It is now completely up to you

The din of the election campaign falls silent tomorrow night and, on Saturday, it will be over to you to decide.

Although Saturday's is not a general election, this European Parliament election campaign has been valiantly fought by all sides. And the effort to reach out to voters was far stronger than the non-campaign that we had five years ago at the first round of voting for Maltese MEPs. That is a tribute to our strong democracy and may the best team win.

But will the best team win?

Opinion polls have consistently predicted that on Saturday the election is likely to be decided by an army of non-voters who will stay at home. They also predicted that the Labour Party (PL) will win three out of five seats and, possibly, even four out of six. And, finally, they have also predicted a safe seat for yours truly.

There are three concerns that I have with these polls.

The first relates to non-voters. It is clear that those who will stay away from the polling station will reward the PL directly. One vote less for the Nationalist Party (PN) means one vote more for the PL.

You might consider not voting simply because you think that this election is not important. But it is.

You might not have an EU issue today. But what if you will tomorrow? Who will you turn to if you want someone to stick up for your EU rights? Who can you rely on to voice your concerns on immigration? Who can you trust to make sure that EU laws - which make for 80 per cent of all new laws that bind you - duly reflect your interests when they are still being drawn up in Brussels? And who can help you make the best of EU membership, whether on your rights as a citizen, as a consumer or your job or your business?

This is what Saturday's election is all about. It's about issues that concern you. This is why it is important and why your vote is important for its outcome.

The second relates to the PL's lead in the polls. This might be fuelled by those who want to cast a protest vote against the government as - let it be clear - they are entitled to. Let's face it, casting a protest vote in elections that are not general elections seems to have become a trend.

You might wish to protest because you feel that the government has not yet delivered. Or because you were not given what you feel is rightfully yours. Or because of the electricity bills that have gone up to reflect spiralling fuel prices.

They might all be legitimate reasons. But are they strong enough to give up your right to choose for yourself the best people to represent you in Europe?

Statistics published in The Sunday Times established beyond doubt that, with just two out of five, Nationalist MEPs outperformed Labour MEPs by far. On all counts.

Just think about it. If two Nationalist MEPs delivered more than three Labour MEPs put together, how much more can we achieve if, from next Saturday, we are three rather than two?

Malta has just five MEPs, hopefully soon to be six, out of a staggering total of 750. With a top team we can, nevertheless, influence things. But we do not have the luxury to get it wrong. And that responsibility lies on all of us, including you.

Thirdly, the polls predicted a safe seat for me.

If you ask me, this prediction is far too categorical for comfort. The idea that "Simon will certainly be re-elected" might make for a complacency that I have never harboured. Far from it.

On Saturday, we all start from zero and there is only one way for candidates to be elected and that is by getting votes. And a lot of them too, given that last time round candidates needed a staggering 41,000 votes to be elected, yes, that is thousand, not hundred. That means that you need people to go out and vote and you need people to vote for you. There is no other way of getting there.

I cannot, and I do not, take anything for granted. But if you think that I have served you well as your representative, nor should you.

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.

www.simonbusuttil.eu