The Nationalist Party and the Labour Party have both launched new websites in the last few days, the first to try to build bridges with the lost sheep and the second the tear apart this government’s record.

I do not know who came up with the idea first. What I do know is that two days before the Ta’ Qali event at which the PN presented its new website – which had been announced previously in an advertising campaign and for which invitations had been sent – the PL launched theirs.

So forgive me if I am led to think that the Labour Party came up with its idea as one with which to counter the PN’s website. The fact that Labour also chose to have its address making it seem as if it was a PN link – the address is gonzi.pn, stirring up the gonzipn 2008 slogan that the Nationalist Party said it wants to put aside – is also highly indicative of what Labour intends to achieve.

Since the PN’s website can be found on mychoice.pn, there is a chance that the common ending will confuse web surfers and make the Labour website seem as if it is something that has been prepared by Nationalist supporters. It could be that the PL thought it was being clever by having an anti-government website named after the Prime Minister. But all I can do is sigh.

There is another giveaway that Labour thought about the website after the PN had started to publicise theirs: the website launched by the PL has the slogan “talk is cheap”, which seems a direct reference to the slogan “let’s talk” on the PN site.

What the two websites have in common is their aim, which is to be attractive to the younger generations who look for news and information on the internet rather than on the more traditional means of communication such as radio, television and newspapers.

The similarities stop there, because what is being presented is a totally different outlook to what is taking place. And, in more than one way, both websites are the perfect example of what the two major political parties have to offer.

By just going on the home page one immediately gets an idea of the kind of vision the two parties have. The PN website is brightly coloured, giving the impression of cheerfulness, a positive mood and optimism, whereas the PL website is dark coloured, with the information written white on black, and this gives the idea of doom and gloom, downbeat mood and pessimism.

Labour might have thought that this would represent a government in crisis – since the website is all about the government’s record – but web surfers who look beyond cannot fail to link it with the negative outlook with which the Labour Party has often been associated. It is often accused of being too depressing and their website does not do much to dispel this image.

The Nationalist Party’s optimism and the Labour Party’s pessimism have often led to the former’s success and the latter’s failures. While it must be admitted that successive Nationalist governments have made several mistakes, on the other hand it cannot be denied that Malta has, on the whole, made giant steps forward under their administration.

These two websites expose the differences that exist in the attitude of the two major political parties.

However, there is another side to the story.

The PN is doing its utmost to move closer to the people. The Prime Minister announced it loud and clear, and the website complements what Lawrence Gonzi has been pushing for in the last months. The appointment of Simon Busuttil as a special delegate to organise meetings with different sectors of society and PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier’s role to liaise with the various sections within the party are all links in the same chain, and the website is another.

Whether this will be enough, in the limited time available, remains to be seen, but the PN’s efforts will be intensified in the coming weeks and months. If many Nationalists who at present do not intend to vote can be encouraged to change their mind, then the chances are there for the PN to take.

The more the Labour Party is portrayed as not being credible, the more the PN stands to gain. And the new website launched by Labour is yet another drawback for the party in opposition in this respect – because it does nothing to promote Labour’s ideas. All it does is denigrate the government and the Nationalist Party, without so much as giving a hint as to what alternatives it will offer, should it return to power.

The Labour Party has chosen to keep its cards close to its chest until the Prime Minister sets the date for the election. Each time Joseph Muscat is asked what Labour intends to do, or what Labour would have done were it to be in government, the PL leader reveals nothing.

This strategy worked well three years ago, when Dr Muscat had just been made party leader and was still finding his feet, but right now, as the election looms closer, Labour is seen as a party that is shorn of ideas and unable to offer a better option.

This tactic might still work with diehard Labourites, who will vote Labour anyway, but to the neutral voter it seems an attempt by the PL to win on the demerits of its opponents, rather than on its own merits – and this might backfire.

While the PN website encourages people to make their suggestions as to how things could be improved in the future, the PL website is urging people to contribute articles that refer to the government’s mistakes in the past.

The PN is therefore giving the idea of looking ahead with confidence and optimism, while the PL is looking back at the past without a clear vision of what its next step will be.

[email protected]