“Who dares wins” seems to be the new phrase of Maltese politics – but the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, not surprisingly, are taking different views on the matter.

The expression started being used by Malta Labour Party leader Alfred Sant in recent days, perhaps in an attempt to make the people forget the other slogan coined by the MLP about the budget – “too little, too late” – which has been shot down because the budget for 2008 can be described as anything but that.

In reply, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, making an obvious reference to what Dr Sant had said, last Sunday made it clear that “we cannot take risks with our children’s future”.

Both Dr Gonzi and Dr Sant are, in a way, correct. This is because certain risks need to be taken in life for one to attempt to succeed, but, on the other hand, the risks have to be calculated well to avoid failure. Like any enterprise, a country needs to invest in its future, but of course, this investment must be within limits. Even families take their own risks in order to try to live a better life.

The position taken by the two leaders is, in a sense, contradictory to what they have said in the past.

Dr Gonzi has, in fact, often accused Dr Sant and the MLP of not having confidence in the Maltese people. He keeps reminding him, for example, that the MLP did not want Malta to become a member of the European Union because it did not believe that Malta could succeed. Dr Gonzi often says that with Dr Sant as Prime Minister, Malta would not be joining the eurozone in January and no agreement would have been reached on SmartCity.

For his part, Dr Sant is often described as being too cautious in his approach, and therefore his coming up with such a slogan was somewhat surprising to many. Just as much as it was a surprise that Dr Gonzi took exception to the slogan, considering that it is not the first time that the Nationalist Party has been the more daring of the two.

In most circumstances, it is wise to take the middle road. People who never take risks never succeed, but people who risk too much stand to lose a lot too. It is therefore advisable for one to seek a compromise, although it is then quite difficult to find what this compromise is.

Perhaps the two leaders have taken this approach – which is different to the tactics they normally adopt – because they realised that they need to be seen closer to the “centre”.

Cautious Dr Sant wants to show that he does believe that Malta, as a country, and the Maltese, could succeed in spite of their limitations. Daring Dr Gonzi wants to show that his confidence in the Maltese does not mean over-confidence, as this could lead to unwelcome results.

It would however, be interesting if the two leaders had to be more specific in explaining what they mean.

Dr Sant should be more forthcoming in saying what he means by “who dares wins”. Will Labour be taking an open-ended approach that could lead Malta to the brink of a financial collapse, as had happened during his tenure between 1996 and 1998?

Dr Gonzi should also explain why he said that no risks should be taken “with our children’s future”. Was it just to contradict Dr Sant?

Coming up with slogans is easy. Replying to them is just as easy. What is important is that the people understand the real meaning behind the words said. It is only in this way that they can make a reasonable and well-informed decisions.