California Dreaming

The Malta Independent 

 

As life slows down to enjoy the peak holiday period, where with everybody away from his desk, one cannot work even if one wanted to, I could be allowed a licence to dream of California.

Not the California dreaming 1968 type when flower power turned the tide of public opinion on America’s involvement in the Vietnam war and made 1968 the year when a new generation shaped new thinking in the electronic age. It is California dreaming version 2003 where a Governor returned to office merely months back has been recalled to face the electorate again through a forgotten and unused 1911 provision in the law providing for such recall meant to give power to the people when things do not work out quite as promised. A crisis in Californian state finances, amid growing dissatisfaction with incumbent governor Gray Davis's (Democrat) handling of it, is forcing a recall on October 7^th to decide whether the Governor can continue with his term and if not who should replace him.

Now just imagine if this California thinking were to be applied to Malta. Just imagine if people here where really to keep politicians accountable to their free-flowing promises before elections. Would you not agree that we have a more forceful case for a recall of the last election?

At least I can suggest two main reasons for a recall, one from each political camp. Let’s deal with the government recall first.

Would it not be proper if the government is recalled to keep itself accountable to the strong pre-election statements made, via billboards and all, that the state of public finances was in good solid shape? How can the electorate accept that it is treated with such contempt when the state of public finance has clearly and purposely been manipulated for partisan political gain?

The election was held on 12^th April on the pretext that state finances were in good shape and getting better and that a budget deficit of 4% GDP for 2003 was realistically achievable. Then on 9^th May 2003, less than a month later we get our first shock with the publication of the actual deficit figures for whole year 2002 and for the first quarter of 2003, which show significant adverse deviations from budgetary projections and pre-election affirmations. On 30^th May we get re-confirmation of this adverse reality when the April finance figures get published and the same thing happened on 27^th June when the May figures get published. Then on 25^th July 2003, a mere 104 days after the election, the June 2003 mid-year figure get published and the adverse deviation from budget is so glaring that the government is forced to admit that its budget had gone haywire.

The government would have us believe that the deviation was caused by domestic slowdown caused by the elections and by international slowdown caused Iraq war uncertainty. It would be unrealistic not to acknowledge these factors, but blaming them entirely for the sharp budgetary deterioration is just rubbing salt over the contempt wound.

The opposition could also be recalled to see why it needed to lose an election to accept EU membership reality and why it denied the many from the opportunity to vote for a change of government by presenting a mutually exclusive choice between a Labour government and EU membership.

As soon as the holiday season is over this dreaming stops and we return to reality that whilst Californians can recall their government for bad management in Malta we can’t even dream to recall our government for stark misrepresentation.

Is it because we do not have a Schwarzenegger amongst us?