From Mr A. Gauci Cunningham

Yes, only seven days to go and, today week, this country will have its next government and the next Prime Minister and no Alice in Wonderland is going to erase the fact that it’s going to be either Dr Lawrence Gonzi or Dr Alfred Sant.

Obviously, there are those like Jo Said and Woods, and lately Grace Borg, who are leading an anti Nationalist campaign because the PN is “not what it used to be...”And funnily enough, while heavyweights such as Censu Tabone, Eddie Fenech Adami, Guido de Marco and countless others haven’t noticed this tragic change, these heroes of the right are crying foul and thanks to Super One, and AD recently, have become (Jo Said I mean) the new political victims of, wait for it, psychological violence!!

Anyway, the rest of the island who don’t have a chip on their shoulder, who are not eternally angry at Francis Zammit Dimech, who haven’t been given a helping hand when someone in their family committed “misdeeds”, or who seemingly have come to Malta to destroy the PN because of some “personal” reason and then claim psychological violence if someone criticises us, will have to decide on two main points a) track record and b) proposals for the future in the light of the election campaign.

Let’s start with the track record. Dr Sant was in government 10 years ago, not a thousand mind you, just 10, and fact is that on most fronts he failed to match the expectations of most of the people who voted him in.

I will not go through the string of broken promises but there are one or two which need mentioning. Dr Sant et al told us to vote for them because of the ever-growing cost of living increase. Did the cost of living stabilise or go down at that time? Which food products had their price go down?

Which effective measures were taken to control the cost of living? What happened to the pre-1996 Price Watch? Dr Sant promised to remove VAT to thousands of self-employed who believed him and voted for him, and what did they get in 1996? CET, which was higher than VAT. Did anyone understand the new tax regime? Did anyone throw his or her cash register away?

Dr Sant told university students (yes, the “hamalli” “faxxisti” “baxxi”...) that he would not touch their stipends and just a few months after becoming Prime Minister he reduced them to a Lm50 grant and Lm50 loan! Did Dr Sant heed their protests? Did Dr Sant show signs of “remorse” or apologise for such blatant dishonesty? Of course not.

What Sant says, Sant does and, as he said last Sunday, he has no regrets on the past.

Yes, Dr Sant has already been there and when this nation gave him the task to govern this country not only did he manage to mismanage this country but he also grossly mismanaged his party so much that some of the best people the MLP had to leave.

And for those who have conveniently forgotten, the list includes Dom Mintoff (former Prime Minister and “salvatur” of the MLP), Alex Sciberras Trigona (former Foreign Minister), George Abela (ex-Deputy Leader of the MLP and part of the “Cittadin l-ewwel” tim tar-rebha!), Lino Spiteri (former Finance Minister). The reason they left the party was not because of a hole in front of their house but because, as they declared, you couldn’t work with Dr Sant!

Do you remember the tense Parliamentary sittings in 1998? Do you remember the nation waiting for an imminent call of an early election? Do you remember that our membership to join the EU was frozen? I bet you’ve forgotten especially if you live in Swieqi and had a crane next to your home for some time or if you didn’t get the promotion you expected.

Well Dr Sant and Co. can’t be happier for you; that’s why they want us to forget the past because they know that they haven’t changed one bit; they have no regrets even on the most fundamental mistakes they’ve committed; they are presenting this nation with a list of vague promises built on deceit and off the cuff measures!

How else could one start to explain the sad “soap opera” of the surcharge? I mean this is Labour’s cavallo di battaglia. The surcharge should have been the measure that should have won thousands of votes for the MLP; instead we are witnessing the very worrying reality that this promise is no better than the VAT saga!

Then we have the reception year and on this one Dr Sant can tell us “bir-rispett kollu...” till his goes blue in the face.

Fact is the MUT (Malta Union of Teachers – for those who have conveniently forgotten!!) wasn’t really in favour of the proposal. First it was for everyone, now it’s for those who want it (according to Dr Sant on Bondiplus). What did he mean by “those who want it”?

So this means that if parents don’t want to send their children to a “reception” class they have to pay through their noses to send their offspring to a private school.

Then we have the environment, which is hardly ever mentioned at any particular Labour activity. Funnily enough, Alternattiva Demokratika is more interested in shooting down the PN’s good proposals, saying that it was their idea first, to notice that the MLP, which could easily be in Castile today week, doesn’t seem to give a tinker’s curse about the environment. Can Harry Vassallo please note that the MLP has already stated its intention of building two golf courses?

