Thursday, 20th March 2008

Strength of the opposition

Victor Laiviera, Naxxar.

Alfred Muscat (Put Up Or Shut Up, March 14) would like me and other pro-Labour correspondents to "shut up" as he so elegantly puts it.

Apparently he does not like to be reminded that the PN has not only lost its overall majority; its relative majority of 0.5 per cent is a numerical accident that is almost insignificant in statistical terms.

Mr Muscat will be sadly disappointed. As the post-election euphoria/depression (depending on your point of view) wears off and the true facts start to sink in, a lot of people are going to have to reappraise their position.

The MLP, once it has set its house in order and chosen its new leader, will realise its own strength. It represents fully half the Maltese population and in Parliament it will be in a minority of only one seat - in a scenario where several disgruntled ex-ministers are already making their displeasure felt. It will have the right and the strength to be heard and to demand fair treatment for all sectors of Maltese society. And it will have the tools to do it, not least being the pairing agreement which is so vital to a government with a majority as slim as the one the PN has.

The PN too will, or should, realise that, as our American friends would say, "It's a whole new ballgame". Gone are the days when Minister Austin Gatt could boast that the government did not really need to go through Parliament as, with the majority the PN had then, it was just a formality (or words to that effect).

The government will need the opposition's cooperation in order to function, and this cooperation will have to be earned.

Dr Gonzi has said that he intends to be a Prime Minister of all the people. He will have an immediate opportunity to show that he means what he says.

On a change of Administration it is the custom for all government appointees on boards, committees, etc to tender their resignation. If Dr Gonzi really has the interest of Maltese society at heart, he should accept these resignations and only fill the vacancies on merit and after consulting the opposition.

If, on the other hand, he chooses to go the old way and keep the same faces in place or appoint new ones without consultation, we will know that it is "business as usual" and the Opposition should use its new-found strength accordingly.

Comments

Victor Laiviera (on 22/3/08)

Thank you guys for helping to get this letter right up there on the "most emailed" board.

I couldn't have done it without you.

Anthony Briffa (on 21/3/08)

Mr Schembri I am glad that at least there is somebody who has accepted that the MLP lost the last general election. It is a good start. The result of the 1981 election was a perverse one as it was the result of gerrymandering and made a mockery of the constitution. So please don’t talk about the legitimacy of the 1981-1987 Mintoff-KMB government. There was even somebody who had the audacity to write a book and call it “Extra Parliamentarians”, and if I am not mistaken it was also circulated amongst the foreign missions. The rest is history, and it is our obligation to keep reminding the younger generations what the MLP can be up too to gain power. You tend to forget the bulk buying under that regime. If you accepted what was being put on the market at that time, then I wonder what your standards are. As to employment, the only alternative to unemployment was membership in the labour corps under military law, when at the same time the world was booming and there was investment everywhere, except in Malta.

J. Azzopardi (on 21/3/08)

Good comment, Vic. However this time round, i suggest that there should not be any pairing agreements unless something positive is coming from the Govt side towards the Opposition which represents an equal number of voters as the Govt side. Why not from now offer the post of Speaker to a member nominated from the Opposition, or maybe the next President. That will be a sign that one recognises that the votes won by the MLP have been taken into consideration.

Yves Cali (on 20/3/08)

Dear Victor you and the likes of you are happily a dying breed even within the MLP ranks. Hopefully when you finally get your own house in order your will finally make a decent opposition because up until not you were not even capable of doing that. Meanwhile dream on.....

JOHN SCERRI (on 20/3/08)

Dear Victor Laiviera, in your article you take me back to recall that this is not the only time that a govt. had a majority of only one seat. The only one which did not survive was the 1996 govt. when in your own words the time came when a lot of people had, quote ' to reappraise their position' unquote after only 22 months. As for your statement on the government needing the opposition's cooperation to function , I say , may the days come when opposition will really contribute for the better function of government in major issues. This will be a great change from the 'always say no policy ' the opposition adopted until now even when there were major issues like EU and pension reforms. The MLP has had years to set its 'house in order' but i think it was set in the wrong order. MLP should have known better and had all the time available to set things right . It did not have the responsibility to govern this nation during this period. MLP's homework through the years in oppositon was not done properly and speculations of a virtual victory were based EVERY TIME on assumptions and incorrect interpretations of results ...case in point local council elections. Yes I agree a STRONG and SERIOUS opposition, ready to help out and gain credibility is what our country needs. This election was primarily won on the issue of credibility. Credibility is earned through constructive criticism and assertive proposals for problem solving. Any opposition must go to the people with the solutions to problems. Criticism is very easy - providing the solution is more difficult but it will have a long term benefit for the future.

