One clear conclusion from the Labour Party’s second massive election victory in just over a year is that the majority of people feel that it deserves time before they judge if it can govern up to their expectations during the rest of its legislative term. Labour has shown a great deal of energy in its first 14 months in power and the new vote of confidence it has just won is an endorsement of the effort it has put in.

The majority chose to put all the government’s mistakes aside, thinking perhaps that the best has yet to come, to use Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s own words.

He did not leave everything to chance either. In fact, he methodically planned every step of the way and shamelessly used to the fullest extent possible the power of incumbency in the few days prior to the European elections.

Considering the size of the win, Labour would have won the election just the same had it not done so but the point is that, in doing so, it has dumped its intention of introducing a new way of doing politics.

This may sound somewhat academic so soon after the election but it is not for, although Dr Muscat may continue to enjoy the confidence of the majority of the electorate, the total making up those who supported the PN and the other parties, as well as those who decided not to vote at all, is still significant.

Never mind the cleaners suddenly taken on close to the election date, was it simply a coincidence that the reduction in prices of a range of medicine products was announced two days before the election?

After so many months, car owners eligible for a VAT refund only began receiving part of the refund in the second week of the month. Was Dr Muscat not taking full advantage of his power of incumbency when he waited just two days before the election before announcing that former dockyard workers, now employed by the government in IPSL, were to be given a pay rise?

Very politically convenient too, a business institute at Mcast had to be inaugurated just three days before the election. Once again, never mind the fact that the PL kept using illegal billboards during the campaign, but when the whole country had been discussing the shortcomings at Mater Dei Hospital for months on end, was it not a political gimmick of the first order for the new health minister and new health parliamentary secretary to roll out what they called a five-point plan aimed at making the hospital’s accident and emergency department cope more efficiently with patients in a year’s time?

The health minister was replaced in a Cabinet reshuffle last month but it now transpires that all that the government has been able to produce in the 14 months it has been in power is a five-point plan that is going to take a year to be implemented.

What kept many away from the polling booths this time are not the mistakes but partisanship and arrogance being shown in the administration of the country as well as apathy towards the Opposition.

Dr Muscat’s toughest challenges have yet to be faced because his government grapples with the growing unemployment problem and the efforts that would have to be made to ensure that the power generating plans remain on track.

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