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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2023 Rewriting the political playbook Editorial THE Nationalist Party may have thought that it had rediscovered a sense of purpose and unity in oppos- ing the part-decriminalisation of abortion, but with MaltaToday's first survey of 2023 proving other- wise, it looks like the alienation of key demograph- ics, especially younger and more educated voters, has to become the party's top concern. The abortion issue comes in the shape of a tim- id reform which only allows terminations in very limited circumstances. It does not influence party choice. And while the issue can trigger culture wars from keyboard warriors – such as former Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo – larger segments of the electorate consider such issues secondary to economic issues. And Labour is still being reward- ed for navigating the ship in stormy international waters and mitigating the impact through cash injections and subsidies often directed at the most vulnerable. Instead, the people being ignored are the ones feeling the pinch in terms of low income and hous- ing affordability – but the PN hardly prioritises these issues. Voters worried about corruption, inequalities and environmental degradation are now more likely to protest by not voting rather than support a PN obsessed by culture wars with no bearing on daily life. People generally hate it when an issue is stuffed down their throat by a vocal lobby, which believes it has a monopoly on the truth. With the doom and gloom of preachers over what is a relative- ly minor reform that actually leaves the ban on abortion in most cases intact, the stage is set for such voices to appear by the side of religious con- servaties and the loony right-wing. This is not where Bernard Grech should be seen, but he has not had the foresight or wherewithal to shape a different agenda. Labour itself has managed to convince its own conservatives that abortion on demand is not pres- ently on the table while its timid tinkering with draconian abortion laws still offers some hope to liberals. Liberal voters, including those who are very critical of Labour's track record on govern- ance, may well put a peg on their nose to keep the ultra conservatives at bay. While for most voters abortion does not determine their voting choices, among those for whom this issue is a priority the game is no longer as one sided as it used to be. In this sense the PN's abysmal results among under 50-year-old voters speak volumes. Cur- rently, only 13% of 36-50-year-olds and 18% of 16-35-year-olds will be voting PN. Among both categories 38% will not vote while 26% will vote Labour. Even among the tertiary educated which also includes older and more conservative profes- sional elites, 37% will not vote in contrast to 30% who will vote PN. But even Labour has its own issues: the rapid growth in population in recent years as a result of thousands of foreign workers was the direct conse- quence of the government's economic policy, but this same policy has become a concern for its own voters more than anyone else. MaltaToday's survey shows that 'foreigners liv- ing in Malta' is the third highest concern at 13.3% for those who voted for the PL in the last general election. It is also the third highest concern for those who did not vote. But surprisingly the issue fails to make it among the top five among Nation- alist Party voters. These figures put the PL in a quandary on how to allay fears among its voter base on an issue that has been pretty much at the heart of the economic success of the past 10 years. It appears the govern- ment has to do much more to placate any concerns – real or imagined – people may have over the sizeable presence of foreign residents and workers. As the MaltaToday survey shows, criminality and by natural extension, justice, have emerged as the topmost cause for worry in the first concerns survey of 2023. 27.6% of all respondents made criminality their top cocern, a probable reflection of the public outcry and shock that followed three recent incidents – the murder of Pelin Kaya, who was car-rammed by a driver high on drugs; the unprovoked assault by teenagers on children in Valletta; and the acquittal of two men on trial for the murder of Sion Grech 18 years ago. However, 'foreigners living in Malta' – often cor- related to notions of either crime or social unrest – is a top five concern for all age groups except millennials, who are also the only ones to prioritise environmental destruction. Millennials aged between 16 and 35 have lived their whole adult life in a Malta that is part of the EU, where work and study exchanges with foreign- ers have become commonplace. This could explain why 'foreigners living in Malta' is not a top five concern for millennials. But this is also the cohort which is most con- cerned about environmental destruction with 11.2% indicating it as their principle worry. 'Envi- ronmental destruction' is the third highest concern for millennials. Again, here is an important indi- cator for parties looking to rewrite their political playbook by thinking ahead and imagining who their future voters will be. 12 February 2013 Muscat on the offensive: 'Gonzi endorsing Gatt's version of events' LABOUR leader Joseph Muscat has kept up his attack on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, accusing him of endorsing transport minister Austin Gatt's version of events on his meet- ings with oil trader George Farrugia. Farrugia, the director of Aikon Ltd and an agent for commodities firm Trafigura and Total, has been granted a presidential pardon to turn State's witness and reveal how commissions or kickbacks were paid to Enemalta officials for the supply of oil to the state utility. Trafigura is believed to have been aware of meetings Farrugia held with Austin Gatt, who was responsible for Enemalta at the time kick- backs were paid for the supply of oil, according to email correspondence between Farrugia and Trafigura representatives. Gatt, who denied having met Farrugia and sued MaltaToday for libel when this newspaper reported that the minister met the oil trader, has now claimed that his meetings with Farrugia did not involve talks on the supply of oil. "I reiterate that I never, ever, discussed the business of oil tenders by Enemalta with George Farrugia or had any conversation with him that remotely touched on such subjects. The email referred to by Dr Muscat does not say or imply otherwise," Gatt said yesterday evening. But Muscat today said that the Prime Minis- ter, who granted the presidential pardon during a late-night Cabinet meeting on Friday, had endorsed Gatt's version of events. "The prime minister is now responsible... instead of keeping his distance, Gonzi has made himself judge and jury," Muscat said of Gonzi's statements that Gatt should not take any political responsibility before the conclusion of police investigations into the alleged kickbacks. "Gatt's initial statement had led people to believe the meetings with Farrugia were constit- uency meetings, but the emails published in the Sunday Times raise different questions." Muscat has called on both Gonzi and Austin Gatt to "clear the air" on the revelations that Farrugia was asked Trafigura how his meetings with "the minister" went. "I don't think it's be- cause they are interested in how are things going in Valletta and Floriana," Muscat said. ... Quote of the Week "Unfortunately, around 90% of our waste is still heading towards our landfills. These are numbers that I am not happy with" Environment Minister Miriam Dalli says waste separation will become mandatory over the coming months with new laws introducing fines for non-compliance MaltaToday 10 years ago