Many might doubt my objectivity in choosing the above title, yet this is a quote from a report that appeared on The Sunday Times on November 4 relating to the performance of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition during the debate on Xarabank. In fact, the factor that reigned in the debate was exactly this, that the Leader of the Opposition’s approach is that of a moderate and safe alternative government for our country.
Joseph Muscat emphasised the need of a smooth transition if the Labour Party is eventually entrusted to administer the country in a few months’ time and on endeavouring to a process of continuation of policies in sectors where the country is performing fairly well.
One concrete example is the financial services and education sectors where he said that the present Administration is investing heavily.
This is positive politics, evidently in contrast with the negative politics of ‘attacking mode’ adopted by the Prime Minister who chose a paternalistic approach towards Muscat.
I would have expected the moderator of Xarabank – Peppi Azzopardi – to ask more direct questions to the Prime Minister about the present parliamentary majority (or minority?).
Instead, he thought it more appropriate to remind the public about a book which the Leader of the Opposition wrote nearly 20 years ago rather than quizzing the Prime Minister about (1) the resignation of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in July 2012, (2) the ban of three Nationalist MPs in August 2012 and (3) the declaration by Franco Debono that he will not support the Government in the Budget vote, among many other declarations and divides within GonziPN.
Instead, the Prime Minister challenged the Leader of the Opposition to publish his party’s proposals. Certainly, Xarabank is not the ideal place to announce technical proposals regarding the utility bills. The Prime Minister was evasive on the contents and details of the forthcoming Budget and was generic with regard to the date when the Budget will be presented, in a few weeks’ time, hopefully.
The electorate must keep in mind that, given the internal strife and problems within the Nationalist Party, the political parties have been gearing up for an election for the past year. The electoral campaign has not officially started yet and nobody, including the Leader of Opposition, has any idea when the election will be held except, that is, the Prime Minister.
Thus, why should the Leader of Opposition be expected to unveil his party’s proposals or, better still, explain them and beef them up with details when the Nationalist Party itself has not published its own electoral manifesto yet?
The Leader of the Opposition has already declared, and repeated time and time again that, once in government, the utility rates will be reduced. Details will be unveiled in due course, definitely once the electoral campaign starts officially. Until such time, the electorate is rightly seeking that the present Administration fulfils what was promised in the 2008 electoral campaign, such as the major promise of the revision of tax bands.
The Prime Minister was also deceitful in his delivery when, at the start of the debate, he mentioned a Brazilian international company which, he said, has been operating in Malta for over a year and which had invested millions of euros in our country.
The truth about the Brazilian company, Odebrecht, as confirmed by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech only a week after the Prime Minister’s declaration, is that it ceased its operations, has shut down and is in the process of leaving Malta.
Do GonziPN strategists believe that the electorate can be fooled so easily? The truth about the Brazilian company ultimately surfaced and only weakened or defeated the Prime Ministers’ credibility.
The Prime Minister appeared out of synch with the sentiments of the Maltese families when he produced a utility bill with a zero balance due. Personally, I meet many families during my home visits in the eighth and 11th district and the bill produced by the Prime Minister does not mirror at all the reality of the Maltese households and of many businesses that also end up with cash flow problems due to such high utility bills.
I believe the electorate deserves a much better, stronger and unified party in government for the good of the country.
The Leader of the Opposition adopted a forward-looking approach to politics, which I believe is definitely the way forward. The country must not be stuck in the past for that will only lead to further extreme polarisation in the country. The Leader of the Opposition emerged as a valid, dynamic, competent, modern and safe alternative to the current Prime Minister with a forward-looking approach ready to run a modern country aspiring to head the European Union in the year 2017.
Edward Zammit Lewis is a Labour Party candidate.