majority of 50.4 per cent of votes cast. So this time, we are looking for the same,” he said.
On current form, the MLP looks set to win the elections after having swept to victory in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 local council elections and the May 2004 MEP elections. “Although we have four straight wins under our belts, we will not give in to complacency. It does, however, reflect the national mood and that, in a way, puts more of an onus on us,” he said.
Dr Falzon added that the MLP was intent on not giving up the gains it had made. “We are looking forward to maintaining our advantage,” he said with a smile. “The important thing is to remain humble and to always serve the people”.
Dr Falzon did, however, concede that this round of elections was not entirely favourable for the MLP. “The larger localities are traditionally Nationalist-inclined and there are six rounds of polling in Gozo. But still we are optimistic,” he said.
The MLP deputy leader said that this year’s was a short campaign. “Archbishop Paul Cremona was ordained, and that meant that all parties toned down their campaigning. But that is where our strategy lends credence – you don’t have to be high profile to take time out to visit people and talk to them.”
Asked whether people were finally grasping the concept of voting for the benefit of the locality, rather than political parties, Dr Falzon said: “Yes. And we have also seen that there is a tendency for the local elections to be used as a protest vote. Local council elections are not the same as a general election. People are now tending to focus on local issues, yet they do also reflect a national mood.”
Asked to provide examples, Dr Falzon said that the people of Mosta, for example, were concerned, among others, about the state of the roads in their town, while people from Attard were also concerned about the state of their industrial estate. “These are all local issues, and it shows that people, while retaining their core beliefs, are putting their localities first,” he said.
He also pointed out that MLP-led councils had a good track record and had delivered on their promises. “We have gained five new councils in the last two years, people put their faith in Labour and I hope to see the same again this time round,” he said.
When I pointed out that the MLP was coming in for criticism by the PN, who are claiming that the MLP has not changed from the 1980s, Dr Falzon took a moment and said: “Every party changes. It evolves according to the changing realities around it. There is no use resisting change. The MLP has changed, but it will always uphold values of social justice, better management and better value for money,” he said.
Dr Falzon again defended the party when faced with the question of the government saying that the MLP never proposes, but merely criticises for the sake of it. “How can the government say that? It is unfair. Agree or not with our policy documents, there can be no denying that we have come up with proposals in every sphere of our reality. The vast majority of those proposals are good, solid and concrete, yet the PN says that we don’t propose anything.”
Dr Falzon said the MLP had published, among others, policy documents in the fields of the elderly, family, gender equality, working conditions and youths. “But we have also put forward other proposals, for example the Lm1 million fund for students who want to further their studies overseas,” he said. Dr Falzon said another proposal put forward was for increasing the budget vote for the health sector which the party believes could cut waiting lists by as much as 15 per cent per annum.
We also touched on the revision of National Statistics Office figures and Dr Falzon denied there had been any personal attack on former director general Gordon Cordina. “We did take the matter to task, but what the MLP was tackling was the procedures within the office, not the director himself. And one can say that those procedures were, to say the least, shaky.”
He said the MLP wanted clarification on the matter and did not get it. “The technical report we commissioned was also published, but there has been no response whatsoever by the PN. We also did not call for the resignation of Dr Cordina,” he pointed out.
Asked whether the local councils were a good breeding ground for new politicians, Dr Falzon replied: “Certainly. Every political experience enhances you. We have people in parliament who started out serving on local councils,” he said.
Coaxed to talk about the upcoming general election, Dr Falzon said: “The general election is by no means decided yet. As we have mentioned, there is the issue of protest voting and I am sure that people will fall into line as the date draws near. It will be close as usual and there will be no less competition than there usually is.”
“But we believe we can win. Not only so but we also deserve to win. Our aim is to be in government, and not as an alternative one, but as a better one,” concluded Dr Falzon.
PN councillors to focus on all needs
The Nationalist Party is coming from three electoral defeats at local council level. Bernard Busuttil spoke to PN secretary general Joe Saliba about the party’s prospects
How will your councillors prove to be the best choice for the electorate?
The Nationalist Party councillors will prove to be the best choice because they will focus, as they have always done, on the interests of all the residents in their particular locality.
Which areas should local councils concentrate on (social, environmental etc.)?
Local councils were created to ensure that issues affecting residents at a local level are dealt with at a local level through the local councils. This means that local councils should not limit their focus on a particular area, but rather on all the particular needs of the locality. However, experience has shown us that residents prefer local councils to concentrate and give more importance to the social, environmental, educational and health aspects, and therefore these are the areas our councillors will mostly focus on.
Do you think local councils should play a major role in national decision-making?
To date the law allows local councils little opportunity to participate in decision-making processes at a national level. Now that we have experienced how local councils work, I believe that in the future they can also play an important role in national decision making.
