Joseph Muscat throws down the gauntlet
The whistle has been blown. Malta will be going to the polls on 3 June.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has decided to throw down the gauntlet to Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in what will be one of the shortest, if not the shortest, electoral campaign ever.
Safeguarding the country’s success by calling an election was the right decision in the present political climate, brought about by an irresponsible Opposition leader who is prepared to go to the devil if it helps his ambition to gain power. The Prime Minister has opted to seek a fresh mandate from the electorate in the national interest. By doing so, he is also calling Busuttil’s bluff.
In the past four years the Prime Minister has always put country before party. That takes courage and strong character, qualities which are found in great abundance in Joseph Muscat.
The Prime Minister will not allow the Opposition to undermine and put at risk what has been achieved by his administration. With its negative and irresponsible behaviour, the Nationalist Opposition is doing its utmost to undermine the economy, putting at risk the thousands of jobs that have been created, trying to damage the tourism industry, which is experiencing unprecedented growth, and weakening the financial services sector, which has created many career opportunities for young graduates. It also risks scaring away foreign investment in the health and leisure sectors and threatening the livelihood of the local business community.
By calling an election, Joseph Muscat wants to end this charade so that the country will resume being governed in a serene manner by a stable and serious administration to continue on the path of growth. For the electorate, there will be peace of mind knowing that the reins of government are in good hands.
When it comes to casting a ballot, the electorate has a very clear choice. Either Joseph Muscat or Simon Busuttil.
By giving a new mandate to Joseph Muscat the people will be voting for a tried and tested leader. The achievements of the past four years in the economic and social sectors are testimony to his capacity to govern the country. True to his word and under his strong leadership, the Labour Government has implemented more than eighty per cent of the electoral promises made at the 2013 general election. The man is to be trusted.
On the other hand, Simon Busuttil has no positive track record, only a negative one. He was deputy leader when the Nationalist Party suffered a trashing defeat in the 2013 general election, losing with the biggest margin ever both in terms of votes as well as seats. As Leader of the Opposition he has been very weak. He has disillusioned even his close advisers, who admit this in private. When push comes to shove, he has shown himself not capable to take decisions. The way he panicked when the story of illegal financing of two senior PN officials was broken is testimony that under duress he is very indecisive.
Also, under his watch, the Nationalist Party is facing three very serious allegations involving the irregular use of funds. The Nationalist Party has been caught in flagrant breach of the law governing party financing with three suspicious financing schemes including the ‘cedoli’ scheme, the issuing of false invoices for work which was never done and, lately, the irregular use of European Parliament funds managed by his three MEPs.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s mission to transform the country is only half way through. With a new mandate he will continue where he left off. In the present circumstances, it is wise not to change a horse in mid-stream.