Times Talk: Entitled voters, shackled leaders and a breaking point

It is very worrying that the election campaign has, so far, almost entirely revolved around a 'what's in it for me' approach, according to political analysts Lou Bondi and Michelle Attard Tonna.

The lavish promises are creating a sense of entitlement in people while making it very hard for the next prime minister - whoever it may be - to lead effectively in a very uncertain and volatile global climate, they warned.

And even worse, there are several issues no party seems to be addressing.

The two were dissecting the third week of the election campaign during the third episode of Times Talk: Campaign Watch – a Times Talk series that is closely observing the race for Castille ahead of the May 30 election.

The two analysts argued the big parties have become virtually indistinguishable, abandoning past ideological battles for a “who is going to give people the most perks” approach.

Bondi – a strategic communications consultant – warned that the massive financial promises made by both sides risk shackling the next prime minister's ability to navigate a volatile global economy hit by inflation and geopolitical instability.

“And that could be very dangerous,” he said.

Meanwhile, Attard Tonna – a university lecturer – pointed out that the electorate has been conditioned to become "entitled," exchanging votes for immediate personal gains, like being able to buy a new SUV.

Both agreed the campaigns have so far failed to address big questions like the environment, construction, corruption and good governance.

“There’s a lack of ongoing discussion on the issues that people face every day, like traffic,” Attard Tonna said.

“The parties feel that any measures that would really address a problem like traffic would lose them votes because the real solutions would need to pinch people’s comfort. But what we never say is that our comfort is already compromised as it is.”

What about the economic model?

A central focus of the discussion was the country’s heavy reliance on foreign, low-skilled labour. While the economy is booming on paper, Bondi highlighted that the country's infrastructure is buckling under the weight of economic pressures.

Attard Tonna also said the campaign exposed the government’s double standard of celebrating economic growth with €1,000 super bonus to Maltese workers while denying it to foreign workers.

She also said it was absurd that politicians were celebrating green projects like Manoel Island while simultaneously sanctioning overdevelopment in protected areas, such as the Ġgantija buffer zone.

Bondi pointed out what he described as a glaring contradiction in society: while the country prides itself on leading LGBTQ+ rights, it suffers from a stark disparity where some of the same people supporting liberal social policies harbour deep racism against migrants.

Ultimately, to fix complex, failing sectors like transport, he argued that Malta must shift away from ideological politics and toward technical solutions, designed by technocrats.

“Most of today’s biggest problems need technical, not ideological solutions,” he said.

The rise of the non-voter

The speakers said that with surveys showing a significant portion of undecided voters, the final outcome of the election may still not have been decided. The election could still be swung by the growing number of citizens who feel completely disengaged and alienated by the two-party system.

Watch the episode on Times of Malta, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.