How would you expect the turn-out to be?
The electorate in Malta has always been active and participated fully in casting its vote. Obviously, this participation is stronger when it comes to the general election. However in both cases, Malta still maintains one of the highest turnout percentages across Europe and other democratic countries. I believe that people appreciate the benefits of the local councils in their localities and so I envisage a fair turnout this year too.
How does your party expect to fare during the election?
The Nationalist Party has always done well in local elections, even when the results were not in its favour. It was the PN which gave residents the right to decide through their vote who should represent them at a local level. In politics winning or faring well is not simply tied to the electoral result, but mostly it is linked to the results achieved for the people and with the people. Having said that I believe that the PN will do well in this round of elections.
How would a very good result obtained by your party affect the national scenario?
The PN considers local council elections as local elections and not national ones. Even the electorate clearly makes this distinction. Past results of both general and local elections have proved this many times.
Do you think local elections are too politicised? If yes, what can be done to improve the situation? If no, how would you reply to those who think so?
All localities have improved in every aspect since the PN introduced local government. Although I believe that local councils are not politicised and I am certain that during the three-year term most of the councillors work hand in hand for the well-being of the locality regardless of their political affiliation, there is no doubt that during the local elections, a measure of political tension can be felt. However in time, the PN has evolved campaigns for local elections based on dissemination of information and for the past years has adopted very low key campaigns, precisely to try and eliminate as much as possible politicised local council elections.
Do you think political parties should abstain from contesting local elections?
I believe that political parties should participate fully in the local councils and their elections. Nobody in any democratic country would conceive the idea of holding local elections without the participation of political parties. We are no different from the rest of the democratic world.
AD candidates are there for the residents
Alternattiva Demokratika aims to make more headway into local councils. AD public relations officer Victor Fiorini tells Bernard Busuttil what AD expects of these elections
How will your councillors prove to be the best choice for the electorate?
All the seven candidates for Alternattiva Demokratika are there for the residents, not for AD. Our candidates are not there to secure control of the local council by AD. On the contrary, our candidates will serve as a whistleblower whenever the council is defending some political party’s interest rather than that of the residents who elected them.
Which areas should local councils concentrate on (social, environmental)?
Every town and village has its particular story to tell, challenges to face and vision of its own. One cannot dictate one model for all local councils. AD’s presence in local councils is there precisely to address that particular reality in that locality. On the other hand it would be fair to say that AD has always put the environment as one of its priorities, and we will ensure that residents can enjoy their localities’ environment, free from traffic congestion, non-stop construction demolition and all the nuisances that this carries with it. We strongly believe that safeguarding the environment goes hand in hand with creating a healthy, safe and socially just locality for all residents.
Do you think local councils should play a major role in national decision-making?
No. Local councils are there to address local issues. Just the same AD believes that local councils should be given a fair amount of autonomy, so that national decisions do not infringe upon local policies adopted by different local councils.
How would you expect the turn-out to be?
It would be fair to say that a lot of people, even if not the majority, will opt to stay home rather than go to vote. Two reasons: the first is that residents feel no need to vote for these elections if they have never seen any decisions taken by the local council that have improved their living standards. So it is almost a vote of no confidence. The second reason may be because they want to send a message to one party or another, which is a shame since this is absolutely not the point of local government at all. AD candidates offer an alternative to partisan politics.
How does your party expect to fare during the election?
AD has an excellent track record in local elections, and with the quality of candidates we have this year we believe that we will keep it.
How would a very good result obtained by your party affect the national scenario?
It would and it would not. It would affect the national scenario since residents can witness what it means having an elected body made up of more than two parties, and see the input that the Greens can give to politics. It would not affect it because ultimately the Greens do not want to use the local councils for their general election’s ambitions. Wherever we were represented in local councils, we looked after the interests of the residents not of AD.
Do you think local elections are too politicised? If yes, what can be done to improve the situation? If no, how would you reply to those who think so?
Yes local elections are sometimes seen as a mid-term test of the government. This is such a waste of resources, since if people vote for those individuals whom they know will work for their locality, we would have local councils that are truly representative of the residents. As things stand, local councils are being used by the PN and MLP as a show of force. Just take a look at the news on NET News and ONE News to see what both PN and MLP think of local councils.
Do you think political parties should abstain from contesting local elections?
Local elections should be intended to serve the best interests of the residents of the locality. If political parties think they can field candidates whose main aim is to serve and help the residents, then they should go ahead. This is what AD candidates aspire to do. However, the local councils should not be seen as being merely a tool of division and partisan pique, as is unfortunately often the case with both major parties. This defeats the whole scope of local elections.