The general election was held more than two months ago. It was won by the PN and the Maltese people have accepted the results. The expected following steps, as happens after every general election, were for the political parties to analyse the results and this is what the PN is currently doing. The general council of the Nationalist Party held during last weekend is proof of this.

Since then we all moved on. As promised, the Prime Minister formed a younger and leaner cabinet, everyone started to pull up their socks to work hard. The government has already embarked on a number of tasks, namely the reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the budget consultation process and various other initiatives.

Everyone seems to move on with their life, except for the MLP, or rather certain factions within the MLP. Initially, immediately after the result, all the different factions and certain Labour personalities started to criticise their electoral programme in public. I wonder whether this electoral programme, if it can be called an electoral programme, was ever discussed within the Labour Party.

We were led to believe that it was the result of a long consultative process held over a number of months, but it seems that nobody within the Labour Party was bound by it. Apparently, they did not share the same views. I wonder what would have happened if the Labour Party made it to government.

Since the last MLP extraordinary general conference, which was held last Friday, it seems that the party has regressed 10 full years. In 1998, after losing the general election, Alfred Sant declared war on everybody and everyone under the sun in Malta (remember the famous slogan “gwerra, gwerra, gwerra”?).

Now they’re at it again. Instead of going through a serious analysis of the last election, and find ways to come out with new ideas and new policies, the MLP leadership is utterly in denial. They are blaming everyone for the election defeat. Everyone is to blame, the media, the Maltese who study and work abroad, civil servants etc, except of course, themselves and their pseudo policies.

Alfred Sant himself is in denial of the fact that Labour has lost the election for the third consecutive time. It’s useless to try and escape from reality. Alfred Sant’s place in history is now set in stone. This week in parliament he was still using his empty buzz words that he used relentlessly throughout the campaign – zero tolerance, good governance, networks, little realising that the campaign is now over. Alfred Sant seems to believe in zero tolerance of other opinions, criticism and respect for the people’s verdict.

In Parliament this week, he had the audacity to insult Louis Galea, the Speaker of the House, for criticising his (Sant’s) failed and unaccepted policy relating to the famous reception class. He had the cheek to speak of justice for the fact that Dr Galea was not elected, forgetting that he himself was rejected by the Maltese electorate for three consecutive times in general elections. On top of these losses, he also lost the EU referendum. His audacity has no limits.

The MLP are in such disarray and state of denial that they are trying to convince themselves that the government is illegitimate. Speaking of illegitimacy only helps to reveal their low level of knowledge and respect for democracy. Their mindset is still constrained by their siege mentality.

They are also trying hard to convey the message that the PN government will not last five years and will collapse before the full mandate is over. Where did we hear that before? We heard that after the electoral losses of 1998, 2003 and now again. Instead of focusing on new policies, they blame others for their mess and lack of direction.

Although Malta deserves a better opposition, a truly constructive opposition, we cannot wait for the Labour Party to put their house in order. The prospect of that happening seems to be light years away. In the meantime, our country needs to move forward. We need to ignore the spokes in the wheels that the opposition might throw in our way. The economy is still growing, while the government will deliver the electoral promises. This will not occur overnight, but it will occur gradually over the next five years.

David Agius is a Nationalist MP

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