Elections are all about choices.  Choices on issues, programmes, principles, proposals.  Choices on people.  Choices on the future and how this will shape one’s life and the life of one’s children. All elections are important, but some present choices are more pertinent and consequential than others.

The upcoming election is no exception.  We are being asked to choose our government for the next five years, at least theoretically since the incumbent prime minister decided to go to the polls a year ahead of time. It is his prerogative to call an election at a time he deems best, however the timing of the election seems to have become a foregone conclusion given the escalation of events surrounding the Prime Minister and his inner circle of aides. The choice we have is not the traditional one between two political parties. It is a choice of principles and values.

As the Nationalist Party leader aptly put it, it is all about giving back a sense of normality to our country and its people.

There never was a better time where good governance was the main issue in an election. Our electorate has endured four years of scandals which have spared practically no one among Joseph Muscat’s most senior ministers and closest aides.  Every time we saw a scandal unfold, our thoughts would be on what could be next and whether it would be even bigger in its seriousness.

It was surreal seeing the Prime Minister facing a magisterial inquiry while presiding over a historic presidency of the European Council

We had ministers fired, reappointed, police commissioners come and go at lightning speed, decisions taken then overturned on the back of public outcries, cronies put on the public payroll as if there was no tomorrow.

We saw it all happen and even the most sceptical started to believe that something was very rotten at the core.

The cherry on the cake were the Panama Papers leaks which unearthed a complex web of devious practices which were put in place to cover shady transactions. The Prime Minister smarted his way for a whole year faced with the most serious allegations involving his innermost circle until more serious allegations dealt him the final blow.

It was surreal seeing the Prime Minister facing a magisterial inquiry while presiding over a historic presidency of the European Council. The rest is recent history with a snap general election called for June 3.  This is no normal election. It is a choice whether we want to change the course and future of our country.

It is not a choice between programmes, proposals or parties. It is a choice between what is good, moral, acceptable and normal or whether we want more of what we have experienced over the past four years.

The choice is basically between Muscat’s style of doing politics and Malta. It is a choice on whether we want to restore our country’s pride and reputability which has seen it attract new economic sectors and diversified its economy or whether we want Malta to continue to lose respect and credibility. It is a choice on whether we want our country run like a Third World country by another Labour government led by Muscat or whether we want to put back decency and normality in everyday life by voting PN.

Sam Abela is a PN election candidate.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.