What future under Labour led by Alfred Sant?

Over 52 per cent of those who gave their opinion on an online poll by The Times the other day believe that the Nationalist Party's days in power are numbered. Several others said it will be difficult for the PN to overturn the 10 per cent deficit in relation to the Labour Party, evident in the last three local elections.

These opinions, more or less, go with the trend, but what struck me was one respondent who still believes, like many others who support the PN, that the majority of the electorate does not have a safe and feasible alternative to a Nationalist government so long as Alfred Sant stays on as MLP leader.

There is no doubt there still exists a big prejudice against Dr Sant, mainly because the dominant PN press keeps spinning the same record against Dr Sant. A very poor excuse to camouflage the PN's shortcomings and one which is now wearing thin.

Of course, it is not easy to pass judgement on Dr Sant's ability to lead a government as his period as Prime Minister was cut short by reasons that are now history. But, judging by his performance and that of his colleagues in that short period in power, one has to be extremely biased to say that a Labour government led by him will not be a reasonable alternative to a Nationalist government.

In a country that is polarised to the core, Dr Sant as Prime Minister had the courage to take everyone on board, whether Nationalist or Labourite, from the chairmen and members of government-appointed boards, down to the members of the Armed Forces of Malta and the police as well as those in the public sector.

Unlike today, when all government boards, chairmen and the rest, consist of PN supporters and most government departments are manned, in their absolute majority, by PN sympathisers. Indeed, considering that the present government runs the country by using only 50 per of the island's human resources, it is not doing a bad job!

But let's get back to Dr Sant's time in office. Admittedly, he had to cope with a huge problem brought about by the party itself as the first six of the 22 months of the Labour government were dedicated to removing VAT and introducing CET.

Ok, people might say this was a horrible decision and it was Dr Sant who instigated that decision. However, the fact is that it was approved by the MLP general conference and because of that, Dr Sant's administration had wasted the first six of its 22 months in office trying to remove it. And if we have to point a finger at anybody, the blame does not lie solely on Dr Sant but on all the members of the party who did not agree with this decision but did not have the courage to stand up to him. That was a collective mistake and must be acknowledged as such.

As if this were not enough, the Labour government had only a one-seat majority even though it gained over 8,000 votes more than the PN. As a result of that thin majority, Dr Sant's administration had to continuously look over its shoulder to cope with the antics of Dom Mintoff. And we all know that Mr Mintoff made life hell for Dr Sant and his administration. Some people, even Labour supporters, believe Dr Sant should have given in to Mr Mintoff, but no politician worth his salt should have allowed himself to be ignored, abused and insulted by one of his own members, however, important his role in the party.

Yet, in spite of these difficulties, the achievements of the Labour administration are remarkable. Let's take education for a start.

Unlike the Labour administration of 1971-1987, which did cause a lot of turbulence even if a lot was achieved in those years, this time round the success of the ministry led by Evarist Bartolo was acknowledged even by the PN when, during the inaugural speech after taking office in 1998, the new Administration promised to carry on the good work of its predecessor.

Tourism was perhaps the most spectacular success of the Labour Administration. Karmenu Vella, the Minister of Tourism at the time, not only halted the decline in the number of tourists coming to Malta but by the time Labour ended its 22 months in power, the number of tourists visiting the island had risen substantially. Many acknowledged Mr Vella's achievements and he received glowing tributes from people connected with this industry. In fact, he was so successful, the present Minister of Tourism, Francis Zammit Dimech, had tried to rope him in to help stimulate the sector.

In the construction sector the progress was very evident. Bugibba, for a long time an eyesore, was transformed into a very beautiful area, embellished, with all streets surfaced with tarmac. All the work was carried out by government employees in under six months. Compare that with the time it took the private sector to embellish the Sliema promenade, which is still unfinished!

Apart from Bugibba, a great deal of work was put in to embellish other towns, including Marsascala and Birzebbuga. Many new roads were constructed and a number of others asphalted in record time.

Then there is the Finance Ministry. We all know now that, in spite of what the PN says and still repeats to this very day, the Labour Administration inherited major problems, with a massive debt and unsustainable deficit.

The PN officials often quote Lino Spiteri, except when he recalls that when he called at the ministry on his way to taking the oath of office, he was too shocked to hear about the catastrophic financial situation. We also became aware later that on the eve of the 1996 election, former Finance Minister John Dalli had sent a memo to the members of the Cabinet warning them of the terrible financial situation facing the country. So no one expected miracles here but, considering the financial problems it inherited, the Labour Administration did reasonably well.

In the health sector much was achieved but, unfortunately, the only thing the PN mentions is the 50c charge imposed on prescriptions which the Labour government introduced not to boost revenue but in order to eliminate abuse. Today, we are lucky to find the medicine we need and when we do we have to pay for it through our nose.

Unlike the days of the Labour administration, the service at the health clinics is severely restricted, while St Luke's Hospital is in shambles, with patients having to wait for long hours to receive emergency treatment, they have to wait for years for an operation and many patients are left unattended in the corridors. The doctors and the medical staff have never been unhappier, except, perhaps, for the unfortunate episodes of the 1970s. And that was not under Dr Sant's administration!

It is also worth recalling that in the case of the new hospital, which has taken an impressive 17 years to complete, when it took a country like Hong Kong under 10 years to build an offshore island, an airport, and one of the biggest bridges in the world, it was Dr Sant's decision to convert Mater Dei into a general hospital rather than a specialised one, which would have cost less but would have probably become a white elephant had it not been for that decision.

Charles Mangion also came for lot of praise as Minister of Justice until he had to resign for a very minor indiscretion when the present incumbent stuck to his office in spite of a bigger misdemeanour.

I can mention other ministers who performed rather well but this piece is only intended to remove doubts harboured by those who genuinely fear a Labour Administration led by Dr Sant. Indeed, judging by his performance and of his colleagues between 1996 and 1998, I am confident a Labour Administration led by Dr Sant will be a safe and reasonable alternative and, very likely, better than the present one led by Lawrence Gonzi.