A. Calleja (on 20/3/08)

This is incredible... just over 20 years on the opposition benches and still no lessons have been learnt! It started with the cholocate bars, computers,cordless telephones, etc in the 80's and ended with VAT, EU and Euro in the 00's. The opposition benches need a great leader .. so if you want to be electable make sure someone like George Abela or Joseph Muscat takes over and throw out the dinosaurs !

Joseph Aquilina (on 20/3/08)

Just a short reminder to our friend Victor. Incidentally the MLP Opposition was granted a numerical majority in the board that came up with the electoral districts that gave us such a FAIR result in last election. 0.05% relative majority gives the Winning Party THREE seats less than the RELATIVE MINORITY. How's that for trusting the Labour Opposition??

Joe Martinelli (on 20/3/08)

Good letter Vic.
Now let me make a few important corrections:
By a mere 0.5 % numerical accident The NP governs and the MLP Opposes. That makes the NP euphoric and the MLP depressed.
The MLP has been trying to put their house in order for decades now. They still cannot get it right.
With this infinitesimal majority, the NP government will still do its five year term, not twenty-two months having a pairing agreement in place like it has been for many years.
The new 'ball game' will see Austin Gatt back at his old tricks of bringing more jobs such as he did with SmartCity, or could it be that since the Opposition grew stronger, it will impede Austin from bringing more jobs?
The government 'prefers' to have an Opposition which cooperates rather than throwing a wrench at every proposal, but believe me, it has enough gumption and qualified people on its side who are capable of having things done under difficult circumstances.
In Vic's mind, the NP government should prove that it is a government of all people by offering plum jobs to Labour supporters. That is quite bold coming from a Labour supporter who, not many moons ago, heard the highest hierarchy in the MLP declare that, "... yes, we shall be a Labour government for the Laburisti...we have a list of people and we know where to put them". I have a suggestion what to do with that list....
See, it is not that the nation is 'polarized', it is that some cannot keep calm, write tripe and expect no reaction.
Indeed, the government should consult the Opposition regarding appointments. I am almost sure that once Dr. Gonzi returns from a deserved vacation, the first thing he will ask the Labour Opposition (again) is for it to submit names for the post of Auditor General.
Vic, take Mr. Alfred Muscat's advice, please?

TONY FORMOSA (on 20/3/08)

Of threats,trash and tripe.
Simply distasteful; typical of knocked-out fanatics., instead of being cool and relaxed.

TONY FORMOSA

TONY FORMOSA

David Stephen Ganado (on 20/3/08)

In the nineties we also had - NO to the EU, we had CET instead of VAT, and so on. In those few (lucklily) months the labour government was not providing a service to the nation but rather obstructing it from progressing any further!
In the end, the man who should have been respected for his opinion was allowed to bring down the government singlehandedly. More than obstruct the government the PN in opposition just sat back and watched the pack of cards crumble under the sheer weight of a combination of pig-headedness and lack of vision of the one and only Alfred Sant!
That time, if any proof was needed that the people felt cheated by the government was the fact that they took the opportunity to vote in the PN with an overwhelming majority!!

Charles Camilleri (on 20/3/08)

It seems that V. Laivera lives in the past and will not change. i hope that the new leader of the opposition will be a man of the future and we will have a worthy opposition ready to take over after the Gonzi Govt. Labour party should get rid of people with Victors mentality if it wants to ever the seat of pover again.

