The focus of the upcoming general elections is no doubt on the credibility of the two leaders: each party knows that the majority would like a change in the administration and each party is doing its utmost to convince the electorate that the vote for change must be the vote for a better change and not just a change.
No wonder then that the Nationalist party is hammering on the credibility of its leader Lawrence Gonzi and discrediting Alfred Sant. The Nationalists know that there is a crowd out there that is crying for change, and that unless they convince that crowd that with Gonzi in control things are going to be different, it will be difficult to convince that crowd that any vote that does not go to them is automatically a vote for Labour.
However, I must admit that the Nationalists have centralized this campaign on Lawrence Gonzi and they have left little room, if at all, to discredit the Labour Leader although, it could also be, that they are saving the best for the last. More energy is being spent on Gonzi: on how he is going to give us the change that the people need and on how only he can provide this change. 
The rowdiness at the University this week is typical of the university students and what I read on the newspapers the day after, made me conclude that nothing has changed since I departed from Tal-Qroqq in 1986. The university has always been a Nationalist stronghold and rightly so, as the Nationalist nurtured that institution and the students and they are now reaping what they have sown. 
Even some of the questions put to the political party leaders showed how our students at the Alma Mater are still not allowed to think, but only to parrot what the books and the politicians say. They were the sort of questions and comments usually made from Pieta or from Hamrun; and it is a pity that the students showed once again that they can be easily manipulated by politicians by asking questions that the politicians wanted, and not that the students wanted.
Labour, under any administration, neglected that important nucleus, and abandoned many of the students when they were in times of need. I happened to be there between 1981 and 1986 under a Labour administration. Back then the Nationalists were in control and they still are. 
Of course, it does not mean that I agree with the way the event was orchestrated and hijacked; but it must serve as a lesson to Labour, so that it will start taking care of the Labour leaning students up there. What a shame that whoever was put to monitor the university always looked after his own interests first, instead of those of the university students!
It is therefore very important for all political parties to convince the floaters in the next two weeks that they are to be trusted.  I know for a fact that there are those amongst the floaters who are ready to give the vote to any other party as long as there is a change in government.  I know that these do not care who is in power as long as they put a stop to the arrogance shown by some of the Nationalist MPs in the last years.
Yet than there are others who are dying to vote for a change but are unwilling to trust Sant. They tell you bluntly that they are sick and tired of this administration but that they do not trust the Labour leader and they are therefore left with no choice but to give the vote to the Nationalists.  Others opt to give the vote to the other two parties, be it Alternattiva or Azzjoni Nazzjonali, to give a lesson to the Nationalist Party.
This is why some sections of the media are reporting that the votes that go to Alternattiva or to Azzjoni Nazzjonali are votes for the Labour Party. However, let us face it: this is not news, because in the previous elections we were told the same thing albeit Azzjoni Nazzjonali was not conceived yet. 
It is true however that in Malta the party with the highest number of number one votes wins the race and no party can afford to lose any votes especially now when we have a situation where we have a party that has governed for the past 20 years, a party that has been governed for the past 16 years and two not one other political parties.
The masses at the general meetings do not dictate the outcome of the general elections. I remember going to the Labour party mass meeting in Ta’ Qali in 1998 and everybody got carried away seeing all that crowd firmly believing that the victory will be on Labour’s side. The rest is history.
Political party live by surveys, in these last few days more than ever. And they can tell from their oval offices who will be winning the elections on March 8: and those whose surveys forecast a defeat, keep a brave face and entice their people even more into believing that they are in for a victory. It is a shame how some of the party people manage to do this with such conviction that they will be, although unwittingly, encouraging their people to bet more and eventually, to lose more.
How I wish that the people would not take these party officials seriously. May I tell them that it is the duty of these officials to lead the party to victory and none of them is honestly saying what the surveys are telling them. They all say that they are going to win. So may I appeal to those who have money for betting, to be cautious and to their homework well.
There is no doubt that until March 8 all parties will be in top gear urging us to vote for them.  It is not enough for Gonzi to tell us to judge him for what he and his party have done, Gonzi must also convince the electorate that he will not tolerate any more arrogance from his cabinet ministers. On the other hand, Sant must not only convince the voters that we need change, but that he has changed as well and that he “means business”.  The other two political parties have a hard job getting the electorate’s votes especially Alternattiva Demokratika in the light of Caccopardo’s doing, which to my mind did not help AD at all.
March 8 is not only Woman’s Day; it shall be a Man’s Day for Malta, because politics is dominated by men in this country, although as they say, behind a great man there is always a great woman!