The Nationalist Party media excels in creating myths which serve the partisan political interests of the PN but which are surely not in the national interest.
One of these concerns the suitability of the Labour Party as an alternative to the Nationalist Party in Government whose record will probably go down in history as one of the most negative of any Maltese government since Responsible Government was granted to Malta in 1921.
The idea that Labour is no alternative to the Nationalists has no factual basis whatsoever.
It is unfortunate, however, that some potential voters seem to have swallowed this wholesale invention hook, line and sinker.
Such people should know better because mature reflection shows that the record of the Labour Party in government has always been a positive one and this includes the period 1996-98. Furthermore, the present Labour Party is made up of several new faces who cannot be dismissed as no alternative to the PN as they have never been given the chance to show their mettle.
Labour Leader Joseph Muscat's performance record is second to none. As a Member of the European Parliament he achieved gains for Malta and the Maltese people which to this day are unequalled by any other MEP.
As Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition, people have been highly impressed by his analytical skills. He is able to immediately pinpoint the heart of a problem and suggest not one but several practical and workable solutions. Do you have any concrete reason to refrain from choosing Labour at the next General Election because of any deficiencies in Malta's future Prime Minister? Of course not!
A future Labour Government would be made up of tried and trusted veterans who have proved themselves in the period 1996-98 and several gifted newcomers eager to work for the welfare of the country and its people.
What do you want? To remain with this incompetent lot led by Dr Lawrence Gonzi? I would like to ask potential voters to seriously reflect on the performance of the present Nationalist Government. Its performance has been so abysmal that it does not make sense to ask in which areas of administration it has succeeded but rather in which areas of administration it has not failed!
The crucial question is : "Even if you usually vote for the Nationalist Party, do you sincerely believe that a Labour Government will not be better for the country and its people than the present one?".
Be honest with yourself! Remember the failures of this Gonzi administration : a disaster in the public finances, a drying-up of foreign investment in Malta, absolute disrespect for environmental matters as illustrated by the Power Station extension saga, a lack of ability to effectively tackle unemployment and inflation, a health service that is rapidly deteriorating in quality and with the problem of hospital waiting-lists still unresolved, an energy crisis brought about by incompetence at the top and for which the price is being paid at the bottom by the ordinary citizen, a drop in the standard of living of many Maltese due to several PN Government anti-social measures, the exclusion of all people from decision-making who do not form part of the inner Lawrence Gonzi clique, need I go on?
Is this the government you want? Surely simple common sense tells you that you can expect something better from Labour? It's up to you now to start seriously thinking about doing something to hasten the date when you can once again have a government to be proud of and when your dignity and rights as a Maltese citizen will be respected and consolidated by the decision-makers because you yourself will once again play a really significant part in such decision-making.
You can also choose to remain as you are today or even worse if you place your confidence in the PN, the political party which has let you down so many times and continues to do so. Surely you have more self-respect?