The day that a political party would have really made changes to Malta is that day when we start to not care about politics. Corruption, scandal, resignations, rivalries, lies, libels, polls, permits, scams, shady contracts, lousy transport, traffic – none of it would matter so much anymore. We would just have the weather, choices, personal decisions and concern for birds, trees and our pets to occupy our mind and priorities.
Unfortunately we are still a long way from that blissful state. Every day a new headline grabs our attention and another argument disturbs our peace.
If only we could have a nice, simple government, headed by an intelligent, friendly and honest person whom we can trust to let us forget about him/her and that he/she is even there. But, this isn’t Canada. We are still struggling as a country to get our priorities straight, let alone have a chance at peace and an equitable political environment.
Here in Malta it’s always a case of what goes up must come down and all the while our gaze is focused on signs of movement in order to begin our plan to move up in the opposite direction. Nothing is permanent therefore it must change. It remains a national affair to monitor those changes and the losses and gains. And, if it does not look like it’s going to change then for sure a change is due.
Political trust, then, plays an important part in our daily lives. How much of it can we give to the Prime Minister and how little to his opponent without risking getting caught with our pants down?
Destroying trust in the opposition leader becomes a priority for the incumbent government and a veritable army of Staff are pumping away at full steam in order to keep the trust flowing their way, any way.
Only, from when we are young we are told that trust is something you earn. It is not bought or artificially made. It can be built. But mostly it needs to be earned.
It is here that the Prime Minister is slipping fast. Since what he does, on a regular basis, actually undermines that trust and he gives the impression that he can just grab it. The NAO report is a damning statement, even if he would deny it.
The public remain hesitant though to give up just yet. They simply want to believe that it’s ok and that the man will come to his senses soon. Then, maybe, they can put all this politics aside and have a normal day. Like they do in Britain. Darts and footie and Coronation Street.
As that country heads towards an EU in or out referendum, the people actually couldn’t care less. There is political inertia. For Google Trends, which are very good indicators nowadays, probably better than polls, the answer is clear: at this point in the game, the vast majority of the electorate couldn't care less.
Several charts show the level of interest is much higher for Strictly Come Dancing or for Arsenal than it is for the EU Referendum. It was the same for the General Election with a very narrow window when interest did spike to a level with the X Factor.
Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London, says that the messenger may well be more important than the message, given the obvious limits of the public attention span. "And that being the case, people won't listen to a lengthy debate on stuff they find irrelevant at best and boring at worst, so someone they trust delivering the message is absolutely fundamental."
In other words, cut to the chase and give us the bottom line.
Coming back to our own scene, the current inertia towards the party leaders could be indicating a similar trend. It is important that the argument is made without twists and with conviction. That way people can dip in, get the picture and get on with their life.
More than ever, delaying tactics are rejected by people. Pretending to wait for the outcome of an investigation or enquiry, when the picture is quite clear to all, is so off trend. It’s like waiting for goal line technology to decide, when anyone can see that it was a goal.
After the debacle of the polls at the general election in the UK, where a hung-parliament was predicted only to result in a clear Conservative win, the analysis made by the pollsters found that whole groups of the population were under-represented. When you use a land-line telephone, you only reach a certain age group and type. They said that people who are busy or old were just not reached in the polling. This is something to consider, not just for polling but also for communication and style. Many traditional tools are now simply outdated and can be assessed on immediate impact by the viewer. Videos?? With fake kitchens?? In the kitchen? Walking up and down the platform? Rolled shirt sleeves, no tie? Please. All staged. Most definitely, not favours for votes or “make the most of it.” Get rich quick? So old. Pulling what you think are appropriate frowns for the resignation of your Parliamentary Secretary are farcicle and lack credibility. They are not going to compensate for integrity.
We’re going to do this and that and this is how and why. Do you want that? Do you trust me? Vote for us. If not, stick with this lot. I promise to make your life better for you so that you can forget all about me until the few weeks of election time. Ultimately, will the opposition go to the root of it all and call for Dr Muscat’s resignation for the mis-management, corruption and responsibility in the Gaffarena case and others? What about the American University of Malta land grab? Isn’t that another case of expropriation without justification? If he tried to pin the Gaffarena job onto his PS Michael Falzon, with the Zonqor swipe it is all on him.
Come election time, flights must be organised to get people here to vote. Every time a politician sneezed will be remembered, every stamp licked will be examined for the post-code, every amen and each ave-maria is counted.
The fact is, though, that with so much deviation from what was said to what is actually happening, so much that is contrary becoming the rule, politics remains a sore subject and hard to avoid. Real debate, sitting in your chair, with honest discussion amongst opponents would be a great change. Interviews that really get to the truth and the things that matter. Making time and finding time to engage with the public in a constructive and meaningful way. Communicate your message without hesitating to make decisions that are necessary and smart. Explain your views and draw support and let the voter’s mind do the rest.
In the toxic environment that we have today, only a clean, solid and clear direction can draw the vote, something which Dr Muscat compromised from the start of his premiership.