Election Desk: So many people to meet, so little time
Do party leaders have to meet everyone? They seem to do so anyway. Here's your campaign rundown
Welcome to the Election Desk. This is where we round up the major headlines of the last 24 hours, together with some of the more light-hearted and funnier sides of the campaign trail.
Abela meets with everyone
Robert Abela’s friendly attitude leads him to some interesting meetings, it seems.
When asked by Jacob Borg whether he had met anyone accused of money laundering or contraband, the prime minister did not say no. Instead, he said he meets everyone, including prisoners. “What counts is what you do after the meeting,” he said.
To Abela, even “the biggest fuel smuggler” in Malta is worthy of an audience with the prime minister. Or rather, you can meet them, but you cannot take on any proposals that they suggest.
Maybe this is a reasonable thing to say for a politician. Or maybe this is a masterclass in answering a question while not answering the question.
Whether one finds it reassuring that their prime minister’s social circle is apparently unlimited is a matter of personal preference.
Robert Abela fielded questions during a Labour press conference about his meeting with the smuggler. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.How many people is too many?
The PN held a morning press conference on Thursday focused on population, where Alex Borg presented a package of proposals that includes a dedicated authority responsible for population studies, two separate one-stop shops – one for Maltese and EU citizens and another for employers and third-country nationals – and a joint AFM-police unit responsible for enforcement and repatriation.
It is the PN’s most concrete attempt so far to address an issue that tops voter concerns, although the proposals focus less on population levels and more on reducing bureaucracy.
And to be fair, a structural economic problem cannot be ‘pledged’ away either. This will be something that the electorate will have to see play out for another five years.
Alex Borg speaking at the PN conference on Thursday. Photo: Jonathan Borg.Life imitates Labour
If a party pledge materialises during the campaign, did the party lose a pledge or gain a win? On Thursday, the economy minister launched the Malta Business Wallet, a tool designed to help businesses store documents and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
But just last Wednesday, Robert Abela pledged that a future Labour government would create a “national business wallet” as an electoral promise.
It seems the government could not wait to be re-elected to start delivering on its own manifesto.
Minister for the Economy Silvio Schembri pointed out Malta was among the first EU country to introduce this service. Photo: DOI259 promises and counting
Momentum launched its full electoral manifesto on Thursday, titled For a Just and Beautiful Malta. The document is built around four pillars and was developed through consultation, with between 60 and 100 people per topic.
Among the more eye-catching pledges are subsidised shared taxi rides using existing ride-hailing apps, funded to the tune of €234 million a year, and a tax on vacant homes.
In total, there are 259 promises in the manifesto. For a party contesting its first election, it is an ambitious number - although surely it could have been rounded to 260 somehow? A round number is cleaner and easier to communicate.
Maybe they could have pledged free copies of Arnold Cassola’s history books.
Momentum's manifesto was launched on Thursday. Photo: Jonathan BorgEggs and debates
On a lighter note, the much-anticipated university election debate is happening this Monday at 2pm. If you need a reason to tune in, look no further than the 2024 debate, when ABBA leader Ivan Grech Mintoff threw an egg on stage before walking off.
This year, Times of Malta journalist Emma Borg has already spoken to students at MCAST and the University of Malta about what they want from politics.
The recurring theme is that many feel they are choosing between the lesser of two evils.