Sanity versus insanity

When the Amanda Muscat story hit the headlines a few days ago, we all had our opinion as to how this would impact a political survey. 

It turns out that the Nationalist Party is only marginally ahead in the MaltaToday survey and this is well within the margin of error. It does not mean the PN should not be happy. Labour under Robert Abela should be rejoicing after a generous budget. But as it happens things tend to turn out quite differently when special circumstances occur.

Reading through the numbers it becomes increasingly clear that those voters who are crucial in winning an election are basically switched off. They are uninterested in what is happening around them. They have given up on politics and refuse to support political parties. They probably do not read and most likely refuse to be informed.

Some voters, not a few in number, have evidently lost faith in Labour and have decided to abandon the party.  Their decision is final because they feel that Labour does not deserve their vote after all that has happened. No tax cut will help change their minds.

On the other hand, many are still not sure whether to back the Nationalist Party. The PN clearly lacks any financial wizard who can stand up and challenge Labour. Bernard Grech has repeatedly shown his chronic limitations as an economics man – not that Abela is any different but he has better advisors.  

The PN is also recognised as dillydallying on far too many issues. The Opposition’s success today is simply down to the demise of Labour. In truth if the PN were to do nothing, it would simply gain votes.

The Amanda Muscat episode whether we like it or not, reconfirms the old rule in the handbook of how to win or lose votes. In other words, abuse of power has very little impact unless the electorate experiences first-hand a reduced purchasing power.

Whether we like it or not, the electorate or at least the majority of those that vote is as fickle as hell. It may be changing but I attribute the new electoral map to voter inertia and desertion rather than shifting political allegiances.

No sooner had the Amanda Muscat story surfaced that the media was being bombarded with the idea of focussing on the Nationalist Party MPs who have a job with government and had or have a problem with being present at their place of work. Like Nationalist MP Anthony Bezzina and others who are well known to never appear at their place of work but still receive a pay cheque. Yet, while this behaviour is unacceptable it does not alter the sins of Labour ministers. This idea that MPs continue to receive a salary from a government paid job should desist, more so when they receive a salary and do not even report to work. But this also means that we should pay our parliamentarians decent full-time salaries.

The people that count in any election have lost all faith in politicians of both sides and this does not augur well for democracy in general.

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Donald Trump’s victory led Jason Micallef, the former PL secretary general, to declare and warn the Nationalists that Joseph Muscat would return with a vengeance. I understand that Micallef was comparing Muscat’s grievances with those of Trump. I cannot see what excited him most; Trump’s victory or the public’s decision to dump the Democrats.  Micallef chose not to reveal one small detail, which I think is relevant. Muscat has always been a Trump fan.  Indeed, often I asked myself if Muscat was ever a Social Democrat. 

Micallef on the other hand is akin to a football fan. His loyalty has blinded him and emboldened him to say things that reveal his superficial understanding of the political situation.  

I cannot look into the future but I can look back into the past. My feeling is that whereas Muscat is popular with a handful of businessmen and the hardcore Labourite, he is derided by the middle of the road voter who essentially catapulted him as Labour’s saviour.

The other consideration I would make is that Maltese are slightly more sophisticated than the Americans.

Thankfully, Joseph Muscat knows this too. It is only the Jason Micallef’s of this world who were trampled on and side lined by Muscat himself when elected in 2013 who do not.

Perhaps we need only see who in public is willing to stand up for Muscat – Manuel Cuschieri, who was put on the back burner when Muscat was riding high, and Jason Micallef, who was never trusted by Castille or the party when Muscat was the supreme leader.

Apart from these two and perhaps the lone voice of Neville Gafa not many others are willing to publicly align themselves with Muscat.

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The MHRA has said that a study carried out by Deloitte, an audit firm, found that to fill all the tourist accommodation available, we would need to have another one million tourists invade our shores. I love it when accountants mix numbers as if they are cooking up a cake and then jot them down on a spreadsheet. Voila, they then come up with a conclusion!

Another one million tourists would just be great to MHRA members, but it would contradict all the sweet words of those who run the association, who preach and talk about quality tourism.

Another one million tourists would mean seeing our country plunged into an endless carousel of catering establishments, more third-party nationals to man them, music booming till the early hours of the morning, decibels galore all over the island, hordes of taxis flitting around eateries and entertainment establishments, traffic congestion and the usual strains on our energy grid.

The truth is that people complain about overpopulation, noise, third country nationals, traffic and energy blackouts but do not realise that the first calibration that needs to take place is their own greed.

We either rectify the greed and our lust to have more and more, or else we simply should shut up and let the whole chapter play out.