Alternattiva Demokratika continue to insist on a coalition government, which they say is the only way that the country could come out of what AD describes as a stagnant two-party Parliament that is keeping Malta backwards.
For a coalition government to be formed, Alternattiva have to first of all elect a representative in the House, and this is already a big question mark. AD need to obtain a quota in at least one district, and this seems to be a rather difficult target to achieve.
They are perhaps still euphoric for having been so close to electing their own Arnold Cassola in the European Parliament, probably forgetting that the political situation at the time was different and that the type of poll was not one to elect a government.
People were then prepared to protest against the government by voting candidates that were not representing the Nationalist Party, knowing that after all the five Maltese MEPs would all be safeguarding Malta’s interests abroad. This turned out to be true.
A national election is altogether another matter. Alternattiva Demokratika have been in existence for nearly 20 years, but the number of votes they have obtained has fallen from the 1.69 per cent peak they reached the first time they contested in 1992 to the 0.7 per cent reached in 2003, just after the referendum for the EU. That their confidence has increased so much that they think they will be obtaining a quota in at least one district smacks of arrogance they so like to accuse the other bigger parties with.
AD are sustaining that it is only through a coalition government that the people could have a stronger voice in Parliament.
But coalitions are per se a weak arrangement that could plunge any country in total chaos on the whims of the smaller party or parties forming part of the government. The example that we have seen in Italy recently makes it clear enough as to the undeserved strength small parties have.
Italy has called early elections in April simply because one party withdrew its support to the government it formed part of, and there is no guarantee that AD will not do the same if what it is advocating takes place. Italy is also looking for an electoral reform that will reduce the strength of smaller parties in coalition governments, simply because these small parties have often been the cause of crises in government. The fact that Italy has had an average of one government per year since the war says it all.
AD argues that most European countries have a government made up of different parties, but the situation there is completely different than the local situation. Malta cannot afford to have a government that is based on the whims on one elected representative from the smallest of parties in Parliament. It would be calling for disaster.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has made it clear that a coalition between the PN and AD is certainly not on, and this should put paid to AD’s hopes. Of course, AD will continue to repeat the need for a coalition government ad nauseam, hoping that their message will be received.
They believe that a coalition government will serve to break the existing duopoly. What AD do not say is that a coalition government will be a weak government. AD’s interest is that it is elected to Parliament, which means that in spite of its nice talk, AD is interested in power just as much as the two major parties are.
Malta has had its fair share of coalition governments in the past, and this resulted in a period of instability, with governments collapsing before the end of the legislature. Malta cannot afford this uncertainty at a time when it needs to grow and consolidate what has been achieved in the past years.