There are no two ways to go about it. Last Saturday's electoral result was a massive victory for Labour and its new leader, Dr. Joseph Muscat.
The margin of victory, some 15% equivalent to some 35,000 votes, is unprecedented. That Lawrence Gonzi and the PN seem to have come out of such an electoral thumping relatively unperturbed is something that should be of concern to us all. There have been other instances when the PN suffered electoral defeats with PN leaders coming out promising a new era of doing politics, of being more perceptive to people's needs, and of taking on the message, only for us to find out that these were but hollow words. Only time will tell whether Dr. Gonzi and co. actually mean what they are saying this time round.
In my view, last Saturday's vote was not merely a vote to elect Malta's representatives in the European Parliament. It was a vote of no-confidence in Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and his administration. Having invested so much in the persona of Dr. Gonzi in the run up to the March 2008 general elections, to the extent that the wizards toiling in Pieta came up with the assimilation of the party with the leader in their GONZIPN creation, it was only legitimate for the people to express their opinion on the overall performance of Lawrence Gonzi and his government. The people have now spoken clearly giving their thumbs down to Lawrence Gonzi and his administration.
Dr. Gonzi must now act. He must show in concrete terms that he has taken on the message that the electorate has so loudly given. This was a clear vote of no-confidence in him and he should do the decent thing and resign.
At the same time, on the Labour front it is imperative for everyone to keep their feet firmly on the ground. This electoral victory marks the beginning of a long and arduous road ahead. As the lessons learnt in 2008 clearly show, there is still a lot of hard work ahead, and we would be foolish to think that this electoral victory makes it a certainty that a new Labour government would be elected to office in the next general elections. We need to keep focused and work with vigour and determination to continue to convince as many people as possible that this country desperately needs a breath of fresh air, a change that only a Labour administration can bring about.
The margin of victory, some 15% equivalent to some 35,000 votes, is unprecedented. That Lawrence Gonzi and the PN seem to have come out of such an electoral thumping relatively unperturbed is something that should be of concern to us all. There have been other instances when the PN suffered electoral defeats with PN leaders coming out promising a new era of doing politics, of being more perceptive to people's needs, and of taking on the message, only for us to find out that these were but hollow words. Only time will tell whether Dr. Gonzi and co. actually mean what they are saying this time round.
In my view, last Saturday's vote was not merely a vote to elect Malta's representatives in the European Parliament. It was a vote of no-confidence in Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and his administration. Having invested so much in the persona of Dr. Gonzi in the run up to the March 2008 general elections, to the extent that the wizards toiling in Pieta came up with the assimilation of the party with the leader in their GONZIPN creation, it was only legitimate for the people to express their opinion on the overall performance of Lawrence Gonzi and his government. The people have now spoken clearly giving their thumbs down to Lawrence Gonzi and his administration.
Dr. Gonzi must now act. He must show in concrete terms that he has taken on the message that the electorate has so loudly given. This was a clear vote of no-confidence in him and he should do the decent thing and resign.
At the same time, on the Labour front it is imperative for everyone to keep their feet firmly on the ground. This electoral victory marks the beginning of a long and arduous road ahead. As the lessons learnt in 2008 clearly show, there is still a lot of hard work ahead, and we would be foolish to think that this electoral victory makes it a certainty that a new Labour government would be elected to office in the next general elections. We need to keep focused and work with vigour and determination to continue to convince as many people as possible that this country desperately needs a breath of fresh air, a change that only a Labour administration can bring about.
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