Just when the country thought that the ‘bażwar ftit ‘l hawn u bażwar ftit ‘l hemm’ Alfred Sant’s way of doing politics was a thing of the past, here we go again with Labour creating a mess of the first order. Instead of admitting it made a whole mess and denied 2,800 young voters the right to vote, Joseph Muscat’s Labour tried to play dangerous games with our electoral laws to hide its mistake. Dr Muscat’s motion, approved on 16 March, had established that the President’s writ should be signed within 15 days of its approval, that is by 31 March. So it was only Dr Muscat who was responsible.

Labour’s mess, which denied 2,800 first time voters the right to vote in the EU referendum, is typical of the way Labour conducts its policies under Joseph Muscat’s leadership – lack of substance, no foresight and an immature eagerness to try and win some very short-lived games. First, he rushed to pass through Parliament a motion which not only produced a defective referendum question but also denied 2,800 first time voters the right to vote. Instead of admitting it was wrong, Labour tried to hide its serious mistake by playing dangerous games with the electoral law. This is shocking and a no-no in modern European Malta.

Just when the country thought that the ‘bażwar ftit ‘l hawn u bażwar ftit ‘l hemm’ way of doing politics was a thing of the past here we go again with Labour creating a mess of the first order and shockingly admitting that the commissioners nominated by the leader of the opposition had proposed playing around the electoral law to keep the writ from being published. Contrary to any impression given by Dr Muscat, Professor Ian Refalo’s, the Electoral Commission lawyer, advice to the Commission, was that the President’s writ that set in motion the divorce referendum process had to be published immediately and could not have been withheld for any reason. Prof. Refalo said that in essence the writ was an order issued by the country’s President and could not be delayed.

Malta and the younger generation certainly deserve much better than the ‘bażwar ftit ‘l hawn u bażwar ftit ‘l hemm’ way of doing politics.

Joseph Muscat, who repeatedly speaks about a ‘new way of doing politics’, is proving to be no better than his predecessor because when push comes to shove he fails miserably and plods ahead with his short lived games. Malta and the younger generation deserve much better.

Frank Psaila

PN Information Director