“Since when has politics been reduced simply to winning elections rather than serving… as a citizen? I would like to see a person become leader because he is able to lead and not is able to win, because the real test comes after victory, 24 hours after winning, when you have to start taking tough decisions,” Dr Gonzi said as he argued for the party to remain rooted in its principles. [as reported in The Times 2 June 2008]
Since Lawrence Gonzi is asking ‘since when politics has been reduced simply to winning elections’ I’ll remind him some things he might have forgotten:
- Signing a ‘pact’ with hunters when he was secretary general of the Nationalist Party;
- Allowing his apparatchiks to attack political rivals personally and stooping to low levels during recent election campaigns;
- Allowing Caqnu to do whatever he wants – e.g. Safi/Kirkop supermarket;
- Meeting with people who illegally occupy public land in Armier and promise them that they can keep stolen public property;
- Dishing out government housing a few months before the election at an astounding rate compared to previous years;
- A record of ‘boarded out’ people in Gozo;
- Attempting to strike 800 senoir citizens from the electoral register in 2003 (courtesy of Gordon Pisani).
- etc. etc. etc.
“Since when has politics been reduced simply to winning elections…?”
Ralph Cassar 