A glance at the general election results of seven months ago shows that together, the Labour Party (141,888 votes) and the Alternattiva Demokratika (3,810 votes) have a total of 145,698 votes, that is 2,230 votes more than the Partit Nazzjonalista (143,468 votes). There are enough red-green voters in Malta and Gozo to give these two parties an absolute majority in the country with 50.10% of the voters, 1.76% more than the PN (49.34%). Quite a number of other European countries have had and still have successful red-green alliances and coalitions at local and national levels that have helped to move forward a progressive agenda based on civil rights, economic development combined with social justice and environmental protection to improve the quality of life of citizens. I believe that the time has come to start working seriously towards building a red-green alliance in Malta and Gozo with the main objective of forming a red-green coalition government at the next general election. This would require both parties to have the courage, imagination and strategic far-sightedness to think outside the box, take steps to build confidence and trust in each other and look to the future. So far I see very few signs that the two parties are ready to work together. Within the Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika there are very influential people who dismiss the idea of a strategic alliance leading to a coalition government. There is still the mutual fear that if reds and greens were to get together they would infect each other with a deadly virus.
I think that a red-green alliance is both necessary and healthy for our country. We have become a one-party state. The PN has built itself into a strong power block occupying not only all the decision-making centres in government and public structures but has also a formidable network of support in business, most of the local media and civil society. Parliament and its institutions like the National Audit Office and the Ombudsman are too weak to really check and balance the power concentrated within the hands of the PN government.
It is not going to be easy to dislodge the PN from government and successfully challenge its hegemony in the country. Apart from the powerful networks the PN has built over the years, life has been made much easier for it because the majority of voters that do not want it in government are disunited and fragmented. The PN has done everything and is still doing all it can to keep the main opposition parties divided as it knows that if they were to unite and work together they would seriously challenge its hegemony and power.
I think the best way forward to get the Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika to work together is to tackle single and specific issues together and slowly build trust in each other. A spirit of open dialogue is indispensable if the process is to have positive outcomes.
Some words in this direction have already been uttered in recent weeks. When, last June, AD chairman Arnold Cassola visited the Labour Party headquarters, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said that Labour and Alternattiva Demokratika are in “political symbiosis” with each other and Labour was “more than ready” to work with Alternattiva Demokratika in the national interest.
“When you look at the Labour Party’s principles and those of AD, there are many common things. There are many principles, especially in the social sector, which unite us and can be a common basis for us to work together … I have spoken about the idea of a movement of progressives and moderates in this country, and I believe that we can work together.”
During that June visit Arnold Cassola expressed agreement with most of Muscat’s arguments: “I think both of us have a European experience. Brussels instilled in us an added spirit of collaboration… you get used to work with the European People’s Party, the Socialists, the Liberals, trying to hammer out a compromise. Our aim is the national interest, and when the national interest comes first, it is natural to work with all the Maltese political forces, including the Labour Party.”
Since that June meeting politicians from the Labour Party have taken part in activities organised by other organisations, like the Gay Pride Parade of the Malta Gay Rights Movement and the rally for Dockyard workers of the General Workers Union. But walking together or standing close to each other in a crowd, or saying friendly things about each other on a one-off occasion, is a far cry from getting down seriously to the business of working together. So far all the signs are that the absolute majority of reds and greens in our country are to remain divided and distant from each other, allowing the minority of blues to govern, arrogant and feeling more omnipotent than ever. How sad for our country!
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I believe that the time has come to start working seriously towards building a red-green alliance in Malta and Gozo with the main objective of forming a red-green coalition government at the next general election. This would require both parties to have the courage, imagination and strategic far-sightedness to think outside the box, take steps to build confidence and trust in each other and look to the future. So far I see very few signs that the two parties are ready to work together. Within the Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika there are very influential people who dismiss the idea of a strategic alliance leading to a coalition government. There is still the mutual fear that if reds and greens were to get together they would infect each other with a deadly virus.