Followers of the Malta scene abroad may find it difficult to understand why the electorate has changed a winning horse, at least insofar as the state of the island’s economy is concerned.
When the BBC was repeatedly saying in their stories about Malta on polling day that the island has one of the most successful economies in the European Union, many might have logically jumped to the conclusion that, considering so many countries were in economic doldrums, the party in government was heading towards another election victory, even though it might have made glaring mistakes.
They will find it most ironic that the Nationalists have been thrown out of government with a majority that few, if any, might have thought possible.
In a way, it is also a great measure of Malta’s success story that the people have been able to completely disregard the Nationalist government’s achievement in managing the economy to concentrate on other matters which, they felt, were more important.
Some have argued that the sharp rise in utility tariffs was a form of austerity measure and that, contrary to the image the Nationalists had tried to project, there are thousands who are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
This may be true, but there is no comparison between the situation in Malta and that in some other countries. In other words, the new government is not inheriting a bankrupt country but one that despite its many disadvantages has shown remarkable resilience in the face of some very stiff challenges.
This is to the credit of all, but particularly of the Nationalist administration that managed to take the country in the right direction. Given that the island has done well so far on the economic front, Labour rode ahead on the strength of a collection of other factors.
Joseph Muscat, now prime minister, has made much of his determination to introduce a new style of doing politics. He says he has turned his party into a movement and his intention is to reduce, insofar as it is humanly possible, the them-and-us mentality, the high-pitched political tribalism that has dominated the island’s political scene for so many years.
He stuck to this theme throughout the campaign, and made an impact on the electorate.
It remains to be seen to what extent he will now be able to practise what he has been preaching. But the electorate will now expect him to deliver on this as they most assuredly expect his government to see to the lowering of the water and electricity rates.
In spite of all that was said during the electoral campaign about building a new gas-fired power station within two years, the implementation of this promise is undoubtedly the hardest of all. The clock has already started ticking, and Dr Muscat will now be running against time to ensure that it is built within the period prescribed and that the energy rates are reduced.
The political rehabilitation of Dom Mintoff, the architect of the Malta Labour Party who had brought down the government of Alfred Sant, had helped draw back into Labour’s fold the thousands who had strayed away.
There were of course other factors that produced the historic landslide. What is important now is that the island keeps to the track that has so far shielded it from the woes that other, much larger neighbouring countries are experiencing.