Clutching at straws

Nine days to go until the Maltese and Gozitan electorate cast their vote to determine whether the blues or the reds will govern our islands for the next five years. The campaign is at its highest level and will continue so until it reaches its peak on March 6, because, as you all know, March 7 is a day of silence and reflection. Which way will the pendulum swing? Who is confident? Who is not so optimistic? Who is, as yet, undecided? Who is clutching at straws?

Speaking of straw clutching, who is Lawrence Gonzi trying to convince when two of the gonzipn proposals are that: 1) the €23.29 (Lm10) departure tax will be removed, and 2) the car registration tax will be done away with? These, dear readers, are not being promised to you because our economy is so sound - no, they have to be implemented by whichever party will acquire power after the forthcoming election as the EU is ordering the Maltese government to introduce these measures during 2008 or else face being dragged before the European Court of Justice and having either to pay back the taxes to all who have travelled abroad or invested in a new car backdated to 2004 or risk paying a very hefty fine. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Why has the outgoing government been dragging its feet for such a long time? Have we been so desperately in need of this money? Finanzi fis-sod (sound finances) and all that!

So gonzipn will be reaching an agreement with local private hospitals to try and reduce the government hospital's huge waiting lists. Very laudable indeed but, sorry, why now? Why was this move not planned four years ago? Did it have to be Alfred Sant's pledge to do exactly this if elected that prompted Lawrence Gonzi to play copycat? What else is new? Oh, yes, for the sixth time in 20 years a new PN government is promising to rebuild the Opera House in Valletta. Can we believe this? Why was it not done when promised before? Clutching at straws? By the way, the MLP has also promised to do this if voted in.

Gordon Pisani, the gonzipn information officer, did his utmost to spin in all the media a paragraph which I wrote in this column a fortnight ago. His ploy failed miserably. Just to put things in their right perspective and to avoid any further spin from him or any of his media cronies, this is what he should have understood in my writing, and I will spoon feed him: I hope and pray to God that the rumour doing the rounds that a new Nationalist government will raise VAT from 18 per cent to 25 per cent is completely unfounded. Remember, we have a precedent when the Nationalist government promised before the last election not to raise VAT, only to increase it from 15 per cent to 18 per cent when elected. Now, perhaps Mr Pisani as information officer, would like, on behalf of gonzipn, to solemnly swear that, if elected, his government will not increase VAT. The people are waiting for a credible answer to this very simple question.

My column this week would be incomplete were I not to make reference to the obscene behaviour of a few misguided, orchestrated and stage-managed university students who tried their utmost to drown out by their continuous screaming and booing Harry Vassallo, Josie Muscat and especially Dr Sant. And these students are supposed to be the crème de la crème - tomorrow's leaders.

Let me make my point clear, I am not referring to all students - after all there are about 8,000 of them on campus - but only to that particular section of ill-mannered ones, many of whom were transported by buses from the Junior College, who unbelievably even resorted to cat-calls and booing when Dr Sant referred to his recent cancer operation. These vociferous few were aided and abetted by some of the Pietà hierarchy who were present in the audience.

Everyone watching on TV could also admire the education tal-puliti u tal-pepè that a certain PN strategist-cum-columnist has given her 19-year-old student son, as she and her sister smiled sweetly while he shouted "f... off" at a cameraman. Now who is the ħamallu!? Are these the future democratic leaders of our country? InSite's initiative to hold this debate was commendable, but somehow or other it was hijacked out of their hands. What annoyed me most about this disgusting shenanigan was Dr Gonzi's encouraging smug smile as his youths chanted "Nazzjonalisti" and "Gonzi Gonzi" while not allowing Dr Sant and the other party leaders to make themselves heard. I would have expected him to call these students to order and to remind them that this was supposed to be a civilised debate and not a gonzipn corner meeting. This was arrogance at its very best.

One final word to David Herrera, the president of the KSU - as Dr Sant reminded you - where were you in 2005 when Dr Gonzi reduced your first-year students' stipends by Lm20 monthly and also knocked off Lm200 from the smart card allowance? A cut of Lm380 in a year. How come you didn't feel the need to protest about these cuts? Definitely a case of two weights, two measures.

My Agenda will be back on March 13 - five days after E-Day.

norman.hamilton@hotmail.com