For a party which has been hounding the Prime Minister for many months to call an election, recent pronouncements by the MLP prove that they have been bluffing all the way. The repeated assurances that they are ready at the drop of a hat to start their election campaign, proved to be the exact opposite. In contrast with the announcement of the last budget when the MLP had printed the “Too little too late” posters well before they even knew the contents of the budget, when the long awaited election writ was dropped, so did the MLP’s proverbial pants.
Makeshift posters, an election manifesto which contained many ‘typos(!)’, confusion about their future plans on already instituted initiatives and hasty withdrawals from their own previous positions have plagued their campaign. Now the voter is at a loss what their true intentions are and on March 8, they will certainly show their disdain.
Recently Charles Mangion lamented about the amount of e200 million annual interest which has to be paid on the national debt. Had he stopped right there, some may have given him some credence but then he proceeded telling the crowd that this meant that, “he...his government would have to make good by reducing social, health and educational programmes...”
Now, that item by itself is damaging enough but in the same context how can we forget other promises such as “cutting the surcharge in half’”– “introducing a repetition kindergarten class called reception class – or the much better port enhancement projects? If e200 million require that services presently in place have to be slashed, how come we will afford the aforementioned promises, qualified, of course by Dr Sant’s assurance that what he promises he delivers!
With today’s technology, I have the privilege of reading papers daily, watching One TV, Net and TVM and, of course, I would expect the political stations to champion their party but I must admit that the PN and MLP campaigns are so far apart in content, general behaviour of their orators (and spectators) that it should not be such a difficult decision to choose who to vote for.
On one hand the MLP speakers seem angry at the whole world and rely on personal attacks – not only on the Prime Minister and the PN but now they question the PN’s DNA !
On the other hand the PN speakers are upbeat, positive, do not find it necessary to attack anyone personally while emphasising their policy differences, present plans, how and why they make sense and moreover have a track record to prove them right.
We have Dr Gonzi whose record in his mere four years as Prime Minister includes, turning the economy around, bringing record foreign investments, lowering taxes, improving everybody’s standard of living, building Mater Dei which no doubt will boost Malta’s standing in health standards to even higher than 5th world-wide and completed projects as promised. Not only that, but there is more to come, including SmartCity Malta, Lufthansa expansion and others in the near future.
We have Dr Sant (party leader for 16 years, PM for 22 months) and his shadow Finance Minister promising to pay flat rate for overtime, delay students’ graduation by one full year, that they have a pet Union, and that they already picked who will run what, if they are returned to power.
In every election campaign, it is expected that minor hiccups occur along the way but what the MLP are experiencing nowadays are dilapidating spasms which they do not seem to be able to control.
Indeed their election machine is in neutral at best, often in reverse. This is unacceptable for a nation which has embarked on a road leading to a more prosperous future and is not in any mood to go back to the confusion and stalemates of 1996-1998.
We have to continue to trust a party which put us in the European Union, joined the second strongest currency system in the world, maintained calm and peace of mind and has a slate of candidates which makes other parties jealous of their talents. In contrast we have Dr Sant who wants to re-open the accession treaty with the EU which he has been told repeatedly that it is virtually impossible even to try let alone succeed.
A picture of the Tower of Babel would be more apt a logo than the flaming torch on the MLP’s banner.
Joe Martinelli
London, Ontario,
Canada