Those in opposition will be keen to break out of the oppressive feeling that builds up during long years in the wilderness. Those on the government side will aspire to another round of support.

There will be some politicians on both sides of the political divide who will have hardly any grounds for looking their constituents in the eye. There will be young hopefuls who will aspire to the support of the electorate by proposing to do a better job than those who neglected or gave the cold shoulder to their constituents.

When the moment of truth arrives, it will be the sovereign electorate, and not the politicians, who will decide how the next Parliament will be composed.

The veterans who have served their constituents well will survive – and there will be a breed of young hopefuls in both major parties who will make their debut on the political stage and who will, hopefully, upgrade the level of Maltese politics in the years to come.

It will not be long before we begin to see what the future holds.

One thing is certain. God will smile on us and give us the grain, but we must plough the furrow. Now and in the future, furrows are made by constructive work and by positive policies.

Obstructionism, destructive criticism, vitriolic speeches and malevolent political partisanship will not, and cannot, uplift the condition of the people. They might raise temperatures for a time. But when the electorate comes to make its calculated decision at the polling booths, common sense prevails over fanaticism.

There are, of course, fanatics in every party. They may even be numerous. But they are locked up in their respective compartments.

Who swings the pendulum?

There is a down-to-earth way of assessing their weight in the Maltese electoral context.

In this tight, pocket handkerchief-sized island, where there are a hundred dogs for every bone, one has to avoid generalisations and appreciate the nuances. While it is true, at first sight, that there are a hundred dogs for every bone, the fundamental truth is that not all the dogs are interested in the bone. Ninety of them are only interested in keeping the remaining 10 off the bone. The solution is to identify the 10 dogs who are the decision-makers and to empower them

In Malta’s polarised climate, the diehards in one camp

cancel out the others, and it is the floating vote that swings the pendulum.

The answer is to educate and expand the floating vote – to give power to its elbow and to bring the demi-gods round to see reason in their own enlightened self-interest, not to say survival.

In a democracy, freedom implies dissent. We must encourage the electorate, on each side of the political divide and, indeed, in all existing and future political parties, to seek the truth, and the truth should not depend on whom it is to serve.

The enlightened section of the electorate should be encouraged to question and to demand answers, and this has to be encouraged through a process of dialogue and participation. We need more investigative dissidence to liberate the demi-gods from the clutches of their acolytes, and to open every window. This is how to let in fresh air and invigorate each and every political party.

Wind of change

It has been done in other democracies, although it may have taken time. In Malta, the winds of change have been blowing fair. They are likely to accelerate.

The most psychological change is the growing realisation on the part of the average citizen that Gordian knots exist to be cut, and that it is worth investing the nation’s resources in a national effort to cut them.

Yet another important point worth highlighting relates to the primacy of the moral dimension. Poverty is making inroads in the low and middle-income sector of society, as relentless, crushing taxation takes its toll and rising living costs erode spending power. This situation has been building up for some years. Instead of restraining expenditure, the cost of government soared steadily, as if there was no tomorrow. Social justice cries out for active remedial measures.

These considerations, and others like them, will most certainly bring themselves to bear on the silent majority and on the floating vote as election time approaches.

Those who take time to contrast the overall performance in office of the present and preceding administrations must, by now, begin to have a clear perception of how the world works and, consequently, an informed comparative estimate of the proper balance between power and principle in the arena of Maltese politics.

[email protected]