The outcome of the March 26 general election appears to be a foregone conclusion. The million-euro question is what happens then.
The Labour Party is heading towards another big electoral victory, ranging from a majority of 23,000 to as high as 45,000 votes, the latest polls indicate.
One can only hope that, backed by such a strong popular mandate, Robert Abela can move to do the necessary ‘purging’. When forming his new cabinet, may he go for politicians – including budding ones – able and willing to take the country forward in what promises to be a difficult period on various fronts but who also have the necessary qualities to restore Malta’s reputation.
The electoral result is expected to leave the Nationalist Party in a quandary, one that is of national interest given the implications it can have on the alternation of power.
In the country’s recent political history, the gap between the two main political parties has been narrow, at times too close for comfort. Just two percentage points separated them in the 1987 election, which saw the PN’s return to power after 16 years.
On Eddie Fenech Adami’s watch, the PN went from strength to strength. However, the focus on securing Malta’s membership of the European Union, which happened in 2004, took its toll on the party and its fortunes. In fact, it lost the 1996 election and it was only the head-on clash between Dom Mintoff and Alfred Sant that saw the PN returning to power less than two years later. Still, the gap kept narrowing: 51.8 per cent against 47.5 per cent in 2003 and 49.3 per cent to 48.8 per cent in 2008.
Then, the game changer of 2013, when Labour won 54.8 per cent of the vote against the PN’s 43.3 per cent. That widened even further four years later: 55 per cent against 43.7 per cent. If the polls are to be trusted, the gap may become even wider in three weeks’ time.
It is difficult to explain how a party in government could have such popular support when it is riddled with people, even at the very top, who brought the country into disrepute, corrupted good governance, demolished the rule of law and cultivated a culture that facilitated the assassination of a journalist.
It is also difficult to comprehend how this can happen when surveys show half of the Maltese population believes elected politicians are corrupt.
One can argue that this should have made it easier for the PN to win back popular support, or at least avoid another humiliating defeat.
Having been at the helm for less than a year-and-a-half, Bernard Grech may not have had enough time to turn the tide, but reality indicates the PN has been running on the spot. There is a perception out there – whether real or perceived – that the PN is still clogged by ultraconservative individuals that fail to inspire today’s society. The PN appears to be clinging to its “ideals”, even as its own voters have ditched them.
There is a section of the electorate which is craving bold statements and pledges on crucial issues like the environment, education and social and human rights. That section of the electorate might not be in the majority but could help bridge the gap.
A strong opposition is a crucial element in a healthy democracy, more so when the party in government enjoys an overwhelming majority in parliament. It will be dangerous for the country if Labour is on the cusp of possibly securing a two-thirds majority.