Waiting anxiously...

Residents in 21 localities voted yesterday to elect their local councils. Today the three parties are earnestly awaiting the final results. It is not only just a question of how the people reacted to their campaigns and manifestoes for these localities; there are more underlying far reaching currents for assessing what messages the people from these different areas wanted to convey to the three respective leaders.

True, in Marsa and Zejtun no elections were held because the Nationalist Party decided to withdraw its candidates at the last minute. It was neither a question of not finding enough candidates nor a matter of the residents not being prepared to vote on account of extraneous circumstances. It was a political decision to minimise the extent of the presumed swing against the governing party.

As expected, the Malta Labour Party and, to a lesser extent, Alternattiva Demokratika, made the most of this political misjudgment. One has still to see whether this tactic of hiding one's political weaknesses at the expense of people's democratic rights will provide the desired results.

The MLP is anxiously waiting these mid-term local election results not only to assess the impact of its election campaign that was centrally master-minded from headquarters but also to gauge the effect of what many consider the relative quantification of local councils' contribution. It is hardly impressive for a party leader to conclude that all his councillors achieved high ratings for their performance high while all his rivals failed miserably.

Besides these two points, there are more important considerations in view. Labour leaders are fully aware that the party has passed through a prolonged trauma after experiencing a power fatigue that dissipated all its energies and ideas.

It is generally held that Mr Mintoff retained the party leadership for far too long; his anointed successor, Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, without having deep party roots, had his hands too tight to keep the party in power. Perhaps few remember that during his time there was a threat to democracy and his tenure was a messy one. He hoped that after a short spell in Opposition, he might regain power. But that was not to be and so he relinquished the party leadership.

From the subsequent internal party election during which there appeared some shadows that still have to be cleared, Dr Alfred Sant assumed the party leadership. During his 13 years as leader he only succeeded in putting his party in power for 22 months.

In fact, some circles within the Nationalist Party regard him as the party's best asset. If the MLP fares well in these local council elections it may conclude, perhaps too hastily, that it has overcome all past phobias and that Dr Sant has overcome this partisan stigma. This will help the party to consolidate its political position following last year's local council and European Parliament elections.

Mostly for the same reasons but to preclude their recurrence, the Nationalist Party is also anxiously awaiting the final results of these mid-term local elections. The leaders are fully conscious that being in power for nearly 18 years, the party is suffering from power fatigue that affects the ability to come out with new ideas in planning and management and will certainly affect any administration.

More than that, the PN is aware of its similarities with the MLP. Dr Fenech Adami, too, stayed too long as leader and Prime Minister; his anointed successor is experiencing nearly the same problems that Mr Mintoff's anointed successor had to face except that now democracy is not under threat.

Perhaps, because of power fatigue, arrogance has reared its ugly head and it appears that some of the leaders are not realising that their attitude and behaviour are pushing many people away from the government when they are not in a position to lose further popularity.

In addition to all this, there is serious lack of planning in implementing policies; cases in point are the introduction of the anti-smoking ban and what has been termed as the eco-contribution. In the former case Government showed indecision and in the latter case plans had to be altered to make them acceptable.

Moreover, Government does not seem to be conscious of the contradictory messages it is sending to people.

On the one hand there is the need to reform, to make further sacrifices, to collect more revenue and therefore the need to increase further taxation (sometimes to the point of insensitivity of lower income groups' sufferings); and on the other, Government embarks on huge expenditures whose actual need is doubtful.

Despite the Brussels premises outcry, Government moved on to promote the idea of a new Parliament building on the site of the old Opera House and in the process made public the substantial amounts of taxpayers' money that were spent on consultancies.

Government is also conscious of the fact that a very wide swing against it will be difficult to recoup even though the general election is still about three years away. There is a new limit that does not allow it to administer the country in its best interests. The EU rules and regulations have to be adhered to not just in financial matters but also in anything that may affect the people's vote.

From the foregoing, it may seem that Alternattiva Demokratika stands to gain from these local elections. Its performance in last June's European Parliament election, though its candidate narrowly failed to be elected, was very well received.

As a result, AD too, is anxiously awaiting the results of yesterday's local elections. It wants to confirm that it continues to enjoy the minor swing in its favour. However, it still has to establish whether this new support is coming about through a more positive appraisal of its policies rather than as a result of a protest vote.

Evidently, people today are more sceptical; they are not ready to accept as Gospel truth whatever party leaders have to say. They have been misinformed in the past. What is becoming more important is neither the position one occupies, nor what official statements are pronounced, but that promises are actually kept.

Today people are more concerned with proof of maturity, dedication to duties and responsible behaviour. Loyalty based on sentimental feelings has been consistently fading. Our country is now having a larger proportion employing their thinking caps.

If political parties want to garner greater support and ensure that their position is unassailable they have to lead by example. It is futile for government to expect people to resign themselves to new burdens when its house is not in order.

It does not make sense to expect people to accept an alternative government when the party in Opposition is not providing alternative strategies that make sense and that they appeal to the imagination of the electorate.

Yesterday, the people conveyed their mixed messages. Their interpretation is subjective; but there will be more to it than meets the eye. The underlying considerations may have far-reaching effects.

Dr Borda, a former Nationalist MP, is an economist specialising in the economic development of small states.