The Labour Party enjoys the approval of core faithful supporters who will vote their party come what may. In an election, however, just these faithful voters do not guarantee a Labour majority. To tip the balance in its favour, Labour also needs the support of those Labour-leaning floaters of a certain level of education.
Most of the Labour critical floaters consider themselves relatively objective and, on occasions, at elections, they assess and judge the performance of their preferred party and proceed to react with their vote. Possible reactions can include a confirmation of support, an abstention from voting, a confidential spoiling of a ballot paper, a vote for a so-called third party or, highly unlikely, a vote in favour of the PN.
Historically, a majority of the Maltese population has been Labour leaning and, over the years, has consistently returned the party to power. This support has, however, been withdrawn whenever Labour grossly failed to deliver economically and competently. This support also went missing whenever Labour manifestly did not govern morally and ethically in a correct manner.
Way back in the mid-1980s, concerned citizens became very dismayed at seemingly no limit to the governance deterioration that Lorry Sant’s and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s Labour administration was capable of causing. Then, a good number of those members of the electorate, that made up the segment of Labour floating voters, felt their decency conscience extremely challenged and they rebelled.
There was no significant shifting of support from Labour to Nationalist. The PN barely made it to power, falling back on the providential agreement, established with Dom Mintoff, that in a two-party contest, to neutralise jerrymandering effects, the party with an absolute majority of votes would be guaranteed any necessary additional parliamentary seats to govern.
In other words, probably or, rather, actually, the PN did not win on the basis of its own positive attraction. It was a case where a marginal number of Labour floaters responsibly took the difficult decision to put their preferred party temporarily in opposition where, hopefully, it would reform and regenerate itself.
Now fast forward to 2022, are there trends or tendencies for such an eventuality to repeat itself? Is election year 2022 presenting itself as a 1987 déjà vu?
Malta can ill survive five more years of misrule- Arthur Muscat
Voter surveys keep on indicating that Labour is heading for a landslide election victory, making a 1987 encore highly unlikely. Such surveys, that point out particularly clear majority results, rarely end up proving erroneous. However, in respect of how quickly circumstances can change, an experienced British Labour politician once remarked that, in politics, one week is the equivalent of eternity. Furthermore, surveys probably do not accurately pick out real intentions of habitual floaters who tend to be very discreet and do not reveal their intentions.
There is no need to highlight here how much Labour deserves to be punished for a murky and condemnable behaviour that led to an assassination, to lawless impunity, to wholesale waste and stealing of public funds and to a devaluation of the integrity of state institutions.
There is no need to highlight here an evident inadequacy displayed by a PN, supposedly a government-in-waiting, supposedly an effective biting opposition, supposedly a united party with a vision and supposedly a party cleared of dead wood and tainted hangers on.
So, what kind of electoral choice is Malta facing? Frankly, a rather limited one between a corruptively inclined and less than competent Labour or else a well-intentioned, eager and willing Nationalist administrators of unknown competency, and resiliency, who will have to face a legacy of horrendous problems.
There is hope that objective Labour floaters will give a signal for a period of reflection, so their party may reform itself. Who knows, after a defeat or reduced support, current or emerging new leaders may find themselves empowered to undo Joseph Muscat’s sell-out to thieving and corrupt local and foreign ‘business’ people, people very expert at colluding with rotten shady politicians.
In conclusion, a good number of Maltese citizens require education to become more democratically literate. They must stop thinking short term and need to start to see beyond just their pockets and bellies. There is a desperate need to put a stop to further damage to state institutions.
Malta urgently needs a chance to re-establish decent internal governance. A horribly tarnished international reputation requires repair. Malta can ill survive five more years of misrule.