An "intelligent electorate" has sent the government a clear message, calling on it to be more sensitive, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi admitted yesterday.
Speaking in the wake of the second consecutive electoral defeat for his party, at the local council elections, he described the earlier failure in the MEP elections as holding "important significance" for the government.
The government, he said, needed to be more sensitive to what people were feeling. Moreover, the result of the European Parliament elections was linked to the "harsh" reforms that the government had introduced in the first year of legislature, including the increased water and electricity tariffs.
"The electorate is becoming more mature as time goes by and this is a good sign for the country," he said, adding that people were making a clear distinction between general and local elections and taking decisions on whom to vote for according to the election.
After a poor showing in the MEP polls, the PN saw a slight improvement in the local council elections, held on the same day, and regained control of three councils - San Ġwann, Pieta and Mtarfa. Although the PL won a majority in the local council elections, the Nationalist Party increased its votes by one per cent over three years ago when, in Dr Gonzi's words, the world was not facing a financial crisis.
He said this was not a case of the electorate sending mixed messages. "We have an intelligent electorate who has made a choice," he said, adding that the electorate had sent a clear message in favour of the concept of local councils.
Speaking during a televised press conference yesterday morning in the presence PN's elected councillors, the Prime Minister said the two electoral results mirrored what happened last year when his party won the general election but the Labour Party fared better in local councils.
Dr Gonzi described councillors, including those of other parties, as important government partners.
He said local councils had worked well over the past 15 years, irrespective of their political leaning. But his reconciliatory tone quickly shifted when he accused Labour leader Joseph Muscat of hypocrisy for changing his stand on important issues.
In an interview published in yesterday's The Sunday Times, Dr Muscat refused to commit to future price reductions in water and electricity bills should he be elected to power. Criticism of the increased tariffs took centre stage in the PL's EP electoral campaign.
"Now that the elections are over he (Dr Muscat) is saying that he cannot give any guarantees," Dr Gonzi said. "He spoke one way before the election and is now saying something else. This is hypocrisy."
The Prime Minister did admit, however, that his government could have conducted the necessary reform better.
He also lashed out at Dr Muscat for "abusing the national sentiment" on illegal immigration, calling it the "biggest disappointment" of the campaign. He added that former Labour leader Alfred Sant had never taken such a stance.
He said Dr Muscat had cast a shadow on an issue which should have been targeted through a national policy based on "values". He voiced his belief that now that the elections were over, Dr Muscat would change his stand and return as an Opposition leader who embraced moral values.