Rational choice theory perceives the political system as an extension of the marketplace. Citizens exchange votes for benefits. All political players, be they politicians, civil servants, interest groups or individuals, are driven by their own interests and seek to maximise the ‘utility’ (value) of the benefits they obtain from the State.
There should be more to politics than playing snakes and ladders- Joseph Vella Bonnici
Likeq the economy in general, there exists the danger that ‘powerful’ players usurp the system for their own gain, thereby undermining its efficiency and the ‘common good’. This weakens democracy and can lead to political instability.
That in European Malta not every citizen is considered as equal is a fact that many of us have been experiencing. What is equally grave is that, over the last year, PN insiders have been insisting that GonziPN is being commandeered by a powerful few. The only interest of this ‘oligarchy’ is to stay in power to further their interests.
Corruption in our country is rampant and getting worse, as confirmed by Transparency International. Never before was corruption so ‘institutionalised’ but this no longer seems to bother our leaders.
Why has GonziPN not tried to rebut these serious accusations?
Perhaps, it is not in the public interest to know how this country has been run over the last five years. What matters is to shift debate elsewhere, gloss over things by promising a secure future and hope for the best. This is not good enough.
GonziPN is much more than a marketing exercise gone wrong. Has anyone assumed responsibility for this state of affairs or for the political instability of the last 15 months?
It is said that all is fair in love and politics. Is this the style of politics we want? Have the people forgotten about the John Dalli saga and how he was banished from Cabinet, only to be rehabilitated by GonziPN on the eve of the 2008 election? Now, he has been conveniently silenced.
This time round, it is the turn of the ‘three rebels’ who were not allowed to contest the general election because they antagonised the oligarchy.
There should be more to politics than playing snakes and ladders. If all that went wrong in Malta was due to the international situation, as GonziPN consistently tries to make us believe, why was it necessary to get a new deputy leader?
In what way was Tonio Borg not fit for the job? Was it because of him that the party and the country were not in ‘safe hands’? Was it he who proposed to hold the divorce referendum and then vote against the people’s will?
Who was responsible for giving GonziPN’s ministers a princely €500 weekly increase at a time when many families could not even afford to make ends meet?
Who promised us that Malta’s finances were secure, sold all the country’s silver and indebted it to the tune of 90 per cent of GDP (including direct and government-guaranteed debt)?
If our country’s financial position was so secure why was GonziPN unable to deliver its electoral promise to reduce income tax?
Maybe we will be given some explanations in GonziPN’s next electoral programme.
GonziPN’s new strategy is to go double. Now it is saying that not only are our finances secure but our future as well. We also have two pairs of safe hands and two smiling faces looking at the heavens for inspiration. Still, we do not know who will be in charge after the next general election.
What is sure is that Lawrence Gonzi is coming across as being fed up with politics. Recently, he has been making one gaffe after another; the major investment from Brazil, the $150 price tag for a barrel of oil, the no-tax on minimum wage and the legal impossibility of bringing the next local council elections forward.
He described the PL’s launch of its electoral campaign at midnight “as the start of two months of gimmicks”. This is very rich coming from the person responsible for five years of theatrics by a weak, divided government. Was it really a car with three wheels?
It is astonishing how GonziPN, after incessantly seeking to rubbish Joseph Muscat for not publishing details about the PL’s energy plan, is now saying that it needs more time to make its own plans known. Incredible.
But, at this stage, what matters most, is for GonziPN to explain the future of the oligarchy.
Will Simon Busuttil be fully accepted by those ministers who chose to openly support his challenger for the post of deputy leader?
Will the present Finance Minister be retained even though the fiscal deficit for 2012 will be well above the set target?
In a recent article, Michael Frendo admitted that his years of service as Speaker of our Parliament “were turbulent and challenging from the outset!” (The Times, January 7).
He emphasised that the autonomy of Parliament should be affirmed through legislation. Mr Frendo added that “This is a no-fault statement... since this is the system that has developed over many decades”.
The Speaker knows that this is not a good excuse for not changing things. What really matters in this country is not legislation but culture.
The promise of a better future starts with the reality of today. The powers that be will do their utmost to blur rationality for their own game. The choice, however, remains ours.
fms18@onvol.net