“I might only have one match but I can make an explosion!” These are the lyrics from the Fight Song by Rachel Platten.

The song speaks about the power of one. One has the potential to bring change. Many changes have taken place because someone dared to stand up and be counted.

On June 8, honest Malta is calling upon us all to stand up and be counted.

Although we are voting for our MEPs and for our local council members, these elections are definitely no ordinary elections. Our nation is calling us at this perilous, democratic junction we have reached.

Sadly, this is a historical first. A former prime minister, a former deputy prime minister, two former ministers (one of whom is now the governor of the Central Bank), a former prime minister’s chief of staff, three permanent secretaries and other government officials are being charged over misappropriation, collusion and corruption regarding the privatisation of our State hospitals to Vitals/Stewards.

These arraignments come after two court rulings confirmed that the hospital deals were not the “real deal”, as Chris Fearne had coined them, but were fraudulent. The courts also found that the State was in collusion with the swindlers.

This robbery cost the nation €400 million.

It is also pertinent to note that this appalling deal was not an exception but, rather, the cherry on the cake of 11 years of Labour maladministration.

From the Café Premier saga to the secret Panama Paper revelations, from the 17 Black debacle to the Electrogas scandal, from the Montenegro wind farms to the recent social benefits racket, Labour’s fingerprints of sleaze are everywhere.

Moreover, the everlasting list of direct orders, appointments of positions of trust to party lackeys and the continuous pleasing of a number of fat cats to our detriment is simply revolting.

This is not to mention the degeneration of our environment, the construction blitz, the culture of impunity, the abysmal lack of good governance, the overpopulation, the rising of the cost of living, traffic jams all day and the deterioration of our ethical standards.

Only those who choose to be blind are unable to see the situation for what it is. Labour’s standard bearers point to economic progress but then fail to underline the hefty cost this comes at.

Sadly, Labour has betrayed not only its own supporters but also the whole nation. The current Labour format resembles more than ever a den of thieves and a troupe of champagne socialists on the rampage.

On June 8, honest Malta is calling upon us all to stand up and be counted- Albert Buttigieg

Robert Abela’s reaction to the judiciary following the conclusion of the magisterial inquiry is not only unacceptable but also dangerous. Taking a leaf from Donald Trump’s notebook, Abela is undermining the very pillar of democracy. He is acting more like a criminal lawyer defending his clients rather than a prime minister. Abela is failing to understand this is no time for bullies or rabble rousers.

We need a level-headed and responsible prime minister who puts the interest and reputation of the nation first, before his own political survival or his party’s political fortunes. As the president stated during her inauguration speech, “nobody, none and nothing is greater than Malta”.

Sadly, Labour has always somehow had a tempest relationship with democracy and the rule of law. This same party had hailed those who had ransacked the Curia and the law courts as the “aristocracy of the workers”. This is a case of a leopard unable to change its spots.

Abela must remember that no election results can absolve any sleaze or sins of politicians, whatever post they occupy. A healthy democratic nation rests on the rule of law rather than on the rule of the mob. Only dictatorial regimes rule by the mob.

I invite honest Labour supporters to understand that only they can save their party from deteriorating further. I plead with them to stop shielding criminals. Through their support for such people they are supporting their expensive jet set lifestyle and inflated ego trips. I also invite others of goodwill to prevent Malta from becoming a mafia state.

We must all fight the well-known establishment behind the throne of Castille.

The moment is now.

I might only have one match but I can make an explosion, the song goes.

I might only have one vote but I can make a difference.

One match, one vote.

Albert Buttigieg is the Nationalist Party spokesperson for family affairs and social solidarity.