For the first time in our history, last Friday thousands of members of all unions in Malta marched together in protest against the government for imposing painful water and electricity tariffs, and for arrogantly ignoring the unions when imposing them.
Nine months ago, addressing thousands of supporters at the Granaries in Floriana after securing a historic third consecutive term in government for the PN, Lawrence Gonzi urged all Maltese and Gozitans to leave a deeply divisive electoral campaign behind them and unite to move the country forward.
In the euphoria of victory, little did he know that in a few months his government would behave in a certain way that would unite most of the people against him. On that day Gonzi said: “Let us not speak of winners and losers but about a country getting stronger and moving forward. We will be the government of all Maltese people, we are just one big family, and we do not have the luxury of dividing the country into two states. Nobody must lag behind. I will embrace the Opposition with open arms in dialogue.”
In the general elections of last March, 290,799 cast their votes. 143,468 voted for the PN. After an electoral campaign where the PN promised heaven on earth, gave jobs and promotions, granted building permits, handed out tax exemptions, deceived voters by promising everything to everyone and brought over thousands of voters who did not have the constitutional right to vote, there were still 147,331 who voted against the PN, 3,863 more than those who voted in their favour.
Elected with the majority of the voters against it, one would have expected the PN to become a bit humble and seek to govern through dialogue, consultation and consensus. But is very clear that the PN has only one definition of the word ‘consensus’: “support me and follow my decisions and no questions asked, take it or leave it.”
A few days after the election Dr Gonzi promised that he would embrace the Opposition (that had obtained just 1,580 votes less than the PN) with open arms in dialogue. But he is a master at saying one thing and doing the exact opposite. He took the controversial decision of making Malta join ‘Partnership for Peace’ without bothering to consult the Opposition.
When the current term of parliament opened on Saturday, 10th May 2008 and President Edward Fenech Adami delivered his address prepared by the Office of the Prime Minister, we heard many nice words: “Now the government’s declared intent is to work together with civil society towards the betterment of the common good, a process which cannot but be based on cooperation and mutual respect. Numerous challenges lie ahead… In these last few weeks, the crisis has deepened, and the indications are that matters will take a further turn for the worse.”
Through President Fenech Adami, the PN government promised to “build on a reputation for clarity in procedures and for transparency in operations, and will carry on with the process of widespread consultation. It will strengthen the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and will continue to maintain a dialogue with the representatives of civil society.”
Government also promised to “continue to subsidise water and electricity in particular for those households most in need” and to “strengthen the regulatory set-up for competition and for the protection of the consumer; this will monitor the prices of essential commodities like basic foods and medicines.”
President Fenech Adami ended the address prepared by the Office of the Prime Minister by saying: “Great challenges lie ahead of us. We must face them together, with courage and not with a sense of defeatism. The government is opening the doors wide to cooperate with all those who wish to work to ensure that Malta not only survives but thrives. This will be one government for all the people… To get there, we must do away with resentment and division, and work together to achieve the common end of the common good. Together we can overcome the challenges we are facing. Together our most ambitious goals can become a reality.”
The PN in government has done the complete opposite of what it promised just a few months ago. It is running the country like a one-party state behind a façade of a multi-party parliamentary democracy, imposing its decisions and riding roughshod over all those who disagree with it.

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