Elections are fought on different and various fronts. Political campaigns serve to create an environment in which people feel duty-bound to participate and in one way or another shape their future.

In a time when economic issues play an overriding importance in people’s decisions, GonziPN knows that it needs to foster a feel-good factor among the electorate. Launching of projects and boasting about future opportunities are tried-and-tested ways of uplifting the spirits of the electorate, especially in a time of general distress.

Proposing popular initiatives and infrastructural projects, especially if their costs can be postponed and thus borne by future generations, can prove to be a very attractive solution to dispel some discontent. This kind of mentally is prevalent among the decision-makers in this administration. Projects such as the building of a new parliament or the Corporate Village which will house among other things the Malta Enterprise and the Tax Department, are prime examples of such a frame of mind.

There are typically two types of initiatives: infrastructural projects such as the City Gate project which at least generate, directly and indirectly, a number of employment opportunities, and initiatives that serve only to create an illusion. Examples of the latter are the Vision 2015 and Eco-Gozo. Both initiatives lack substance and apart from propaganda efforts are totally absent in their contribution to society.

Such projects are generally well presented and often backed by studies. Coincidentally, these commissioned studies always show that they would make everyone better off. When consultants are paid to do these types of studies the argument generally goes like this: undertaking the project will create jobs first for the construction workers and later for the people working in it. Activity will increase significantly and will create further jobs. The economic impact study then typically clothes the model with some big benefit in terms of revenue, jobs, and greater economic activity. The best part of all this is that no one will ever be able to prove the numbers wrong.

These kinds of projects often exhibit an almost established pattern. They are launched with a lot of fanfare and typically receive a lot of attention in both printed and visual media. Generally they stay on the agenda for a few weeks or months and then no one hears anything about them until a new rehearsed proposal is presented.

Four years ago, the big project was the development of Smart City. A project launched as representing the future of the Island. It was meant to directly create over 5,000 jobs and several other jobs indirectly. It was a project that managed to capture the imagination of many, especially young people who decided to follow certain academic courses for that one specific reason. The concept reached its climax when it was fully used as a strong marketing tool in the last electoral campaign where everything started to be referred to with the use of the term ‘smart’, as in ‘Smart Malta’ or ‘Smart Island’. After the election, GonziPN had nothing else to say about the project and the interest started to fizzle out as more pressing issues started to crop up. Now, after more than four years, the project is nowhere near completion and a single job has yet to be directly created by the Smart City project.

Unfortunately, it always proves to be very unpopular and politically incorrect to question such proposals: one is often labelled a downer or a party-spoiler. The big truth is that big and spectacular projects are always attractive to launch and propose. The difficult part starts when going into details, into the financing part of the project.

It is all too well to dream about and plan for projects and initiatives that will improve our economic competitiveness. But the ultimate aim should always be to improve the long-term opportunities of citizens and not to score points, or worse, to accommodate some vested private interests. Nor should it be to alienate people from the real problems which they have to face on a daily basis.

Creating false hopes can be GonziPN’s only hope in the foreseeable future. It will go into over-drive launching all sorts of projects and initiatives as the upcoming election get nearer. Five years ago, GonziPN had Smart City; a few weeks ago it launched the Bio-Park in San Ġwann, and in the coming weeks rest assured that some other great idea or ideas will crop up.

Dr Anton Refalo is Labour spokesman for Gozo