The country is more or less half way through the electoral campaign now, and time is pressing. Political parties are being faced with more and more pressure to try to convince the electorate regarding the soundness of their respective policies.

Having a look at the campaign over the past week – and especially yesterday’s debate at university, between the leaders of the four main political parties contesting the forthcoming general election – it becomes immediately evident that the heat is on.

While the first week of the campaign seemed rather slow-moving, the pace definitely increased last week.

We’ve heard the Labour Party accusing the PN of coming up with a number of lies, the PN saying the opposition’s cornerstone surcharge proposal would only affect people who have a swimming pool, and Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) and Azzjoni Nazzjonali (AN) doing their best to make their case about the need for a third party in Parliament to control the two major parties.

The need for good governance certainly seems to be a central issue in this campaign. Labour has long been harping on its “zero tolerance attitude towards corruption” and the smaller parties have said they would guarantee good governance should they make it to parliament.

Last week we also heard PN leader Lawrence Gonzi’s announcement that a full reform of the operations of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) would be undertaken and placed under his direct responsibility as prime minister.

The Labour Party has interpreted Dr Gonzi’s move as a show of no confidence in Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino, while AD the announcement as “Gonzi’s latest gimmick”.

However, Dr Gonzi said his decision in no way detracted from the good work undertaken by Minister Pullicino over recent years.

He said: “As I did in this legislature by taking the finance ministry under my portfolio bringing public finances on a solid footing, I would do the same in terms of reforming Mepa”.

AD chairman Harry Vassallo said however, that Dr Gonzi’s conversion to green priorities remains under heavy suspicion, since his track record on the environment belies his promises.

AD spokesman Carmel Cacopardo’s decision to publish the preliminary audit report he had drawn up on the controversial Sant’ Antnin waste recycling plant in Marsascala, also took centre stage over the past week.

On Wednesday, Mr Cacopardo gave Dr Gonzi a 48-hour ultimatum to make public the 21-page report, failing which he would publish it himself, which he did on Saturday.

However, Mepa rebutted the publication of the report, saying it had been “unofficial” when drafted.

The Rural Affairs and the Environment Ministry also issued a rebuttal, labelling Mr Cacopardo’s actions a violation of ethics and saying his actions were motivated by political reasons.

Mr Cacopardo said, on the other hand, that “there is a duty to the public interest that supersedes all other duties”.

Naturally, the MLP described the issue very simply, saying it was obvious that Mepa was full of abuse and corruption and that a full reform was required.

However, Labour’s focus over the past week was its social policy as it emphasised that it wanted to create a caring community.

Labour leader Alfred Sant was repeatedly heard saying the MLP wanted to improve people’s quality of life in every sense, not just economically.

Dr Sant was also often heard speaking about the MLP’s proposal to cut the surcharge on utility bills by half, saying it was not true that it would only be applicable to people who own a swimming pool and who consume a lot of energy.

The AN campaign, on the other hand, was particularly characterised by the issue of good governance, as it pledged to give back to the citizens the voice that has been severely curtailed.

However, the party’s message, like AD’s is loud and clear – what it would like most is to be able to bring about a coalition of the best and cleanest politicians.

AD’s focus was the party’s “baby” so to speak – the environment. It said that extensions to planning boundaries should take place within the framework of the ongoing Structure Plan review.

This would take account of the effects of any such extensions on other planning sectors, the AD chairman claimed.

All in all, the second week was dominated by social issues and the environment, and the usual cross-accusations were not amiss. We look forward to more constructive arguments and as much transparency as possible in the second part of the campaign in the best national interest.