Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/801885
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 MARCH 2017 News 6 IN an interview with Sunday newspaper Illum, former Altern- attiva Demokratika chairperson Michael Briguglio –who cur- rently represents the party on the Sliema local council-called on his party to "consider" the possibility of a pre electoral coalition with the PN. Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo replied that it is not the right time for such a move. Briguglio's argument is prag- matic. In the absence of a na- tional epiphany which sees thou- sands of voters migrate to the small party, it is impossible under the current electoral system for a third party to win a seat in parlia- ment on its own steam. For a small party to win a seat in parliament it would need around 2000 first preference votes and about 1,000 votes transferred from other parties. This crude reality makes it easy for big par- ties to denigrate a vote for small parties as a wasted one. So to avoid this handicap a small party may contest on a joint list with a bigger party in a way that vot- ers can vote for it while choos- ing which party they want to see leading the government. "A cross-party, pre-electoral coalition – with different party candidates on the same list – may offer the best of both worlds if formulated properly. It would comprise smaller parties who are closer to such voters' beliefs, and it would also dispel the 'wasted vote' threat", Briguglio wrote in a recently penned article. Missed opportunities Those familiar with AD's in- ternal debates are not shocked by Briguglio's suggestion. The thought was actively entertained in the aftermath of the EU refer- endum and it was the PN, which refused the offer to form a joint pro-EU list in which AD can- didates would have been on the same list as the PN. Instead the PN offered the speaker's post in return for not contesting. AD refused the offer and went to campaign asking PN voters to give their second pref- erence to AD, a strategy which earned it the rebuke of then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami on the eve of the election. In the aftermath of the 2008 election there was also talk of a "progressive alliance" with La- bour but this failed to materialise as the most Labour would offer was for AD to be absorbed by the Labour Party and become a sec- tion of the party. The problem for AD is that whenever one votes for a third party in Malta one automatically disqualifies himself or herself from choosing which of the big parties will govern the country. This is because if only two par- ties are elected to parliament, it is the party with the relative major- ity of votes, which automatically wins a majority of seats in parlia- ment. Surely a few don't care which of the two parties is elected to gov- ern them but many voters are not willing to renounce this power. This explains the discrepancy between AD's vote in local coun- cil level where the government is not at stake and national election results. While Michael Briguglio was elected for a fourth time in the Sliema local council with 8% of the vote, the party only got 2.3% in the tenth district which includes Sliema in the general election held on the same day. But in a pre-electoral alliance- in the form of a joint list with a major party, a small party like AD will not only benefit from in-house vote transfers but also it may attract first preferences of people who simply vote for the lesser evil. So why ally oneself with the PN and not the PL? Simply because at this stage the PL can easily win alone and does not need AD. It is the PN, which may need AD, not just to increase its votes but also for its credibility and good name. So if AD's main aim is to get a seat in parliament to be in a position to propose laws and help clean up politics, a pre-electoral coalition seems to be the way to go. Waiting for Godot But if AD's primary aim is to simply increase its first prefer- ences to rock the boat, it also needs to revise its strategy, pos- sibly becoming more radical and speak on other issues apart from good governance and the envi- ronment. In this sense if AD goes for it alone it has to find more electoral niches which distinguish it from both PN and PL. In the context of AD contesting alone, should abortion and euthanasia remain taboos? For if good governance is your priority as a voter, would it make sense or you to vote for a party which was no chance of inf luencing the country's parlia- mentary agenda? Strategically one may argue that AD needs a critical mass of voters before even consider- ing a coalition with either of the two parties. This will definitely strengthen its position in ne- gotiations with the other side. Therefore an increase in votes this time round may make AD a more attractive coalition partner next time round. Everything may be up for grabs in 2023 when one expects the PN to have a more realistic chance of winning and Labour a greater risk of losing. But it may well be that the cur- rent AD leadership is hinging its bets on a national epiphany, a moment of rapture which will see both big parties losing credibility and their voters more willing to vote AD. In this way their strategy may well be that of avoiding divisive cultural issues like euthanasia, to become more appealing for main- stream voters departing from both the PN and PL. The latest scandal involving donations by db Group to the PN which fol- lows even greater scandals like Panamagate which hit Labour in the past year, may have rekindled these hopes. Hope never dies, it seems. The last refuge of purity But beyond this pragmatic strategic argument there is a po- litical argument. There are those who vote AD simply because it is 'pure' compared to the two behe- moths. For these voters any con- tact with any of the big parties carries the risk of contamination. The recent party financing scandal-involving donations by db Group paid to the PN has cer- tainly dealt a blow to the PN's good governance credentials, thus making the party even more toxic for such voters. Unlike Marlene Farrugia's nas- cent Democratic Party, AD has a 28-year history to defend and one understands its reluctance to risk its hard earned reputation for honesty by hinging its bets on an alliance with the PN. Why should AD risk its stand- ing with its core voters by associ- ating its good name with a party like the PN which has so many warts? A coalition of losers? Moreover polls show that La- bour will probably win the next general election by a comfort- able margin. The chances of the PN winning the next election Call for the Appointment of Auditors to the NDSF e National Development and Social Fund ("NDSF", or "Fund") is a Government Agency established for the purpose of managing and administering seventy per cent of the contributions received from the Individual Investor Programme of the Republic of Malta set up by virtue of the Malta Citizenship Act Cap.188. e founding regulations stipulate that the Agency shall contribute, support, promote and foster projects of national interest particularly in the advancement of education, research, innovation, justice, health, competitiveness, social and gender equality and to undertake initiatives for the benet of future generations. Submissions are invited from authorised audit rms to be considered for nomination to act as the external auditors of the Fund. e appointed audit rm will be required to carry out a statutory audit of the annual nancial statements of the Fund in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). e term of appointment of the Auditors shall be for a period of ve years. All submissions are to include a nancial oer and are to be placed in a sealed envelope and sent to the Chief Executive Ocer, e National Development and Social Fund 46, West Street, Valletta, VLT 1531, Malta by not later than Monday 10th April, 2017. An Appointment Brief can be requested by sending an email to raymond-andrew.ellul@gov.mt PN-AD coalition: Fatal embrace With growing talk of pre-electoral coalitions between the PN and smaller parties, JAMES DEBONO asks what is at stake for the Green Party as it faces an existential debate a few months before a general election? And would the PN consider AD as a coalition partner? AD councillor and former leader Michael Briguglio wants his party to consider a coalition with the PN and Marlene Farrugia's PD