Reuse, recycle and reduce!

Yes, I do know that the title is not in the correct order for the slogan. It came to my mind when during a recent home visit in Tarxien, one of the towns in the constituency I am running for, a member of the family smilingly handed me a Labour propaganda leaflet, with a comment about it being old hat. I therefore took this poetic liberty (with apologies to environmentalists worldwide) that, I feel, perfectly describes Labour's born again campaign for the upcoming election.

Reuse all the previous strategies that were used previously to beguile the Maltese electorate into believing that the Malta Labour Party was "new". All the smooth make-up and glitz are back, promoting the sham of Alfred Sant's brotherliness.

Reuse Dom Mintoff. After years of having strongly criticised that particular Labour icon, find some way to appease him and create some form of public rapprochement in a last-ditch attempt to recover some of the "old" Labour supporters that had been put aside.

Reuse defamatory campaigns based on mud-slinging, unfounded allegations and the testimonies of convicted criminals. It strikes me as rather fishy that Labour's pet investigative journalists seem to come up with some new, or not so new, allegation or other in the few days prior to an election. One wonders what they do the rest of the time.

Recycle vain promises and electoral gimmicks promising tax-havens and heavens on earth. What in 1996 was the VAT fiasco, this year's red herring is a two-month tax holiday and other handouts. No explanation as to the financing of that particular economic measure have been forthcoming.

Recycle the Nationalist Party's 1996 slogan of Ma tistax tafdah! (proven true with regard to Dr Sant's brief tenure in government) and copy it, trying to use it in relation to a tried, tested and proven prime minister.

Recycle past campaigns addressed at serious journalists and editors, singling them out for personal attack whenever they stick true to the journalistic profession's ethos. No holds are barred in these attacks, with the predominant idea seeming to be that whoever does not write interviews and articles to dictation, is anti-Labour. That attitude is not exactly indicative of a respect for the right to free speech, is it?

Reduce Labour's credibility. The political gullibility of the Maltese electorate is diminishing. The adage goes, once bitten, twice shy!

Recent elections have shown that the Maltese voter is becoming more responsible and careful before deciding his or her ballot.

All this regurgitation of past strategies and tactics just does not wash any more. In fact, I feel that the reasoning portion of the electorate will think twice before once again placing their trust in one who has shown, time and time again, that he is not worthy of trust.

The responsible voter seeks responsible representation. While the dangled bait in the form of promising everything to everyone might seem attractive at first glance, the barbed hook hidden within will become only too painful should we bite. However, we will not.

Dr Scerri is president of the Nationalist Party's general council.