Welcome to the Election Desk. This is where we round up the major headlines of the last 24 hours, together with some of the more light-hearted and funnier sides of the campaign trail.
You used to call me on my cell phone
We all have horror stories about waiting in a customer care hotline queue, but nothing quite beats Adriana Bishop’s experience trying to get through to the KM Malta Airlines call centre to book her election flight.
She made a whopping 44 phone calls to the airlines booking centre just to secure a seat on a homebound flight from Switzerland. Those first 42 calls failed without even ringing, on the the 43rd attempt the line dropped mid-sentence.
Right now, KM Malta Airlines is the only airline offering discounted flights for Maltese voters abroad. We asked the Electoral Commission about the possibility of extending election flights to other airlines, as proposed by the PN, and they said it will discuss the matter over the next days.
But do things have to be like this? In other countries, postal voting and voting at embassies are established practices. When Times of Malta reported this in the past, political insiders said that new methods would need agreement across the political spectrum, hence why there has been little effort to resolve this.
The matter even caught the attention of Momentum. The party said the hotline is “not fit for purpose” and instead an online booking system should be used.
Adriana Bishop made 44 phone calls before she was able to get through to the election flight hotline. Photo: Shutterstock/Times of MaltaA sea of activity
Party activities took on a maritime flair on Tuesday
First, the PN said it is going to build a petrol station with a twist. Alex Borg unveiled the party’s latest proposal to develop an LNG terminal at Hurd’s Bank that will service the thousands of vessels passing through the Mediterranean.
Alex Borg pitched this as an easy-money project that will not place any pressure on the country’s existing infrastructure. The party estimates that this will generate €450 million in revenues within three years and create 150 ‘high-value’ jobs.
Meanwhile, Robert Abela went on a boat ride. No, not on his Azimut yacht this time (that’s for when the election is over). He inaugurated a fast ferry service that will link Sliema, Buġibba and Gozo. It will take passengers 30 minutes to travel between Sliema and Buġibba, and another 30 minutes between Buġibba and Gozo, with a 15 minute stop in Buġibba for anyone wanting to stop and check out the locality, for some reason.
The new fast ferry approaching Buġibba.It wasn’t just Labour and the PN talking about maritime matters. ADPD made a couple of pledges too, including a dedicated secretariat or ministry on maritime policy and effective laws to protect public access to the coastline.
New schools, old pledges
In a later press conference, the PN pledged to build a new school every year. It’s an ambitious proposal, but not one we’ve never heard before. When the Nationalist Party was last in government, there was a plan to do this too. It was even taken on by the Labour government after the 2013 election.
There was also a bit of a weird statement from the PN’s youth spokesperson during the conference. She said young people feel “scared” going to certain entertainment venues. I consider myself a youth, and I’m not quite sure which venues she’s referring to. Exiles on a Wednesday? Big G’s on a Friday night? Liquid on a Saturday? The only party venue I fear is Buġibba in general. If you ever see me on the Sliema – Buġibba – Gozo ferry, you know I won’t be stopping there.
Yes for divorce(d first-time buyers)
The electoral pledges continued after dark. During the Labour Party’s event in Siġġiewi, Robert Abela promised that divorced or separated couples who had bought a property together will be eligible to first-time buyers’ benefits when they buy a property individually. Basically, recent divorcees will benefit from first-time buyer tax exemptions.
Have you ever heard of a ‘marriage of convenience’? It’s a marriage entered into for practical or strategic advantages. Maybe this financial incentive could pave the way for a ‘divorce of convenience’ for financial advantages. Or possibly a marriage of convenience entered into just to eventually file a divorce of convenience? The possibilities are endless for young couples wanting to hack the system.
Robert Abela greeting supporters in Siġġiewi’s main square before his speech on Tuesday evening. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier