ELECTION SPECIAL €0.50 ELECTIONS 5 maltaISSUE 11211112 • TUESDAY,, 02 JUNEJU 2009 • WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MTtoday DAYS TO GO THET POLITICS OF SURVEYS StefStefano Mallia is advisor to MEP Simon Busuttil and a central part of the PN eelectoral campaign. His fi rm EMCS produced the newspaper survey predictingpred Labour's 10% lead over the PN and AD's 0.25% vote. WHY? FULL STORY PAGE 8 BUSUTTIL’S AIDE BEHIND ‘INDEPENDENT’ SURVEY Cutting losses - the strategy to turn out RAY ATTARD RAY the PN vote PHOTOGRAPHY BY INSIDE , MaltaToday’s FOLLOW THE CAMPAIGN NEWS & COMMENT surveys See page 7 PN, pgs 2-3 PL ,pgs 4-5 pages 8-14 AD ,6 Newspaper post Newspaper THIS IS A PAID ADVERT news Monday 02 June 2009 | maltatoday election special 3 but losing the war RAY ATTARD RAY Lawrence Gonzi faces an uphill struggle in an electoral race which Labour has turned into a campaign on domestic issues PHOTOGRAPHY BY 4 maltatoday election special | Monday 02 June 2009 news This is not just a KARL STAGNO-NAVARRA do not be complacent with Just over a year since Labour’s national issues, but also con- to be able to clinch that man- your vote, use it.” shock defeat in the general solidate his role as Prime Min- date and catapult his party as LABOUR leader Joseph Mus- A concise message, but sure- election, and less than a year ister in-waiting for the rest of the trusted alternative to Law- cat last night looked straight ly Muscat has stepped up the since his own election to party the legislature. rence Gonzi’s administration. into the lens of a One TV cam- pressure on his own campaign leader, Joseph Muscat desper- Replying to questions by He also needs that clear ma- era to reiterate a strong mes- at getting out the vote, as Eu- ately needs this vote to acquire TV personality Simone Cini jority to be able to put the sage to his grassroots support: rope-wide turnouts for these a clear, popular mandate that during a public interview in spoke into the wheel of the “This is your chance to send a elections are heading for an will not only confront Prime Joanne Gardens in Tarxien, Prime Minister’s legitimacy clear message to government; all-time low. Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Joseph Muscat insisted this in office with just a handful of was a “difficult election” for votes. Labour, adding that many La- Last night – as in previous bourites had either given up or occasions – Joseph Muscat has become sceptical about poli- once again directly attacked tics. Prime Minister Gonzi’s cred- Joseph Muscat is sticking ibility, by listing a series of to his cautious approach on issues that are the talk of the how to interpret reports about day. voter surveys that have put PL Shooting down the Prime well in the lead for next Satur- Minister’s appeals for the cam- day’s election. paign to be directed solely on He warned about the hype European issues, Joseph Mus- that led to the belief that a cat goes on to insist that this clear labour win was written is not just a European game, on the wall during last year’s but one to respond to what he general election. But Joseph defines as an arrogant admin- Muscat knows that this is not istration, that has broken all a general election and moreo- electoral promises and is ig- ver, Lawrence Gonzi will still noring people’s hardships. be the Prime Minister on He digs in where it hurts, Monday. and people respond, especially The issue Joseph Muscat when he mentions water and wants his party to understand, electricity, hunting and trap- however, is that this is not just ping, and illegal immigration. a European game. Most of all, All are populist issues, and next Saturday’s vote will be his put into context, could also first and most important test be interpreted as European is- since he was elected PL leader sues that place PN at a disad- a few months ago by party del- vantage. egates. On illegal immigration, Joseph Muscat is cautiously Joseph Muscat responds to calculating his future, because what the Maltese want to hear: he desperately needs to con- “Yes, we will use our veto with solidate an absolute majority no shame at all, until Brussels 2 maltatoday election special | Monday 02 June 2009 news Winning the battles Gonzi struggled to project an image of calm and serenity yesterday, but was unable to conceal his bitterness at Labour’s ‘populist’ campaign. RAPHAEL VASSALLO on the chronicle of a defeat foretold THE atmosphere at the PN headquarters in Pietà yesterday was vaguely reminiscent of a fu- neral parlour. Behind the smiles and impeccable politeness, there was also a palpable aura of despondency. At one point – while accusing his opposite I have only one number of hijacking a Europe campaign with purely local