Numbers don't lie, do they?

The 82% reference was the giveaway.  Marking four years since the last election, PM Robert Abela claimed on March 26 that his government had delivered on 82% of its electoral manifesto. 

Not a majority of the manifesto, not most, but a very specific percentage - precise, definite and, as that beer ad says, “probably” accurate.

Not 80% or 85% but a definitive 82% - a government that is not vague or aspirational but very specific and, of course, clear and transparent. 

Lists and numbers (1,000 election promises, 802 “delivered”) have now become a hallmark of government PR strategy. A quantifiable political vibe. Don’t worry about the detail, just feel the numbers.  Numbers “probably” don’t lie.

Now the PM has hinted at yet more numbers, a putative 100 electoral promises for Gozo alone   

Not to be outdone, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, Chris Bonnet has announced the completion of 1,000 road “interventions” in the past two years. Not 975 or 1,025 but a nice, round 1,000. 

Forget about quality, just feel the quantity. The figures simply roll off the tongue.

Wheeling out not just one minister but three - Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri and Transport Minister Chris Bonett – the government announced in January, not one but two new ferries between Ċirkewwa and Mġarr, plus the retrofitting of all the current fleet, plus yet another call to replace the currently leased MV Nikolaos.

Why announce just one, when you can just as easily announce two?  From four to six ferries in one leap. Who needs that tunnel now? 

And, in a feat of outstanding speed and efficiency, the new ferries will be commissioned and constructed and in service by early 2029.  Again, precise, specific and “probably” real because the plans are already “well underway”. 

In the lead in to the recently announced general election, the Government unveiled its latest integrated transport system, “Malta in Motion”, comprising one plan, six components and five strategic pillars.  Again, the numbers say it all – one, five and six. 

Sounds detailed and real, you can almost feel the forward motion.

The jewel in the plan’s crown is the proposed light-rail network linking St. Paul’s Bay and the airport.  While “not much info” is available and the route and stations remain unclear (or the financing), there are figures and branding - the cost (€2.8 billion), the length (24 kms), the start date (2031) and the name (La Vallette Line). 

Again, you can feel the substance. This time it really is real, “probably”.

A governing party offering you (Int Malta) a whole suite of major projects that will smooth you through the growing pains of the country’s expansive spurts. Looks, walks, talks and feels like an irresistible offer. 

Forget talk of the rot at the heart of government, forget those over-reported mega scandals, the ongoing planning, appointments and contracts abuses and the mounting challenges of the past 13 years, just feel the vibe of the next 13.

Never mind the cost or the longer-term implications, live for today and let (nameless) others pay the bill.  Subcontract the future costs to our children and grandchildren (or maybe the EU) and subcontract the current costs to those coloured neighbours of ours – the TCNs.

However, rest assured, underpinning this macro and quantifiable vision, the government intends to continue with the “nitty gritty” of traditional politics. The micro (and unquantified) deals – the many and diverse “grants”, the multiplying “jobs”, the increased days of “leave”, the specific local ‘fixes’ and permissions, the promise of new and better facilities and so on.

Not only does your government want you to feel your ever-improving fortunes and futures, it also wants you (Int Malta) to know that the familiar and the traditional are ever-present.

You (Int Malta) can have it all, and you can have it right now and at little or no cost… but only if you vote correctly. 

Sure, we’ve even developed a Well-Being Index that will allow you to measure your feel-good factor.