The indications are that the first tangible steps towards ‘full election mode’ in Malta have been taken. The junk mail has started. I’m told that the Election Commission has visited an old people’s home in Hamrun to see which rooms to prepare for the voting and, after having pretty much abandoned the constituents for four years, in certain districts the door-to-door campaigns of the prospective candidates from the larger parties are now in full swing.
It’s going to be a strange campaign – unique even – on many levels and I have absolutely no doubt that it will be one of the dirtiest ever. The chances for some great surprises are there too.
Firstly, the Progressive (neo-)Liberal (PL) candidates are reporting back to the 4th floor that the die-hards of the party are telling them flatly that they will not be voting for the PL until Muscat and his associates remain at the head of the party - in big numbers and especially in ‘safe’ districts.
If the voters welcome them inside, then they are asking the candidates simple questions:
“What did you do for my family over the last mandate?”
“What happened to the promises you made to me personally before the last election?”
“What happened to accountability, serhan tal-mohh fi djarkhom, meritocracy, neqirdu l-korruzjoni, neqirdu l-prekarjat… etc?”
“What was your take-home wage before and what is it now?”
Even when the candidates come back with well-prepared sales pitches such as “rahhasna l-kontijiet” and “iva... imma l-ekonomija sejra tajba!” the replies are standard: forget my vote and that of my family!
This is not so unusual in itself. It is quite normal for the Maltese voter to grumble as much as possible at this stage. This is the time to feed the present, corrupt electoral system so that one can force some immediate form of personal gain and maybe also some future promise from one padrino or another or preferably both. What is unusual, however, is the blatant, in-your-face rebellion from those same grass roots. The ones whom you could make stand on their heads for decades, who would offer their services for nothing (such was their loyalty) who are now openly telling the parties that they no longer represent them.
And on both sides, they are doing so in abnormally high numbers.
And for saying so openly, I can already hear some Laburisti clamour that I should be ashamed to bear the Mintoff surname, that I have sold out to the Nationalists, even that I hate Muscat and other such daily insults to which I have grown accustomed by now.
At the same time, I cannot ever recall a campaign where the Opposition has had it so good in respect of ammunition to throw at the government – so many issues to grab hold of and crucify the government with. You just couldn’t pay for such an excellent position to be in – just one case is pure political manna and this Opposition is being fed one after the other, each bigger than the one before.
I cannot help thinking that if strong characters such as Dom Mintoff, Fenech Adami (the elder) and such were leading the Opposition right now, the government would have fallen many months – if not years – ago! And yet it has not. The Opposition seems content to mess up one big opportunity after another in ways that frustrate my mind completely. It makes me conclude that, despite any protestations, the Opposition is just not strong enough to win the next election and govern on its own. Credibility is not built on mere words but real action which, to me, is severely lacking on the part of the PN.
Again, for saying so openly, I hear those Nationalists (who are so displeased that I do not offer my unconditional support to Dr Simon Busutill) calling me ‘pro-Muscat’, ‘pro-corruption’ and “once a Labourite, always a Labourite” as if this is something to be ashamed of. As if all Laburisti are corrupt and all Nationalists are virgin white.
The criticism I make is not to be taken as a form of attack, of course, but as a positive contribution so that real change can happen and not just the artificial variety, yet again. I make no apology for telling the truth and telling it exactly how I feel, which I do because I firmly believe that, with the next election, we have a golden opportunity, both Laburisti and Nazjonalisti, to make real change happen – the change we all actually want.
There are certainly enough people now to make it happen – enough people from both sides who are fed up with being used as an electoral ping-pong ball being batted from one party to another, being forced to vote for ‘the lesser of two evils’ when, deep down, we know that once in power the abuse/corruption we voted against from one side will be carried out by the other side, once it is in power. Power seems to have been taken away from us and now lies in the hands of the few, regardless of who is actually in government. I feel that it is time for us to take it back. A sufficient number of people, coupled with too much abuse and corruption, makes it very possible for us all to walk away from this humiliating ping-pong game once and for all in the coming election – to reject it all and demand the return of our rights; to start living in a truly democratic and fair society just as people do in other countries, where their rights are fiercely defended.
Alleanza Bidla stood up to be counted three years ago and was at the forefront of wanting to represent those who wanted change to happen. We have already had such a big local impact that others are now pursuing the same goals as us. The possibility therefore of the viable third party is now not only an accepted reality but the chances for its success are better than most people can imagine. No doubt then that, come election time, the third party will be instrumental in returning democracy and breaking the cycle of institutionalised abuse to which we have all been subjected forever.
In the coming weeks and months, Alleanza Bidla will therefore enter a new era in its life. As the electoral machines step up, so too must we make even greater strides forward. We are therefore committed to breaking through all the remaining barriers, the misinformation and the stumbling stones purposefully laid in our path to restrict our growth. During the next election campaign we will step up to the challenge ahead, show who we really are, what we really believe in and what viable alternatives we are offering, so that people can understand once and for all what we really stand for and what we intend to achieve. We will aim to be part of a coalition government with whichever of the traditional parties is serious enough to want real change (bidla), real democracy and a real-time safety valve against abuse and corruption in any future government; that is willing to accept a truly new way of doing politics rather than just saying so and then to return to the same old way that has let Malta down completely so many times. We will show once and for all that the time is right for a coalition government and that this is the best way ahead for us all.
It is time. Carpe diem and let real change happen!