Marisa Micallef
What Labour needs to win election
Six months before the last general election I had a sample of 25 people, former PN voters including myself, from different circles, groups and cliques who said they were not going to vote for the PN. Some declared they would vote Labour, some, like myself, that they would not vote, and one who was saying he would vote AD.
Although many of these came from a very broad definition of the Maltese and Gozitan PN-voting middle class, some did not, and some came from what were once Labour families but who, long ago, since 1987, broadly speaking, had not voted Labour. Had these numbers stuck to their declarations, Labour would have had a good majority in 2008. Instead, with Alfred Sant unfortunately ailing and still leading, most did not and on the day voted PN and have, of course, lived to regret it ever since.
Coming and going between Malta and London as I have for the last two years I have been struck by the changing waves of sentiment. There was enormous anti-government feeling six months before the last election, yet clever campaigning and the crowning of the PN leader as king, metaphorically speaking, of course, changed all that to almost excitement and anticipation that Lawrence Gonzi would now be his own man and the excesses of the old PN-cum-Eddie Fenech Adami days were behind us.
There is now, post Baħrija and Renzo Piano, the disproportionate water and electricity bills, and the VAT fraudsters let off, huge disillusion, palpable disappointment and more but many still feel stuck.
The new Labour Party (PL) leader obviously now puts Labour in a much better position, where electability is within reach. However, it is still a challenge for the new PL leader to overcome the anti-Labour psychological mindset that has become ingrained in us over the years. A huge part of this challenge is that so many of our most educated and talented people are now part of the PN, whether formally or not. They may work for the government directly or have consultancies. They have really only known a PN Administration. They barely know any strong Labour supporters from their own circle of friends and families.
Yet, I think most of us would agree that one cannot live in a democracy where there is no alternation of power. When one does, administrations get worse and worse as has happened here. They don't have the chance to refresh themselves; don't have any motivation to.
So people moan but some are still apprehensive about voting for the PL.
If people really want change, and, of course, want change for the better and not change for its sake alone, the way forward will now have to be for Malta's middle classes to start talking to the PL so it can reflect them better too. After all it is often thankfully not elected reps who run countries but business interests as well as those they put in charge, running authorities, departments, parastatal companies and the like, as well as all those experts government ministers can call on to help when the need arises. Clearly for there to be a successful alternative, the PL needs to attract people with experience who, very understandably and from bitter experience, no longer have faith in the PN's way of running everything for the few by the few.
That will be the PL's greatest challenge over the coming three to four years. Not only and not so simply winning an election. Even that will not be as easy as it seems now as the PN in government still has the power to dish out contracts, jobs, housing et al, as well as bringing so many in to vote from abroad, which clinched it in 2008.
But winning well and governing even better, with a team of people who are capable of giving this island what it deserves, a group of people to run it in the interests of this country, or at least of more of it, and not of a tiny, tiny clique who have eaten all of the cake all of the time and have royally thrown crumbs at crowds to fool us most of the time.
The PL needs not only to attract new young voters but also very importantly in view of the large proportion of over 40 voters, to attract back more mature and experienced people, like some of the ones it fielded at the last Euro elections. How many will dare do it with this current Administration, with its small army of rottweillers that belittle anyone who opposes it? Anyone who doesn't yet know what I mean should follow some of the online attacks on Astrid Vella and Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar. This really has become an Administration that will brook no criticism.
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Mariella Camilleri
Sep 21st 2009, 13:05
@Mr Micallef. You too need a lesson or two in statistics especially in sampling. Don't embarrass Ms Micallef further, she's very capable of doing so on her own.
V Battistino
Sep 21st 2009, 11:14
"......I had a sample of 25 people, former PN voters including myself, from different circles, groups and cliques who said they were not going to vote for the PN. .......Had these numbers stuck to their declarations, Labour would have had a good majority in 2008......... yet clever campaigning and the crowning of the PN leader as king, metaphorically speaking, of course, changed all that ......" Well, Ms.Micallef, you might have chosen the wrong people, or they took you for a ride or they were not so representatives of the electoral mindset or maybe your to and fro between Malta and London left you cut away from the reality......you see by your admittance, your 'sample survey' does not reflect the truth and for me therefore its worthless - let alone your suggestions and/or advice to the PL leadership to win the election ! and by the way, how many of your past critics and mud slingers within the PL are not still within the PL ? Is this the new face of Labour that you like ? the same Fenech Adami and Gonzi you critise today were not the same ones who appointed you ?
V.Micallef
Sep 20th 2009, 15:13
Mr Psaila, multiply those 25 by 1000 and you will be nearer to the truth of the statistics at play.
Andrew Pisani
Sep 19th 2009, 11:10
Ms Micallef writes as though the 25 people she spoke to are representative of the Maltese voting population and bases her article on this false assumption. This makes the article worthless.
marisa micallef
Sep 19th 2009, 00:29
mr zahra please get your facts right
i was in the middle of a four year contract as executive chair, in 2008 i did not need to be reappointed. and i chose to leave
V.Micallef
Sep 18th 2009, 19:58
Excellent article, Ms Micallef. I'm sure the new Labour leader is all ears. Just dont' notice, or pretend not to, when certain bloggers come hounding after you. They are already seeing in you an anti-GonziPN wave that can only get bigger and bigger. The fact that serious people like Mr Jo Said, Mr Cunningham et al have subscribed to your arguments is sure proof that your arguments are sound and should be heeded by the new Labour leadership. On the other hand, you must expect countless and unjust attacks from GonziPN. One does not have to point out the elves that will be marching out to hit at you. Yet I am sure you are not scared by their antics. They do not sign their names because they have a lot to cover up for. Like consultancies and perks of all kinds that we need not mention here but which will come to the surface once election fever sets in again, perhaps in the proximate future.
