Like a talented salesman – a term he likes using to describe himself – Joseph Muscat speaks frequently of what his party has managed to deliver in the four years it has been in government: the power station, the cuts in electricity rates, childcare centres, low unemployment and Budget surplus. But he steers clear of the key governing promises that drew the majority to his side. What made him veer off so drastically from the principles that had first guided him to make the undertakings?

Even more interestingly is the astonishingly short time within which he did so. No sooner had his party won with one of the biggest election majorities ever than he gave the first hint he was either suffering from a bout of political amnesia or that, elated and consumed by the sheer size of the win, he thought a bit of arrogance would not do him any harm. The problem is that he showed far more than a bit of arrogance.

Throwing his governing principles to the dustbin of his party’s history, he appointed a keen party faithful as head of the public service. Even if he had not made his governing principles the bedrock of his electoral platform, the electorate would have expected him to show prudence in making the first government appointments. But Dr Muscat threw both prudence and caution to the wind.

He argued that Labour supporters had as much right as others in being appointed to top posts. This is, of course, true but a wiser political leader would have acted differently, as he himself had promised.

Equally important to the three governing principles that won Labour the 2013 election – meritocracy, accountability and transparency – was the other promise that, if elected, he would do things differently, meaning better than those of the Nationalist administration.

Uncommitted voters liked his fresh approach and were literally taken in by his talk that he would lead in a manner that will help reduce political tribalism. His slogan – that one could well disagree with his party’s policies but would find no difficulty working under a Labour administration – caught on with those on the political party sidelines. Here, at last, was a young politician really willing and eager to bring about the leap forward in politics so many had talked about for years but which no party ever succeeded in bringing about.

Uncommitted voters liked his talk and responded in droves. The picture four years later is starkly different from what the Labour leader had promised. Uncommitted voters were let down in what may well be regarded as one of the biggest political affronts in the island’s history.

Not only have Dr Muscat and his government let the people down but they have been doing the country untold harm through the bad image they have given it through their involvement, directly or indirectly, in scandals in a manner undreamt of up to 2013.

Uncommitted voters attracted to Dr Muscat’s original undertakings were simply aghast when they saw for themselves the way his government turned key governing principles upside down. This is not what they believed in, what they had voted for. For this reason alone, uncommitted voters will find it difficult trusting Dr Muscat again.

Once bitten twice shy.