Every election causes a degree of disruption but it would be unwise of the political parties or of any of the social partners to make it worse. They can do this by talking too negatively about the uncertainty that an election usually generates or, worse, by indulging in doom and gloom. The country has had enough of this already and it is unreasonable of the Nationalists to keep whipping up an expectation of the end of the world if the Labour Party were to win the election.
If the country has managed to do fairly well in the face of so many difficulties coming from abroad, there is no reason why it should not also cope with or adapt to differences in policies that Labour, if elected, would follow.
Labour policies may not be seen as correct or good enough by their opponents but the test of their soundness will ultimately lie in whether the new Administration will deliver. If the end result is found to be below expectations at the end of a legislature, the electorate will give the party the order of the boot.
No political party ought to expect it has a perpetual title to governing because this would run against the most basic principle of a democracy. The battle ought to be over which of the parties has the best ideas for the country and the best sense of direction at a time when there is so much economic turmoil elsewhere.
The problem with the Labour Party is that it has been keeping its ideas far too close to its chest when it should have been doing precisely the opposite. On this score, the Labour Party risks not being trusted by uncommitted voters.
Let the two main parties fight it out in the open, without, however, doing anything that can seriously damage the country’s economy. If they do this and do not go overboard in their campaign to write off their opponents’ policies and ideas for a better Malta, there ought to be no serious hiccups along the way.
Earlier this month, the European Commission confirmed that Malta is managing to put its finances in order when it lifted the excessive deficit procedures that it had taken against the island in 2009.
Only a few days ago, Eurostat figures showed that Malta registered the second best economic performance among the 17 eurozone member states. In the third quarter this year, the gross domestic product rose by more than 1.9 per cent over the previous quarter. By contrast, the euro area’s economy contracted, on average, by 0.6 per cent and it was only Estonia that surpassed Malta’s third quarterly growth rate.
The deficit is expected to fall to 2.6 per cent of GDP this year; it is projected to go up slightly next year, to 2. 9 per cent, but it is forecast to narrow again, to 2.6 per cent, in 2014, thus remaining below the three per cent threshold allowed under EU rules.
Malta has therefore been able to correct its excessive deficit, a significant achievement. Is not this something to be glad about?
The Labour Party is unlikely to make much of this during the election campaign because it will naturally prefer to concentrate on the Nationalist Party’s shortcomings. But, of course, the economic performance is there for all to see. Hopefully, the election campaign will not derail the progress made and both political parties will continue to build on what is sound.