A strong message: a vote for AD

The current situation is dire. The Labour Party which was elected to bring change has failed us. Bad governance under the PN was taken to a further low. Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri should have been sacked immediately, but instead, they have been kept in Castille. Likewise, the poor environmental regulations, in particular their sheer lack of enforcement, by the PN were made less effective. Enforcement? What's that? 

This government has placed great emphasis on economic growth, seemingly making us think that good economic growth could compensate for its failure in other aspects. I do not prescribe to such a mentality. Sure jobs and economic growth are important, but it is not everything. Even then, in my humble opinion, our current government is exaggerating its economic success. There are many jobs, but the pay is poor. The Playmobil slave labour is an example which brings home the predicament of the most vulnerable - those which the 'trickling down' of 'wealth' does not reach.

People are forced to work overtime, instead of spending time with friends and family. Furthermore, a considerable amount of revenue was generated through the sale of national assets. A repeat of the selling of of the Mid-Med Bank for peanuts by the PN. These provide us with a one-time source of revenue, which means that we won't be able to generate such revenue in the future.

Clearly, we need change. Some seem to think that the PN has reformed itself and that it can clean up Maltese politics. I disagree. Much of the PN which was booted out in 2013 is still present in the current PN. Furthermore, in these four years, the PN has not demonstrated any will to reform itself. The Cedoli scheme and the allegation that db scandal tarnishes the PN's attempts to seem clean. 

We have had 50 years of solely PNPL. If these two parties wanted to reform themselves, they could have done so. The party in power gets to lead the institutions. Persons of trust occupy government jobs, instead of independent people. The big developers can do as they please, as do lobbies. Even our electoral system is designed to stop third parties from getting into parliament and influencing discussions. Parties and politicians change, but the problems remain the same.

There is a solution though. We can vote for a consistent third party with strong ideals, and trustworthy politicians. Alternattiva Demokratika has been fighting for thirty years. The only consistent party is AD. The others, swallowed up within the PN are already telling the hunting lobby that they can continue to dominate the countryside, hunt in spring and trap wildlife to their heart's content. They have capitulated and are even in favour of the destruction of Gozo through the crazy idea of a multi-billion Euro undersea tunnel. Alternattiva Demokratika believes that a strong country needs to put workers interests first. It believes that good environmental standards increase health and well-being. It also believes that our current institutions need to be revamped, not cosmetically changed. Without such measures, things won't change. We believe, we propose, we are consistent. We are not political prostitutes.

In a few days, we'll be presented with a choice between the status quo and meaningful change. I will choose change. I will choose to give a strong message to the bullies and arrogant ones. I will vote with a clear conscience. I will vote Alternattiva Demokratika.

Marc' Andrea Cassar is an AD candidate on the 1st district