The morality of honest, ethical governance, it turns out, is no match for the satisfaction of everyday material needs and wants when it comes to appealing for votes.

There are many factors to consider in any analysis of the election result. Crudely though, it could be said that the voters won over by the PN’s head-on assault on corruption, and by its lofty vision for the way the country should be governed, were outnumbered by those loyal to Labour because the government has made them better off – whether by fair means or foul.

This is not to denigrate the choice made by the latter voters, although we respectfully disagree with it.

It is everyone’s aim to improve one’s lot in life. From this point of view, the loyalty to Labour is understandable. Joseph Muscat has presided over significant wealth and employment creation, has started to reduce poverty, implemented effective social measures as well as introduced previously undreamt of civil liberties, achievements that have benefited thousands.

However, he has also overseen a bonanza of patronage. Most in evidence were the last-minute government jobs and promotions. What else was dished out, to anyone from ordinary citizens to contractors, in reply to those phone calls asking what the government could do for them? It is impossible to know how many people were “served” in this way in return for their votes and those of their families, but with all the anecdotes flying about, it is reasonable to assume that it was quite a chunk.

Political patronage alone – present to one extent or another in all elections – cannot explain the result. But this election has given us a better idea of the degree to which it is practised by this government.

Political patronage alone – present to one extent or another in all elections – cannot explain the result. But this election has given us a better idea of the degree to which it is practised by this government. Unscrupulous dealings appear to have spread well beyond those Panama companies, money-laundering suspicions, graft allegations and institutional capture. The government has normalised cronyism and clientelism. It is this that is immoral; people then perpetuate it by their vote.

At the same time, the election cannot be viewed as a rejection of the vision Simon Busuttil championed: of keeping those who wield power in their place, at the service of society, through the functioning of strong, independent institutions and robust checks and balances. Apart from the sizeable minority of PN voters, many Labourites too want to see a culture of good governance complementing Malta’s good economy.

Winning by a large majority does not absolve the Prime Minister of his obligation to heed the clear message sent by the minority and the whispers of his own conscientious voters. He has pledged some measures to keep politicians more accountable and promised that his chief of staff, Keith Schembri, would resign if subject to a criminal investigation. We’ll believe it when we see it. In the meantime, his retention of both Schembri and Konrad Mizzi has sent precisely the opposite signal.

Muscat has long abandoned the pretense of working for meritocracy, transparency and accountability. Yet this is the only way he can “heal the divisions” in the country. The divisions were created not by what Muscat characterises as negativity – which in reality is a legitimate holding of the government to account by the Opposition – but by his ignoring evidence of his colleagues’ transgressions.

To imply that fighting corruption opposes progress, as he appeared to do yesterday, is manipulative and deceitful, as it is to elevate “progress” almost to the level of a moral objective while ignoring the many legitimate questions surrounding his colleagues’ ethical behaviour.

This newspaper will continue to applaud his efforts to boost the economy but, whichever party is in power, it will not shirk from highlighting abuse and demanding that democratic values be respected. No doubt the Opposition, which under Busuttil’s leadership has been so proactive in this regard, will continue to fulfil its vital watchdog role.

The election was won not so much because of what the PN did wrong but because of what the PL did ‘right’.

But it is Labour that should be looking into its soul.