Editorial: The risks of politicians sitting on the fence

People expect political leaders to propose solutions to the daily challenges and problems they face. These solutions must not be simply inspired by ideology but by a pragmatic action plan that brings about change to ease pressure on households. 

Still, we continue seeing examples where the Nationalist opposition prefers to sit on the fence on most issues that affect people’s quality of life. This attitude may be inspired by a fear of antagonising a sector of the electorate when it is perceived that the risk of losing precious votes can be avoided by trying to please everyone. 

This fallacious mindset may explain why the PN is not winning enough support of the many angry people who have had enough of the way their well-being is being trampled upon by Labour’s misguided policies.

As demonstrated in the recent US election, opinion polls do not always gauge accurately the extent of ordinary people’s anger. Yet, we continue seeing political leaders who simply use official opinion polls to define their tactics and strategies to win the next election.

Many people have become immune to the mesmerising effect of politicians’ platitudes about good governance, quality of life, cost-of-living challenges, the importance of strengthening democracy and several other issues that affect their daily lives. They want concrete proposals with realistic milestones. They want to know the costs of change proposals and how it will be borne equitably by the different societal stakeholders.

The issues that are troubling most people in Malta are well known. For instance, it is widely acknowledged that there is an issue with overpopulation, driving a deterioration in public service standards, especially in health, education and traffic management. Still, the opposition continues to be vague about the solutions it proposes for people to trust it when election time comes in the next two years. 

The PN’s strategy on the way it will diversify the economy to make it more sustainable and less dependent on imported labour is just as nebulous. Beyond repeating the mantra of encouraging capital-intensive economic activities that can add more value, there is little substance in how this will be achieved, especially in an underperforming education system.

While the narrative about the need to fight corruption and restore good governance is crucial, elections are rarely won on this issue on its own. Sadly, many feel that corruption in public life has become inevitable and prefer to focus on other bread-and-butter matters affecting their daily lives when deciding who to trust to lead them in the next election.

The PN must be more ambitious in its proposals to promote the well-being of ordinary people. It must go beyond managing the risk of antagonising sectors of the business community that have grown accustomed to laissez-faire policies on protecting the environment. The country can no longer afford to suffer from state capture by sectors of the business community.

The current misguided strategy of economic growth at all costs must be addressed urgently. There are thousands of people who yearn for politicians to clamp down on issues that bother them daily like rampant construction, inflation, the occupation of public spaces and the deterioration of public health.

An opposition party can get elected by default when the government fails miserably in meeting the electorate’s expectations. Still, it should never underestimate the government’s power of incumbency, which often prevents this from happening.

The PN must be bold and propose concrete strategies that address ordinary people’s concerns. It might lose some support but it could gain the thousands of moderates who no longer see the Labour Party as the best party to govern.