Public anger

The decision by the Nationalist Party to deprive thousands of voters from voting in local elections in three weeks time has angered the public and has earned severe criticism from the press. The party led by PrimeMinister Laurence Gonzi is not used to this kind of harsh treatment from usually friendly media sources such as the conservative Sunday Times. As I write I am listening to a live discussion programme on the Nationalist Party radio station with PN supporters phoning in to express their disgust at their party's decision. A selection of press clips:

PN Executive Committee member writing on today's Times: "But I am not only a former mayor of Marsa, I am still an active member of the PN executive and I know many of my colleagues are in pain seeing this party, which has the potential to win yet another national election, resort to measures that go against the essence of our beliefs...Let us get back to basics and let's start realising that we participate in politics not to win by tricks but by substance and persuasion.

The editorial of the Malta Independent Feb 14: "The decision taken by the Nationalist Party to withdraw four candidates from the forthcoming local council elections is rather strange. It was bound to backfire, and indeed it has done so already...The PN has shot itself in the foot on this one."

The editorial of the The Times Feb 14: "By making a move that could only give the party and its die-hards a false sense of security; in other words trying to give the impression that the party is stronger than it really is. Having said that, one suspects that the PN knows precisely where it stands in terms of popularity and hence its Marsa/Zejtun pull-out decision. It is a pity that a strong and courageous party like the PN should opt for tactics the weak resort to. Who shall bell the cat now?

The editorial of the Sunday Times Feb 13: "So it is ironic that while acknowledging the right of voters to decide who becomes mayor, the PN this year has deprived its voters in two major localities of the choice of who becomes councillor."

The editorial of Malta Today Feb 13: "What the PN did was diabolical. I do not know if there was a discussion, but it is apparent that depriving the people of Zejtun and Marsa an election, will benefit the PN, worried over a landslide defeat at the local council elections. With these kind of games, I am not quite sure what politics is all about"