Malta Taghna Lkoll… or is it?

Many have criticised the slogan selected by the Labour Party, claiming that Malta has belonged to the Maltese since 1964 and that hence the sentiment is redundant. In my opinion, however, those who are coming up with this criticism are either not getting the gist of the slogan, or else are being deliberately obtuse, since it is clear that the Labour Party is not referring to independence but is actually attempting to tap into the irritation and anger of those who are fed up of feeling 'left out' because they are not part of the inner circle of 'bluer than blue' movers and shakers who they perceive as having been gorging at the trough like a bunch of tyrannosaurus hogs for years now.

Over the past few years, many voters have come to believe that in Malta we may all be equal, but that in reality some animals are more equal than others. When you talk to people on the street they often reel off example after example of 'preferential' treatment obtained by those with the right political connections. They rant and rave about how permits for certain major developments get issued in six months, while they had to wait for years for planning permission for some minor amendment to their home. They fume about not getting a promotion or not winning a tender, and they fret about the fact that they have to wait for years for a court case or some other legal issue to be resolved, only to then hear that some important fellow had his own legal irritation cleared in just a matter of weeks.

There is no doubt that in some cases the accusations of preferential or fast-track treatment is justified, while in others it is just a case of sour grapes. However at the end of the day the result is that we have a large section of the population who are bearing a grudge, and here I am including not only Labour supporters - who would obviously be inclined to believe that they are not getting their 'dues' due to their political affiliations - but also pale-blue votes who feel that they are not getting ahead in life simply because they are not a fixture at Dar Centrali. We all live on the same island and I am pretty certain that you know exactly what I mean. These sentiments are a reality of everyday life in Malta - it is not an accident that every year we slip further down the list on the corruption perceptions index published by Transparency International.

When the Labour Party coined their slogan, they were clearly hoping that it would speak to the innermost frustrations of a wide swathe of voters, including those of a pale blue persuasion, who have had it up to here with the shenanigans of the current batch of golden girls and boys. They want to hit the PN where it hurts: in the hearts and minds of those who have been talking about needing a 'change' for several years now. The slogan is a message of hope that finally there might be a solution to the current impasse.

In addition, the slogan tackles the concerns of many middle-of-the-road voters who fear that a different administration will simply mean a change of the guard at the trough. These are the people who believe that we need to sweep the stable clean, but who do not want to end up with a new batch of pro-Labour hogs. They dream of a true meritocracy, but wonder whether such a thing is actually possible on this small island of ours.

There is of course the other side of the coin, in that there must be a number of people who are expecting manna to fall from heavens straight onto their heads once 'their' party gets into government. These are the people to whom talk of meritocracy and equality are anathema - as far as they are concerned they have been waiting for the fiesta for 25 years now, and the Labour Party had better deliver. However the truth of the matter is that these hard core supporters are unlikely to vote PN just because the PL slogan makes them uneasy, so there will not be too much damage done.

So all in all I would say that this is a good slogan, and that kudos are due to whoever coined it. Clearly the PL strategists have weighed up the pros and cons and the slogan came up tops. The message it projects is a positive one, fostering the hope that we will one day break free from the destructive tribal mentality that colours everything we do and permeates every aspect of our lives.

Of course it is easy to put up a billboard and plaster a slogan all over the place, but less easy to actually live by the slogan once in government. The Labour Party has raised our expectations, so it should keep in mind that if it wins the election we will all be expecting it to deliver. After all these promises we are not expecting 'business as usual' on 10 March if the PL makes it to government - we are expecting an earthquake of meritocracy that rocks our world.