They can call it by whatever name they like, but the latest stunt by the Labour government is nothing but a pre-election bribe.

That, less than two weeks before an election, all voters are receiving one or two cheques with a total ranging from €160 to €235 each is just a last-ditch attempt by Labour to secure more and more votes.

We know, we have been receiving tax refunds for a number of years. We know, the Labour government has been forthcoming to assist the economic recovery by handing out vouchers during the Covid-19 pandemic. And we also know that the cost of living has sharply gone up in the first months of this year.

But for Labour to choose to send these financial hand-outs – one as a tax refund, and one to make up for the rise in the cost of living – on the eve of an election is a blatant abuse of its power of incumbency.

When, in early February, the Prime Minister took the Finance Minister to Marsaxlokk to announce that the government planned to distribute the cheques, Robert Abela must have known that he would be calling an election for 26 March. So the plan to distribute these goodies during the election campaign was already in place.

Most people will not be bought by Labour with a €100 cheque (or anything else, for that matter). But there are others whose financial condition makes a €100 cheque look like manna from heaven.

They are being told that Labour is not excluding handing out more money later on this year, particularly if the war in Ukraine has long-lasting effects on the economy. They are being fed the lie that a Nationalist Party in government would stop these “gifts”.

And so if among them there are people who are still to make up their mind on who to vote for, it is easy to think that they will be swayed towards voting for Labour.

Never mind that this money is tax money that we should not have paid in the first place. Never mind that this money is coming from somewhere and, in the years to come, it will have to be paid for by the taxpayers themselves and future generations. Never mind that the government debt is growing day after day.

The important thing, for Labour, is to increase its electoral chances. Not that there’s any doubt that the PL will win. But there’s an internal competition that few talk about – Robert Abela wants to win with a bigger margin than Joseph Muscat did in two successive elections. So each and every vote counts, not only for the PL’s win, but for the personal success Abela is aiming for. He wants to win by more than 35,000.

He knows that this is the only way that he could get rid of Muscat’s shadow. Abela will never be loved more than Muscat in the eyes of Labourites, but ensuring a bigger electoral victory will strengthen his position in the party.

In case of a smaller victory, doubts will start to creep in.