A. Zahra
Sep 18th 2009, 19:54
The lady, THE former chairperson of the Housing Authority, seems to have an axe to grind. Could it be becase she was not re-appointed to the Chairmanship?
G Cauchi
Sep 18th 2009, 19:53
@A Vella Is that all you found wrong with MsMicallef's argument? just the et al mistake?
A.Calleja
Sep 18th 2009, 17:39
PL already missed one boat when they didn't elect Dr. George Abela as Leader. Up to now Labour is still unelectable.
David Dandria
Sep 18th 2009, 17:12
What's French got to do, got to do with it? (apologies to Tina Turner et al.). It's Latin!
c. camilleri
Sep 18th 2009, 16:56
Marisa was your vote to the PN conditioned to the post of Chairperson of the Housing Authority?
Jo Said
Sep 18th 2009, 16:52
Spot on, Ms Micallef ... I fully concur with your views.
N.Calleja
Sep 18th 2009, 16:37
Ther's no doubt that Marisa Micallef has an axe to grind against the PN. She seems to know how the PN works. Now she 's hoping for the wind of change! Who know's why eh!!
R. Atkins
Sep 18th 2009, 16:30
Are you for real Mr Borg? By what you quote you confrim that Mr Martinelli and A. Vella are right. Et al means and other people and Ms Micallef used it wrong when she wrote "...dish out contracts, jobs, housing et al..." when what she meant was 'etc.' Hu pacenzja and read the thesaurus entry again Mr Borg.
Paul Borg
Sep 18th 2009, 16:15
@A (Antoine?) Vella:
Your picking on Marisa Micallef's English & French is as pathetic as it is incorrect.See the Thesaurus:
et al. - and others ('et al.' is used as an abbreviation of `et alii' (masculine plural) or `et aliae' (feminine plural) or `et alia' (neuter plural) when referring to a number of people); "the data reported by Smith et al."
In your words "someone teach this woman something" I read the strong message, "Teach this woman to shut up". Of course there is nothing more damaging to a party than public criticism from someone in the party, or who used to be part of the party.
That's why Ms Micallef gets gunned down by Martinelli and the Bidnija Blogger.
If the PN listened a bit more to criticism from people like Marisa Micallef, it would be in a much better place then it is today.
A. Vella
Sep 18th 2009, 15:55
@ R.Galea
You are right. Not only must someone teach this woman something about statistics, she must also be taught some English and French for that matter. See how she uses "et al' wrongly.
J Martinelli
Sep 18th 2009, 15:04
@ Marisa Micallef
"....Even that will not be as easy as it seems now as the PN in government still has the power to dish out contracts, jobs, housing et al, as well as bringing so many in to vote from abroad, which clinched it in 2008".
Governments of any political stripe dish out contracts - create jobs. Housing et al? What's that? (et al = 'and others') Bringing voters from abroad - are you implying that only Nationalists were brought in from abroad?
One important element you forgot to mention is the element of TRUST. A new leader does not automatically induce trust in a voter since that leader heads a party with a history and the MLP's past record is not one which a voter would hope of experiencing again.
There is nothing new about the Labour Party, only a cosmetic change in name. It has no desire to let loose of the past, so much so, that the 'new' leader chose to bring back elements of the disastrous administrations of thirty years ago!
Some new beginning!
Albert Gauci Cunningham
Sep 18th 2009, 14:43
Excellent article
D Gauci
Sep 18th 2009, 13:25
It seems that the Labour Party has changed a lot, to the better I say, with Dr Muscat as leader. I feel that I can trust the PL with my vote now more than ever. I guess you would classify me as a middle-class voter, I work in the private sector and my family is not a traditional labour family. I voted Labour last June, my family as well for the first time, and I don't regret giving Prof Scicluna the no.1 as he's doing a very good job in Brussels, or so I heard from reliable sources. Joseph Muscat is much more credible than his predecessor, he acknowledges the good things of the PN and when he criticizes the administration he gives his proposals. This is what I was waiting for, I hope the Labour gets to govern my country as soon as possible.
Gordon Azzopardi
Sep 18th 2009, 11:07
This is a very good quality article indeed.
I would add to Marisa Micallef's list the all-important requisite of honesty. In practice, and by way of example, this means that rather than saying that PL expects a good budget since things are going well, it should say that since the PN have said that things are going well, it would say that although if we were doing well, one would expect a good budget, we honestly know we're not doing well at all and therefore do not expect anything good out of the budget.
This is the level of political maturity that PL has to show if it wants my vote in the next elections. As for the PN, there is no way in hell that I will vote for them again any time soon.
R. Galea
Sep 18th 2009, 11:07
"had these numbers stuck to their declarations Labour would have had a good majority in 2008"
Ms Micallef speaks as though the 25 people she spoke to are representative of the Maltese voting population. Maybe someone should teach her something about statistics. The Labour Party is doing fine and doesn't need this kind of embarrassment. Thank you very much.