Tomorrow marks the official opening of a long (too long) eight-week electoral campaign that will climax on the weekend of March 9 with the election of a new Government.
All the country’s leaders have appealed for a clean campaign in the spirit of so-called national unity. President George Abela urged political parties to include a chapter on civil society in their electoral manifestos. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi stressed the importance of respect. Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said March 10 should be a day like any other.
All well and good, were it not for the fact that many took the messages with a pinch of salt. And judging by the warning signs, sceptics cannot really be blamed.
The two main parties agreed to a Christmas truce of sorts but the campaigning and insults in the partisan media have not let up – to the extent that many voters have already had enough.
Labour’s strategic mistake of sending Franco Debono on Xarabank, the Prime Minister’s carefully-staged photo opportunities, Anġlu Farrugia’s surprise resignation as PL deputy leader, and the two parties’ histrionics every time the State broadcaster airs a political programme was enough to put any moderate voter off.
While most electoral campaigns naturally degenerate into mudslinging and below-the-belt tactics, strategists on both sides should take a minute to consider cutting down on the vitriol and instead base their campaign on promoting their policies to prove they have the right to govern.
The nature of campaigning cannot turn gentlemanly overnight, but there are certain outdated electoral regulations which can be changed from one day to the next. Though for their own different reasons, the two main political parties seem to have every interest in retaining the status quo.
For example, Maltese living overseas will still have to show up in person at the polling station in their home country rather than have the facility to vote through systems long adopted by democratic countries.
A petition has now even been launched suggesting various options to change the current system. Unfortunately, many of the signatories know they are fighting a losing battle and will be forced to catch a flight (probably at give-away prices at the expense of the taxpayer) to cast their vote.
Meanwhile, court applications have been filed to strike people off the electoral register, most of whom are Maltese residing abroad.
In a clear breach of privacy, Malta must be one of the few democratic countries where parties will know through their agents the names of who voted and who has not, as well as their efforts on election day to harass voters to go to the polling booths.
This is not to mention the unnecessary restrictions imposed at polling booths and the surroundings, with voters treated like schoolchildren being marched to their classes.
It is also high time to start counting votes at the same polling stations, thus cutting down on waiting time and the usual tension.
Meanwhile, the print and broadcasting media are still being discriminated against through an outdated law which did not contemplate the internet.
Campaigning has to stop around 36 hours before polling day for an overly restrictive ‘day of reflection’, which is so stringent it does not even allow newspapers to report the previous day’s mass meetings. Yet various websites and blogs will continue unabated.
There was, as usual, more than enough time to amend the electoral laws to bring simple changes into force, but both parties, for their own partisan interests, were too busy pointing fingers at each other rather than effecting some welcome changes.