The heat is on and plotters at the tal-Pietà war room are certainly intensely occupied in drawing up their line of attack, timing and launching of missiles to hit strategic areas in an attempt to tarnish the opponent’s credibility, limit crossovers and attempt to extend electoral territory, especially with particular voters. In the coming days and weeks undoubtedly, planned strikes shall be mounting to a blitz to completely demolish the chances of the Labour Party gaining further ground with various sectors of the electorate.

In a political party that has been in power for almost a quarter of century, pretentiousness, arrogance and decadence are rife and can be seen gushing from all directions. Public declarations, sound bites, press statements, reactions and the brazen attitude adopted by the top brass of GonziPN show the arrogance of those who believe they have the divine right to rule. The situation has degenerated to such an extent that members of the same clan feel that they are strange bedfellows with these smart alecks.

Showing their hand

All clues clearly hint that the country is already in the middle of a hard-fighting election campaign heading for a general election. Just by watching the news on particular channels, one would realize that all Cabinet members are in frantic competition as to who will be the first news item on the tube. Media hype featuring the official unveiling of trifling embellishment projects, visits to schools and buildings in various localities by ministers are become more frequent. Moreover, empty billboards recently came to life, became more colourful, hammering home the message thoughtfully selected by campaign gurus.

You don’t have to be a prodigy to realise that the line of attack by GonziPN is to scare the pants off prospective non-traditional Labour voters from casting their vote in favour of il-Partit ta’ Muscat. Recently, the Prime Minister was quoted as saying “Labour spells disaster”. Prominently displayed in every corner of the island, there are huge billboards with the message “Labour won’t work”, a remake of a billboard used by Tories more than 30 years ago! But then, ironically, they persist in saying that if il-Partit ta’ Muscat wins the coming general election; the country will go back 30 years in time!

Amazing!

Wearing away

Beyond any shadow of doubt, GonziPN isn’t working and this is not a simple slogan on a billboard, but the too many howlers made throughout the legislature confirm this! This is not a hypothetical election slogan, as the whole nation was witness to an administration that day after day started to crumble like a cookie.

The suspension of EU funds for educational programmes, Youth in Action and Lifelong Learning programmes, resulting from persistent “absence of assurances these funds were being managed”, the hundreds of students who decide not to sit for SEC exams and others leave their studies after a few weeks attending a post-secondary institution and the vacuum of vocational subjects at secondary level is having its negative effects on the system. While they boast about the “new state of the art schools”, they keep mum on state schools that are literally falling apart. Still fresh in the collective memory of the Maltese is the fiasco of public transport, the anti-climax of SmartCity, the scaling down of the harbour regeneration project after all that hype before the last election, the rot at TM that has been hit by a number of corruption cases (issuing of motor vehicle licences, mariners’ licences as well as bribery accusations).

What happened to the Marsa Sport Complex project and White Rocks sports complex? All of a sudden, just a few weeks before the general election, the National School of Sports will open its doors come September to fulfil an election promise made way back in 2008.

What about the national debt rocketing up to €1.1 billion, the widening of the structural deficit, and the economy officially in recession after a growth slumped by one per cent in the first three months this year, pressure by secretary to Finance Minister on WasteServ auditors to revise report on company’s operation, while former private secretary to Minister Fenech confirms in court of receiving ‘tips’ from contractors who allegedly rewarded him for intervening with the Tax Department to waive fines.

Recently, the European Commission on Waste Management rated Malta’s performance (regarding waste management) similar to countries having an implementation deficit in practically all areas of waste management. Incidentally, only Greece and Bulgaria received a worse classification.

The above are all symptoms clearly confirming that GonziPN is really working (sic)! All Cabinet members are in a frantic state and are seen here and there following the progress of “projects”, addressing public meetings and press conferences, launching of “new initiatives” and what not! Unsurprisingly, electoral bonanza should be also reaching its peak in the coming weeks with promotions, appointments, permits, favours and preferential treatment.

Their only defence now lies in a campaign of scaremongering to deter more voters from voting Labour. Their task now is to put up scarecrows to depict Labour as a calamity.

Roderick Galdes is the Labour Party’s spokesperson for Planning, Urban Development, Construction and Housing.