Labour’s opportunism and political hype
Grinning like a Cheshire cat after the Labour Party successfully brought down a minister and an ambassador, with the help of three disgruntled Nationalist MPs, Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat may think that the Premiership is already in his pocket. He and his colleagues in the party, which they once loved to call socialist but which they now want to rehabilitate by constantly referring to it as a movement, may well feel it is next to impossible now to wrench victory away from them when the Nationalist Party is in such disarray.
But what seems to be impossible at this point in time may well turn out to be quite possible, the more so if, despite all that has happened over the past weeks, the Labour Party remains as unconvincing as its leader is projecting it to be.
True, the knock the Nationalists have received through the political unbecoming behaviour of three of its MPs is hard and may even translate in loss of votes. However, the crude manner in which they have acted and the equally crude way the Labour Party used them in its bid to trip up the government may very well have a diametrically opposite effect to that which the Labour Party believes.
In other words, the uncommitted voters – ultimately that segment of the electorate that truly decides which of the two parties is going to make it to Castille – may well read through the sheer political opportunism displayed by the party and the politically selfish manner in which the three Nationalist MPs acted and back the party that has shown that it can well steer the island’s economy in the right direction.
Today’s Labour – insofar as it can be called “today’s”, considering the number of veteran members who formed part of the socialist movement that had done so much damage to the island’s social and economic fabric – have nothing to show for their leader’s hype about their presumed ability to solve all of Malta’s economic problems.
On the contrary, the more they talk about what they plan to do, the more they show how flimsy their ideas are. Take, for instance, Dr Muscat’s commitment that a Labour Party in government would not raise the retirement age. Never mind his remark that he does not believe the Nationalist Party when it says that it, too, would not raise the retirement age if re-elected. What jars is his absolute statement that economic growth, coupled with increased female workforce participation, would make raising the retirement age unnecessary.
He speaks here as if he has the secret to ensuring economic growth and increased worker participation when, in fact, it looks like the party only has airy-fairy ideas to offer.
Why should the electorate take his word for it? Does the party know of a formula that guarantees growth that all the rest of the European countries are unaware of?
This is now getting a bit hilarious. In fact, considering all the recommendations that have been made for Malta to ensure the sustainability of its pensions system, even the government would have to fully explain the stand it is now taking against the recommendation made by the European Commission to raise the retirement age further.
Dr Muscat told his audience last Sunday that the next government would face some of this country’s greatest-ever economic and social challenges. Facing up to those challenges, he said, would require a united population, working together. What is stopping the Labour leader from promoting such a spirit of cooperation right now?
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Emanuel Farrugia
Jun 29th 2012, 12:25
Nationalist opportunism and political hype. I think it fits too. Because the political hype that is going on in the Nationalist Party is nobody's business. I do not know how GonziPN has the gall to defy everybody, friend and foe alike, and not call a General Election, when he seems to be walking on a tightrope. He must be afraid that he has lost the 2008, 1,500 votes advantage and that must be one of the reasons why he wants Dr. Franco Debono as a candidate.
A. Mizzi
Jun 27th 2012, 20:58
What is stopping the Labour leader from promoting such a spirit of cooperation right now?
Easy one - GONZIPN, !
victor caruana
Jun 27th 2012, 15:04
bla............bla..............bla
Mr leo attard
Jun 27th 2012, 14:37
sorry, the fact remains that party members within the PN are not JUST PROVIDING CRACKS within the system, but are EXPOSING already existing ones. what this editorial is not considering is the hurt that people are feeling. dont take my word for it, take those of the PM himself after the council elections results and the PM spoke of having hurt many and the need to bring them back within the fold (the visit the kitchen strategy). come to gozo and you'll hear people cursing left and right at the unbelievable insensitivity to the people in the roads reconstruction. The Times doesnt always print the complaints of the citizens, but the truth is out there. what eventually brings down a government is a general sense of dissatisfaction.... JPO and franco and mugliett's behaviour are just more straws to a camel's already broken back
John Saliba
Jun 27th 2012, 11:44
"Why should the electorate take his word for it ?"
Because Dr Muscat has never reneged on his words. In 2008 GonziPN gave his word to the Airmalta and Dockyard people that as long as he is PM, their jobs were safe; he pledged his honour as PM that he would reduce Income Tax; he promised that he considers the utility services in the same realm of social services so he would never allow price hikes in the sector and as soon as he re-entered Castile, he trebled costs and regaled himself to a hefty 600 euro per week pay rise; he promised unity and gave us division; he promised Heaven and gave us hell.
It takes some cheek for the pro-Gonzi writer to ask such a ridiculous question. All the same many more answers are being given him by the rebel PN parliamentarians. They have taken off the lid from a Nats can of worms and the spectacle is turning the stomachs of even the most hardened supporters of the regime. Just wait for the election results my dear Editor and you'll be even more surprised than your fallen idol. In 2008, he managed to squeeze a relative majority of 1500 votes which made it impossible for him to govern. This time he'll be definitely thrashed.
Gianninu Saliba
Jun 27th 2012, 15:32
I'm so sorry that your name is very similar to mine. How dare you say that Dr. Muscat has never renegaded on his words? What did he do about his anti EU membership? Yes, he went against his word. What did he do about Malta's PfP participation before the last General Elections? Yes, he was against. What does he say now? Yes, he is in favour. What did he used to say about Malta joining the Euro? He was against, but now he does not complain one bit. What did he used to say about VAT? He was against it, but now he accepts it. What did he used to say about the privatization of the dockyard? He was against it, but now he stays numb. How proud he used to be waving the Malta Labour Party flag... but now he is so embarrassed when somebody waves it. The same goes for the Malta Labour Party name and of course its past. Let's be honest, who blames him for changing the name, the flag and wanting to change history. No wonder he even wears blue ties now. He knows that blue stands for democracy, prosperity, honesty, justice and growth. Blue represents the PN with Dr. Gonzi at its helm.
Albert Farrugia
Jun 27th 2012, 11:13
What exactly is the point here? Yes of course, the Labour Party just can't wait to get into government. For it is a political party. And it exists so that it can implement policies. I think that it is only in Malta that a political party's aspiration to be in government is held against it! After all, in our system, the Opposition is there as an alternative government, ready to take the reins of the country at a moment's notice. The Labour Party exposed deep divisions in the Government party, the party that has the duty to provide stability but which plainly cannot. Are we here expecting the Labour Party to actually HELP the PN to hide its divisions and so go on consolidating and welding itself to the seat of power for ever? I would have expected better from those who profess to teach us the fundamentals of democracy. In a democracy "working together" does not mean that the opposition helps the government. The government, by definition, should be stable itself. If it cannot offer stability, it should simply turn to the people, and ask for confirmation. Yes, as you say, there is nothing which guarantees that Labour would be in government after the next election. Dr Gonzi might very well be confirmed, maybe with a bigger majority and without the shackles he is presently bound with. So what is preventing him from taking the necessary steps to guarantee the proper workings of democracy?
Francis Sammut
Jun 27th 2012, 12:29
I am one of those 'uncommitted voters' and I agree 100% with Mr. A. Fenech. When the time comes for me to vote, it won't be on how politically selfish a manner the 3 PN MP's acted. Rather, it would be on how the Prime Minister acted, vis-a-vis towards us mere mortals. To mind comes the new Parliament building and the theatre without a roof. Did the man even try to hear us out, then? No siree! In my book his arrogance surpasses that of E. Fenech Adami and Dom Mintoff's, albeit subtly, very subtly! Beware of the man with the ever 'subtle smile', I'd say.
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