We are now entering the hullabaloo of the electoral campaign. As the campaign edges closer towards the finishing line, tensions are gradually rising amongst the competing political parties and their respective candidates.  In the remaining days before the general election, political strategists and marketing advisors will be taking last minute decisions to hit political adversaries below the belt, of course metaphorically speaking.  Securing the highest number of voters is of the outmost importance in the race between the competing parties.     

Thousands of supporters will flock to support their respective leader during gatherings and mass meetings.  Supporters, now warmed-up, armed with flags, placards and foghorns will participate actively in mass gatherings.  It is a vibrant opportunity for the younger generation to find and make new friends, while the middle-aged try to gauge and guess whether their political party is leading ahead or trailing behind the other competing political party, basing their assumptions on the level of enthusiasm and the number of people attending these public manifestations.

The older generation look at their party with a sense of nostalgia.

From now on most, if not all, of the political leaders’ moves will be stage-managed, possibly rehearsed, to ensure that all the right moves are made to reach and capture the widest audiences possible.  Leaders will continue to be photographed with supporters from all walks of life, some for the sake of posterity, and others to be immediately uploaded on the social media.  The social media is already overflowing with comments for and against, and these will manifestly increase. The billboards will continue to display the different messages; the PL’s slogan ‘L-Aqwa Żmien ta’ Pajjiżna’ and the PN’s ‘Jien nagħżel Malta’.  Inevitably, the political leaders carry the burden to lead the way, rise to the occasion and re-energise their supporters with highly-charged speeches.  Audiences will continue to be captivated by the eloquence of their leaders.

But this is not all.  Another contributing factor is the long list of electoral promises that continue to make the headlines. Most of the promises being floated are very enticing.  But in the short period of time left, I am almost certain that the electorate is facing a dilemma to digest, dissect and then own or dispute all or some of these electoral promises.   What is clear is that the PN is striving to put the people’s needs at the very centre of its electoral promises while the PL is trying to entice the electorate with the surplus achieved in the national finances.

It is good to have stacks of monies in the national coffers saved for a rainy day, but it is contemptible to keep vulnerable people living on low budgets to satisfy economic models.  People and their needs are by far more important than economic models.  The economic model adopted by the PL in the past four years has led to improved public finances, but concurrently has abandoned the needs of the people, particularly those vulnerable.  But government has also abundantly lined the pockets of the selected few.   

While the left or right political ideologies have, to a large extent, disappeared from the political jargon as political parties have moved towards the centre, where the implementation of social policies are intrinsically tied to economic growth, it must be recognised that social justice does not depend on economic growth.  It is very clear that the PL has, over the past years, allowed itself to been harnessed by the big business bosses.  This has led influential business bosses to persuade the PL administration, and subsequently government, that if the economy is vibrant then the needs of the vulnerable are consequentially addressed.  Nothing could be more false than this.  

Combating the different forms of social injustices requires a strong, committed government, capable to re-distribute the generated wealth with fairness.  To add insult to injury in the past four years this administration has been infested with many alleged cases of corruption.   In this area, the PL has failed to a large degree. But in the coming general election there is a much more serious situation that must be addressed. The failure of our institutions is a very real and dangerous situation.      

The PN and PL leaders are relatively young, and both are full of energy.  Both have gained loads of valuable experience while they served in the European Union Parliament, despite the fact that Dr Muscat was dead against Malta joining the EU and concocted with others that Malta would be the net loser if it became a member of the EU.  He did not think twice to fuel serious doubts in people’s minds about their future.  He resorted to partisan politics, politics of convenience, and was not bothered to put the national good at stake.       

It is now more than clear that Dr Muscat was wrong in his assessment back then.  He was forced to change his stance once it was clear that the electorate was not impressed with his politically-motivated, wrong assertions. However, cleverly, he adopted the politics of convenience and gained public office with a landslide electoral victory.  But all pledges of good governance by the PL were immediately sabotaged by none other than the Prime Minister himself.   Dr Muscat made his first wrong move when he hired his own car for €35,000 for the duration of the legislature.  His colleagues could not have been impressed with the transaction and like the rest of society were stunned, but decided to turn a blind eye.  It was the beginning of a series of seriously bad decisions by government.     

In this light Prime Minister Joseph Muscat cannot be taken seriously. He had all the time to prove himself, he has lost a golden opportunity, I’m afraid it’s too little, too late now. 

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