The MLP take the cake for shooting themselves in the foot. The oft produced (by now) lines: “I tell you we will also be a government for Labourites and we will carry out justice with Labourites in the first few months”, by Jason Micallef, the party’s general secretary, at a Labour Party event, has set his party back and given the Nationalist Government something to claw on to.
Thanks to the bright spark, currently the PN’s favourite Labour supporter, (who thought it would be a good idea to spread the word by posting the video of the event where the damning words were spoken, on YouTube) now they (Labour party supporters not at the event) know, as well as the rest of the voters, that Laburisti will be taken care of.
It is not that it is wrong that injustices should be addressed and rectified. What is wrong is that it is not just Labourites that have suffered injustices and would like to see them rectified.
Besides, people who are neither Nationalist nor Labour do exist, and vote. The problem with this country is that neither of the two major political parties seems to recognise this.
Of course all political parties look after their boys and girls. They just don’t usually broadcast it. Mr Micallef has made it clear, shouting from the rooftops, that there will be no repeat of Alfred Sant really trying to instil some modicum of meritocracy.
That had upset a number of his supporters, who wanted their “dues” in his last short term in power.
The Labour Administration between 1996 and 1998 was insensitive to nine years of injustices suffered by Labourites at the Nationalists’ hands, Mr Micallef said in a Times interview on Saturday. Back pedalling for his life, he added that a future Labour government will have no problem reappointing valid people with Nationalist tendencies. So we are back to meritocracy, as long as they are Laburisti or perhaps even Nazzjonalisti!
Under the PN it is the bazuzli of the PN who get chosen for the juicy projects and are appointed to the chairs and boards of parastatal authorities. Under a Labour government, their own bazuzli will want the same treatment and Jason told them they would get it.
Whether we like it or not, that is how politics works.
OK, a couple of Labour appointees were left to rule for a while under the PN, but they were there on sufferance, and did not last.
Besides, Austin Gatt has proclaimed the same philosophy the PN is so outraged about. Even worse, he wanted the partisanship extended to the civil service. So what is the PN bleating about?
But, does Jason Micallef really think that Labour votes would be lost unless he made it clear that a new Labour government will look after its own?
Of course not. But, he should have known that what he said would scare off the maybes! Although to be fair to the guy, he was not to know that an idiot was going to broadcast it all over the place. It was meant to be “bejnietna l-Laburisti”.
Hardcore Labour voters will never vote Nationalist. Just as hardcore Nationalists will not vote Labour, however disenchanted they are with their party right now. And this last little gem from Jason has certainly reinforced the latter’s opinion of “better the devil you know”.
I think that Jason got carried away with the excitement of the moment, with the grasp of power within sight, and let’s face it: they have been waiting in the wings a long time, and blew it.
Because it is the very people that could win Labour an election victory that his ill-fated words will have a negative effect on – the swingers.
In the interview, Mr Micallef described the Nationalists’ reaction to his controversial speech as cheap propaganda on a “non-issue”.
You wish, Jason! It is very much an issue. People would vote for Labour if they could see that change would happen (and I don’t mean just the guard).
But unfortunately, words like “We will be a government for all Maltese and Gozitans, but here we are Labourites among Labourites, qeghdin bejnietna,” make one wonder.
So what are you saying Jason? That outside the corridors of power, if Labour gets the privilege of perusing them, the word will be that a Labour government will be non partisan, but within the corridors (“qeghdin bejnietna”) it will appoint and only ensure justice to MLP people, with the addendum after the furore that some with Nationalist “tendencies” might also be considered.
Getting further into the mire, he said “we should have a government for all the Maltese, based on meritocracy. There is nothing wrong to say that we won’t exclude the Labourites this time around.”
But Jason, Labourites were not excluded under Sant last time; some were just not given special treatment, which is what they expected.
There is no way that any political party can satisfy all its supporters. So be careful what you promise.