Charles.j,Schembri (on 20/3/08)

Oh yes mr.anthony briffa we have come to terms with the lose of the election. but I have a few points to make...yes it is a slim majority, as was ours in the 90's which I am sure you said so at the time...and if gonzi's government is a legitimate one so was in the 1981 to 1987, when the constitution was so that a number of chairs and not ion percentage, and these were agree by both sets of MP's..so please don't tell us about being fair or against the wishes of the people. and perhaps you would like to clarified what you mean by not finding everyday essentials...like Cadbury chocolate....alight me please. Talking about being positive and showing it at parliament...have you forgotten that under EFA you all boycott Parliament......truly you guys on the PN know how to make things up.......

Charles.j,Schembri (on 20/3/08)

john fenech please note what you wrote quote.....that the opposition should blackmail the government, or act in an obstructive manner so as either to obstruct it from doing it’s duty or else force it to resign!.....Minority of one seat, disgruntled ex-ministers and pairing. Are these the tools that the opposition should use to provide a sterling service to the Nation?....have you forgotten way back in 90s...when labour had one seat majority....two weights two measures

john fenech (on 20/3/08)

Accidents do happen and so an insignificant accident is causing you a major trauma. But of grave importance is what you are suggesting:
“The MLP, once it has set its house in order and chosen its new leader, will realise its own strength. It represents fully half the Maltese population and in Parliament it will be in a minority of only one seat - in a scenario where several disgruntled ex-ministers are already making their displeasure felt. It will have the right and the strength to be heard and to demand fair treatment for all sectors of Maltese society. And it will have the tools to do it, not least being the pairing agreement which is as vital to a government with a majority as slim as the one the PN has.” These are your words!
From the above one might conclude that you are suggesting that the opposition should blackmail the government, or act in an obstructive manner so as either to obstruct it from doing it’s duty or else force it to resign!.....Minority of one seat, disgruntled ex-ministers and pairing. Are these the tools that the opposition should use to provide a sterling service to the Nation?
It's people like you who give a bad image to your party And with your like it will lose strength with those who count most.....the middle voters.
Let’s hope that until June the MLP will decide to choose a leader who can steer them away from such obstructive & destructive thinking. He will guide the MLP in opposition to act responsibly and constructively so as to keep the government on the straight and narrow to the benefit of the Nation. And the next time round it will gain the trust of the electorate and be considered as a credible contender to govern.

anthony Briffa (on 20/3/08)

It seems that Mr. Laiveira has not reconciled himself with the fact that the MLP lost the general election and that it has to spend the next five years yet again on the opposition seats. He talks about a slim majority, which irrespective of its magnitude, makes Dr. Gonzi’s government a legitimate one, and conveniently forgets that in 1981 to 1987 the MLP governed with impunity against the wishes of the majority of the electorate. Just as a small reminder, during those years, the Maltese people, both reds and blues, had to go through a serious of humiliations from finding everyday’s essentials to employment. Mr. Laiviera is also forgetting that one of the main reasons for the MLP’s defeat was its negative attitude during the last five years, which culminated in the most negative electoral campaign ever followed by any party in the Maltese electoral history. If the MLP wants to make itself credible and electable during the next five years, then it has to start being positive and the only place where to show it is in parliament. Anything less than this will ensure another PN victory in the next election, whenever it is called.

Tommy Vella (on 20/3/08)

The "numerical accident that is almost insignificant in statistical terms" has returned the PN to Power for the third time in succession.

A. Vella (on 20/3/08)

Whilst an outsider could not agree more with what Mr. Laiviera is stating in the last sentences, all of us know how dishonest he is being.
May I remind you Victor, that one of the most prominent ‘weapons’ of the MLP in the electoral campaign was the manipulation of the examination carried out by the government on the health sector, a very responsible move that was needed to ensure the viability and continuous improvement of our health system.
The very immature opposition decided to spin this into a certainty that health will no longer be state provided, and you Victor were amongst the many ‘correspondents’ persisting on this spin. So, how do you expect us to believe that the same party will co-operate with the government, when it cheated people on such a sensitive issue? Although, I would suggest waiting and seeing what kind of regenerated opposition the MLP delegates and the elite are going to opt for.
However, if the new MLP will show slight similarities to the past ones, implementing what Mr. Laiveira is suggesting would only result in stagnation and unnecessary moments of instability that would eventually lead to an early election, which is what Mr. Laiveira and co. are truly fishing for, regardless of how destabilising it will prove to be for our country.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Saturday, October 11, 2008. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

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