is- thing to say sues – the Prime Minister even “ allowed his sentence to trail away into a sigh and a shake of about people his head. Everything about Lawrence who adopt Gonzi’s delivery yesterday spelt out a single message in large, in- delible letters. “Yes, we will lose opportunistic, Saturday’s election,” he seemed to be saying, “But, damn it, we populist don’t deserve to...” That is of course debatable, but at the same time few would policies. Their deny that the writing on the wall is clear. All independent place is not surveys strongly suggest a La- bour landslide on Saturday – in politics. In differing only in the margin of victory – though confronted way out, appealing to populist But apart from the occasional suggested by Austin Gatt last with these and other prognos- issues to increase its own popu- admission that the government, Saturday. politics, you tics, Gonzi put on a brave but larity, while ignoring the reali- with hindsight, could have “I can assure you all,” Gonzi ultimately unconvincing face. ties our country is facing...” handled some of those issues insisted, “that when Gatt re- cannot allow “You all know I refuse to dis- In defending his record, Gonzi slightly better, Gonzi was on the ferred to ‘the party’, he meant cuss surveys and polls,” he de- urged the electorate to remem- whole defensive. As such, there ‘the party in government’...” yourself to be creed impatiently when asked ber the backdrop against which were moments when he could But did he really? If so, why did about a projected 10% advan- so many unpopular decisions no longer conceal the enormous he choose to couch his already tage for Labour. “I prefer to wait had to be taken: foremost of contradictions in his own argu- peculiar statement in the words dragged away until I have the official results which, the global economic cri- ments. For instance, questioned ‘party first of all’? Surely a sea- in hand...” sis. about the controversial Deli- soned Cabinet minister would by the current All the same, his own party “Much larger countries than mara power station contract – know the difference between appears to have already thrown Malta have faced much larger signed in the absence of an En- party and State, and avoid such in the towel behind his back. problems. Some, like Spain, have vironment Impact Assessment an obvious electoral pitfall in In what may well be a first for seen their unemployment soar – Gonzi insisted this was the the last lap before E-day itself... Maltese politics – or indeed, to as much as 17%. In Malta, only way the matter could have On other issues, however, it politics anywhere – the PN’s by way of contrast, unemploy- been concluded. must be said that Gonzi fared own campaign ads now predict ment stands at only 6%. This is “It is only natural that an better in his own defence. And a worst-case scenario, whereby still a cause for concern for us: EIA would be carried out after nowhere was he more convinc- the Nationalists retain only when even a single person reg- the choice of technology was ing – as usual – than on the one seat to Labour’s four. And isters for work and doesn’t find made,” he quickly retorted. But issue where he is unfairly criti- Gonzi himself recently made an any, that is a problem we have to this was at best a distortion of cised the most: irregular immi- astonishing public admission, face....” what actually happened: for the gration. when he strongly hinted to an But the Labour Party, he EIA was commissioned, not Joseph Muscat, Gonzi de- audience of disgruntled hunt- said, has chosen to ignore all after the “technology was cho- clared, had committed the ers that – if they were “not care- this, and has instead embraced sen”, but after the contract itself unpardonable sin of turning a ful” – the sixth seat might go to populist rhetoric aimed only at was already signed on the dot- human tragedy into a political AD’s Arnold Cassola. boosting its short-term elector- ted line. football. “Yes, we have had to make al chances. Besides, minutes before his “Why?” he rhetorically asked, difficult decisions,” Gonzi con- In between staple PN sound- defence of the controversial with reference to Muscat’s re- ceded yesterday with an air of bites – anything from “we are contract, Gonzi had lambasted cent insistence on an “extraor- exasperation. “But these were not afraid of the challenges Joseph Muscat for omitting any dinary” debate in parliament. necessary for the national inter- ahead” to “we want to bring the reference to the international “Because a boat turned up with est...” European Union to a factory price of oil in connection with 230 people on board? Is that an It was a leitmotif to which he shopfloor near you“ – Gonzi the hike in utility tariffs.