It is clear that the Maltese people in their majority have realised that their only hope for a better future lies in electing to power a Labour government come the next general election. There seems to be a consensus among most people that change is inevitable as the Nationalist government plummets into ever-increasing depths of mediocrity in performance and arrogance in its dealings with the citizen.

Opinion polls and surveys, coupled with the results of the last local council elections, seem to strengthen this popular perception of the state of the major political parties prior to the decisive day which is now not that far off.

On the Labour side, however, it is crucial that all party activists do not fall into the trap of believing that the next general election has already been won. Talk about a landslide Labour victory, a walkover at the next general election, is a dangerous sign of over-confidence that could be fatal.

Let us start with the local council elections. It is obvious that many people who usually vote PN at the general election and who, for one reason or another, have desisted from casting their vote at the recent local elections, will, however, still be voting PN when the next general election arrives. Protesting by not voting at local elections is one thing, bringing down the government is another for many people!

Then there is the issue of those people, formerly MLP voters, who have become apathetic after the electoral defeats of 1998 and 2003 and who have since desisted from casting their votes in favour of Labour and who still have to be persuaded to go out and vote Labour at the next general election. I sincerely believe that, when it comes to the crunch, these people will not let the MLP down but there is still a lot of hard work to perform here in order to win back lost votes.

One must also remember that the PN in government will soon start an all-out propaganda campaign for which it has been harbouring resources over the past few years. Expect the usual dosage of pronouncements by leading economists on how wise have been the government's tough austerity measures and how these are now having a positive bearing on the economy. Expect the visits of prominent foreign personalities who will express their utmost confidence in the capabilities of Lawrence Gonzi's administration. Expect the almost magical appearance of various foreign investment projects in the pipeline and the usual promises that these will create hundreds, perhaps thousands, of jobs for Maltese workers.

The last measures taken by the Nationalist government will, of course, be sugar-coated. The impression is already being given that the country is on the road to recovery and now the burdens on the people should be eased as much as possible. PN strategists know that these sugar-coated measures would, naturally, have to start being reversed and nullified on the very morrow of a PN victory at the next general election but by then the PN would have won a further five years in government, so who cares?

Then there will be the usual mass-alienation activities with political speeches, carcades, flag-waving and adrenalin-rousing songs. And some people will be foolish enough to forget all that they have suffered during the last years under a Nationalist government. They will forget the burden of taxes, the rampant unemployment, the deterioration in the standard of living and the quality of life of the vast majority of Maltese citizens, the arrogance of the Gonzi administration. And these people will go out and vote PN. Afterwards, if the PN is re-elected to government and they start experiencing the usual burdens on the ordinary citizen, they will ask themselves "What have I done?" By then it will be too late.

Which is why all MLP activists have to keep their feet on the ground. I am convinced that Labour will win the next general election and that Alfred Sant will be Malta's next Prime Minister because there is a wide gap in quality when one compares the Labour team led by Dr Sant with the Nationalist team led by Dr Gonzi. However, I also believe that the margin of the Labour victory will not be as great as some people are inclined to think and that is why we need to work and work and work until the final victory is achieved.

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