The more Joseph Muscat appears in public, Labour supporters’ hearts sink further. As the gloss begins to wear off, even the most diehard of Labourites are realising that, for the umpteenth time, they have made the wrong choice in their selection of leadership.

After his recent appearances on television, to discuss the Budget and in a debate with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, they have started to realise that flamboyancy and the Americanisms he tried to copy in his style will not win elections and that, contrary to the image of himself he tried to portray in the past, Dr Muscat quickly resorts to arrogance when cornered. Even the most convinced Socialists are now getting to terms with the fact that, maybe, Dr Muscat bit off more than he could chew and that his personal ambition is the perfect recipe for yet another term on the opposition benches.

Every democratic country needs a strong opposition to keep the government in check but, unfortunately, our opposition is ready to resort to any kind of tactic not for the sake of the country’s growth but to gain power. The hunger for power has become an obsession for the Partit Laburista but, perhaps more dangerously, it has become a fixation for Dr Muscat. The thought of losing the general election has become a nightmare for him as it will blemish his curriculum vitae.

We had hoped Dr Muscat’s leadership would kick-start the beginning of a new era in Maltese politics. We had hoped his speeches advocating a modern and progressive movement for all the Maltese would indeed materialise and that, for once, the words dialogue and cooperation would find themselves in the PL’s dictionary. Unfortunately, we hoped in vain.

Labour are being led by a person that inherited the arrogance of Dom Mintoff, the lack of conviction of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and the stubbornness of Alfred Sant together with a huge dose of self ambition that will lead the PL nowhere.

On the other hand, we have an Administration that has put words into action, an Administration that sometimes had to make difficult decisions for the good of the country. Sometimes, the only option was the hard way but we now know it was also the right way because, whereas other countries are still struggling to come to terms with the new financial and economic realities, we, on the other hand, have weathered the storm and are now on the way to a speedy recovery. Rev. Theodore Hesburgh once said that “you don’t make decisions because they are cheap; you make them because they’re right”. This phrase, in my opinion, epitomises the Nationalist leadership of the last two decades or so.

Over the past weeks, Malta’s notable progress in the economic sector has been mentioned more than once by the international media, mainly for being one of the only two EU member states that recorded any economic increase during the past year. Yet again, Dr Muscat tactfully chose to ignore this and instead opted to speak of Malta as if it were on the brink of disaster. Amazingly, he was also the only person in the whole of Europe that criticised the Bloomberg report.

The Nationalist Administration has managed to build a society based on work, on investment and on promoting a better way of life. This Administration has invested heavily in education so that every person has the tools and the opportunity to succeed in life. It has managed to instil hope and trust while Labour still choose to instil fear and uncertainty.

Dr Gonzi has placed his trust in our country; he believes in its potential and believes in the capabilities of each and every individual. He has made each and every one of us a contributor to a better society, each with his own skill and in his own capacity. He has managed to put partisan politics aside for the whole country to benefit. On the other hand, Dr Muscat has, unfortunately, put his personal interests before the interests of the country. Indeed, he has put his personal ambition higher on the agenda than the political growth and rehabilitation of the PL. For Dr Muscat, the PL is nothing more than a tool to achieve his lifelong goals. Our country deserves more from the Opposition leader. Indeed, I think even the PL deserved a better deal!

The author is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.