False prophecies and false hopes

Following two devastating defeats for the Labour Party, no one expected Alfred Sant to stand again for re-election as Labour leader. In spite of rumblings within the party that a change is necessary, the leader of the opposition stemmed the tide rising against him by dispensing with some loyal colleagues, such as George Vella, and giving the impression that new Labour is on the road again to a refreshing start. Nothing is farther from the truth.

Infighting within Labour during this hot summer reached new peaks. Evarist Bartolo did not mince his words last week. (l-orizzont, August 15). He wrote: "(Labour) supporters cannot bear any longer seeing certain Labour politicians vomit their personal animosity against the leader."

As if this were not enough, Mr Bartolo described the arid Labour landscape at present: "There are Labour supporters who are cutting themselves off from the world around them. They are already stating that they will not vote at local elections or at the European parliamentary elections in the coming months."

Such words made sad reading for genuine Labour voters, particularly those, and I know a few of them, who voted against their traditional political allegiances for the first time last April.

They are devastated that since last April nothing in practice has changed in the Labour fold. Unity in the party, a strong asset and requirement for any electoral victory, seems to be so far away. And it will remain so, so long as the cause of disunity remains right in the centre of Labour politics.

The Labour leader's reaction to these strong undercurrents within the party has been to resort to the time-honoured ploy of any opposition: that elections are not so far away and that government is on the verge of collapsing. This stale tactic has been used by Dr Sant and his team ad nauseam.

In 1999, Dr Sant himself remarked: "I, among others, was puzzled by the strength of the election rumour among hardcore PN activists" (The Times, August 25, 1999). Leo Brincat stated in the same year that "one of the strongest rumours going around is that we might have an early election (l-orizzont, June 28, 1999).

Angelo Farrugia was more specific in 2000: 'Yes, I am thinking in terms of another early general election' (The Times, April 8, 2000). It was Alfred Mifsud's turn in 2001: 'The possibility has been mooted that this government will not last long and that a general election is not far away (Kulhadd, May 20, 2001).

Such reports were as accurate as the now notorious gaffe committed by Labour pundit Manwel Cuschieri who predicted that the World Cup Series in June 1998 would see the end of Eddie Fenech Adami's leadership of the Nationalist Party. That World Cup series had in fact only seen the fall of the Labour government on the Cottonera waterfront issue, paving the way for the re-election of Dr Fenech Adami as prime minister, an office he has comfortably occupied ever since. So much for Kulhadd's breaking-news story of May 10, 1998: "Fenech Adami may be removed from his position"!

This shows Labour's credibilty at its very best!

One of the underlying reasons for Labour's defeat was its conviction, fuelled by all Labour-leaning media, that defeat was not even a possibility; so sure were they of victory that they did not notice the electoral sentiment rising against the party over the EU and other issues.

I would not like to sound petty, but even making allowance for a natural tendency towards exaggeration so typical of electoral campaigns on either side of the fence, the following statements probably make their authors blush today: in an article headed "A week from today" (Kulhadd, April 6, 2003), Gavin Gulia wrote: A week from now Labour leader Alfred Sant will be at the Palace taking the oath as the new prime minister of all the Maltese and Gozitans.

The 19,500 majority for EU membership in the March 8 referendum did not register with Labour pundits; Alfred Mifsud's prophecy was even more certain: 'We are absolutely right in feeling full of courage; and I know what I am saying' (Kulhadd, April 6, 2003).

The failed strategy of the Labour leadership is evident for everyone except Labour itself. Naturally, it would be naïve of the Nationalist Party to rely too much on Labour' s current malaise.

The challenges ahead include the rising expectations of voters - always so high under a Nationalist administration; the drive for new ideas, projects and measures to instil new energy within government and party, fixing the right balance within party and government of the old and the new, the experienced and the uninitiated - all in preparation of the forthcoming electoral tests; all elections are winnable.

Labour may help us win the next election but voters will vote on issues and performance and not by default; we have what it takes to win and the foundations have to be laid right now.