The energy plan presented for public consumption by the Partit Laburista right on the very first few days of the electoral campaign was the precursor for the systematic publication of the party’s electoral manifesto.

Whether you like or agree with the plan or not there is general consensus that the party’s promise to reduce energy prices is no gimmick. When the plan was unveiled everyone understood, including the constituted bodies, that the Partit Laburista had been indeed working very hard during the last few years to come out with a credible alternative to the Nationalist government’s status quo, upstaging in the process the nationalist party which was hoping and, most probably expecting, that Labour would come out with just smoke.

Indeed the Nationalist Party, still trailing badly at the polls nine weeks before the elections, was hoping that it could turn the tables on Labour and the electoral fortunes in its favour as soon as Labour would come out with the plan. On the contrary the Nationalist Party was shocked at the first sight of the slickness and the seriousness of Labour’s energy plan.

To complicate matters further for the nationalist party Labour put on the forefront of its defence of the plan a Labour candidate and certainly an expert in the energy field who could explain politely and in a very clear and comprehensive manner the substance of the plan.

Labour understood that it is not enough to have a good plan but it needed to be well communicated and understood, and Konrad Mizzi did it brilliantly and confidently. His positive attitude brought out the worst of the minister responsible for energy Tonio Fenech who tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to belittle Mizzi with a dose of arrogance and superiority complex. He failed and so did the Nationalist Party which could not find a match to discredit Mizzi. The truth is that nobody, except Tonio Fenech, wants to be fielded on TV against Labour’s face on energy unless they want to come out a cropper.

To make matters worse for the Nationalist Party the most prolific of the constituted bodies expressed interest which helped the plan to gain credibility. It was hoped by the Nationalist Party that it could find political solace in general scepticism, but not even that materialised with the result that the more the Nationalist Party pounded criticism on the plan the more it isolated itself.

Unperturbed Labour moved on to reveal more of its electoral proposals, besides those of energy, leaving the nationalist party gasping for an ounce of credibility as it found itself compelled to just criticize without offering the crispness of novel ideas that could captivate the imagination of the public.

The Nationalist Party has been caught napping. It was waiting to pounce on anything Labour would propose with the sole aim of discrediting it. But Labour knew this all the time and made sure that it will present proposals that are family friendly, leaving the scaremongering tactics and all negativity to the Nationalist Party.

It must have now sunk in the minds of nationalist strategists that it is high time for them to start proposing. After years criticising Labour that it has no plans it is now the nationalist party that is being asked to come out with its own. It will of course, more sooner than later, even as I speak, because it is already late in the day.

Expect some mouth watering promises of reduction in costs from the nationalist party similar to the 2008 income tax cut pledge. But it will have to be as skilful as Labour in explaining them because it will need to reconcile its recent heavy austerity policies with its promises of sweets and goodies.

We will see while we wait with bated breath.

Dr Gulia is the Opposition’s Main Spokesman on Tourism and Air Malta