Yes, Dr Vassallo, “korsa tal-golf” if you don’t get it in English! Or is it just the thought of the Nationalists building the golf course that makes our Green hero tick? When asked quite a few times, Dr Sant didn’t answer when asked where the golf course would be built so let’s put it this way; Dr Sant has broken promises written in black and white on a pre election programme, let alone what he would do with promises which ain’t in ink! So my point is, what exactly is holding Dr Sant back from building one at Ta’ Cenc or Xaghra il-Hamra or in any other place of “rich” environmental heritage? Well, nothing actually, because what Sant says Sant does and he has no regrets! Then we can say “eee ara better with the Nationalists!!” but then it’ll be just a little bit too late!

And all this is Dr Sant in government and during this election campaign. During his stint as Leader of the Opposition 1998-2007, he was even worse. Do you remember Sant saying that the PN government was “illegittimu”?

Do you remember him telling us how bad EU membership would be? Do you remember how he treated the thousands of “Yes” voters? Do remember how he wanted to devalue the lira?

Do you remember when he said that low cost airlines are not a solution? Do you remember when he said that Smart City was only speculation? Do you remember when he said that the pension reform was not a problem and we should only bother tackling it in 2010?

Do you remember the attacks and mudslinging aimed at Zeppi il-Hafi, Richard Cachia Caruana, Richard Muscat, Michael Frendo, John Dalli, Censu Galea, Tonio Fenech and countless others who were used by the MLP for political expediency?

I bet you’ve forgotten especially if you’re a hunter or somebody who believes that we should change “... ghax issa it turn taghhom uwx!!”

On the other hand, we have a Prime Minister who believes in the country’s ability, who is strong enough to say he was wrong when he was wrong. We have a politician who is close enough to the people to admit that there are certain sectors like MEPA that need a major “clean-up”; his opponents can cry foul and feel sorry for George Pullicino till the cows come home.

Fact is the PN’s idea of MEPA being under prime ministerial control is a very good one and definitely a giant leap forward!

The fact that only the PN is committing 300 million euros to the environment speaks volumes and shows that the party, which led Malta through its recent economic troubles, means business.

The MLP can throw mud till it hits the fan, which hopefully will splash back in their faces, because in its “Pjan ghall Bidu gdid” (which after this election campaign should be renamed Kuljum nibdew mill-gdid) there is barely a hint of environmentally friendly policies!

And where is AD in all this? Obviously criticising that rotten gonzipn with Mr Said on their side (if you don’t know who Mr Said is you’re “forgiven”; very few people actually know him!! Apart from Daphne it seems!).

The Gonzi government has had its faults but it has also done a great deal of good for this country: schools, old people’s homes, arterial roads, residential roads, Mater Dei, the Gozo incinerator, Sant’Antnin Recycling Plant, restoration works, 855e, Maghtab rehabilitation, Ta Qali and Kennedy Grove, Valletta Waterfront, Birgu Waterfront, Gnien Cottonera, MCAST, the Gozo Terminal, new Gozo channel ships, record tourism (1.3m), record Cruise Passenger visitors, Merchants Street, Lower and Upper Barrakka, Hastings and St James Cavalier all in Valletta, the Mdina paving project and most of all the biggest foreign direct investment - Smart City!

Over and above all this the PN has given this country the stability and vision it needs to prosper in the immediate and distant future! Those who want to see the PN’s downfall are many, most of them driven by a sense of personal vendetta (ejja ha nwaqqghuhom mill gvern!!); those who want to pay the Nationalists back are not a few either, those who want change for the sake of change are not less than a handful, those who are ready to throw mud in a disgusting attempt to overshadow Gonzi’s achievements are numerous. Nevertheless, very few are those who contest the fact that Gonzi, warts and all, is better than Sant.

Few are those who wouldn’t admit that Gonzi has a sense of direction and belief in where this island stands and where it will be standing in the future; few are those who wouldn’t admit that the PN’s track record is much better than Dr Sant’s; few wouldn’t admit that although the government left much to be desired environment-wise, it is only the PN that is seriously offering good and feasible proposals.

I will vote for my country. I will not vote to get a promotion or a chairmanship; I will vote for those people who believe in me, who believe in youth, who have set ambitious goals for the country and are dead set to reach them! I will vote for the present and for the future; I will not vote to satisfy someone’s coalition fairytale.

I will vote for Malta, for the government that we as an independent, European and Mediterranean country deserve!!

Today week we may start our journey to reach new heights; today week a new generation might start looking at the future with more courage and hope; today week we may give an answer to those who think that politics is dirt and mudslinging; today week we may turn the page of a sorry era with a sorry leader who thinks that we are all morons who clap and cheer when we’re told to!

But today week we may also be over the moon thinking that the change we’ve brought ourselves will last forever; we might be hoping that the bad policies of a failed politician will not haunt our country for the five years to come!

Today week we may have a party in government thanks to the word “default”.

Today week we end a chapter and start a new one! Today week we make history and we do it with our own hands!!

Albert Gauci Cunningham

ST PAUL’S BAY