It has already been argued that, with Labour, things are not always what they seem to be. If there is one thing it has mastered in its last years in Opposition, it is surely the management of public perception and the creation of populist illusions. As a disenchanted Labourite friend of mine lamented recently, Joseph’s Labour is all about the mastery of image but devoid of ideological substance and principles. Of course, one wonders about the durability of the illusion when cracks have already started appearing during the first weeks of a Labour government.

During the election campaign, Labour wanted to promote itself as politically correct and thus intolerant of inappropriate comments and actions. As a result, the Leader used this pretext to ruthlessly and unceremoniously eliminate anybody who obstructed his rise to power. But once in government, he resurrects those who have been politically murdered in the previous political life at the expense of those who believed in the Leader’s long-lasting political correctness. Similarly, people had been given to believe that a New Labour government would herald a new era based on merit and the end of the “friends of friends” network. Instead, we see Labour Party die-hards filling all the posts in public entities.

Labour also managed to convince everybody that the Nationalist administration was an expensive one because, in addition to the basic salary for ministers, it had also granted the parliamentary honorarium as was customary for the rest of the Members of Parliament. Consequently, many were led to believe that Labour would mean a Cabinet of Ministers that Works More with Less but, against all expectations, Joseph Muscat’s Cabinet is not only more expensive but also operating on a part-time basis. Moreover, these same Ministers have still not made the necessary leap in mind-set to the extent that it seems we have a Cabinet consisting of Members of the Opposition rather than Ministers leading the way.

The President’s Speech

The illusion started to crumble from the very first moments. The President’s speech opening the first parliamentary session normally outlines the government’s programme for the coming five years. The President’s speech for the 12th legislature will surely be remembered – but not for its manifestation of elegance or statesmanship. The government – the actual originator of the speech – succeeded in both insulting the Opposition and also in humiliating and demeaning the Presidency itself.

There’s a hole in the Budget

Joseph Muscat himself has said that whenever Malta’s economy was faring well under the Gonzi administration it was not because of the government but rather in spite of the government. In fact, he had asked the former Prime Minister to change direction and follow Cyprus. The story of Cyprus’s finances is now well known. But the irony of it all is that Cyprus’s former President has suggested that the Cypriots look closely at the Maltese model, while our new Finance Minister – following one of his very first EU meetings – was suddenly relieved that Malta’s finances were sound as left by his predecessor and consequently could avoid the treatment reserved for the small Cypriot island state. Malta’s sound finances have been confirmed as such over and over again by the European Union and other institutions. Hopefully, they will remain so, even if there are already some indications of concern. The International Monetary Fund has already sounded the alarm bells and warned the government not to further increase the deficit. The government’s debts are projected to increase by a further €625 million by 2015 due to the excessive deficit entered into by the New Labour Government.

Adding an air of positivity to the demonisation of Malta’s supposedly corrupt politicians

The demonisation of senior Nationalist Ministers by Labour exponents was the order of the day during the last five years but, nonetheless, Labour created the illusion that they were running a positive campaign. The election promise to be tougher on corrupt politicians was a subtle way of insinuating that Ministers were corrupt. The story of the Maltese clock given to Tonio Fenech which cost around Lm200 and not the €5,000 stated by Labour was one of the less subtle fabricated stories. The continuous drumming in our ears of such stories resulted in the Euro barometer reporting that a substantial number of the Maltese population believed that Malta was a corrupt country. But of course that is a perceptions survey. A recent study on the actual structures to combat corruption in Malta contradicts this perception.

The Animal Lover

It has been reported that illegal hunting during the hunting season has gone out of control this year and that the government deemed it necessary to use the armed forces to restore order. The situation attracted the ire of local NGOs and of other European nationals. But I would argue that, while the breaking of the law is never justifiable, the situation was not brought about solely because there was a bunch of irresponsible hunters but more so because there was a bunch of false impressions given to hunters before the election. The Honourable Parliamentary Secretary responsible for animal welfare is still talking about finding loopholes in legislation to permit hunters to shoot more birds, even if the EU is adamant that it knows of no such technical gap.

During the last legislature, pony racing was slowly being organised under the auspices of the Malta Racing Club in Marsa and removed from the streets except for special occasions. It seems that this policy has been done away with. There have been at least two races organised outside Marsa – one in Qormi and one in Hal-Far – which did not end up as planned. When organising such races, it is not only animal welfare that is a concern, but also public health and safety, and politicians should not fall victim to pressures that endanger lives, especially from some who simply want to make a business out of a sport. But, then again, I do not know what impressions were given before the election.

A Government that delivers

Last weeks’ Labour’s Sunday newspaper, Kulhadd, struggled to publish a list of deliverables of the new government’s first 50 days. Nobody expected a huge list of deliverables, taking account of the honeymoon period, but including the commissioning of reports and audits and simple declarations by the leader as deliverables is like admitting that the mastery of creating illusions is already being lost.

Clyde Puli is a Nationalist member of Parliament