Where’s the scandal? Parties play waiting game

Almost one week before the polls open for nationwide general and municipal elections, the big news is that…there is no big news. Going into the home stretch leading up to the March fifth balloting, each party strongly hinted that there would be political bombshells bursting like fireworks on News Year’s eve. Instead, those in charge of the U.D.P. and P.U.P. campaigns seem to be in a state of watchful waiting, each holding a burning match just inches away from the fuse of major scandal. What are they waiting for?

Timing, as they say, is everything. Too early and you’re left without a big finish; too late and you fail to maximise your impact. Insiders in both parties tell News 5 that there is no shortage of scandal. As the party out of power it is assumed that the U.D.P. has the biggest calibre ammunition, but how many shells is unclear. If all they have left in their arsenal is one big scandal, when should they fire? Wednesday would be good, but that would give the P.U.P. plenty of time to counterattack. Thursday is an excellent day for TV news, but you miss the opportunity to utilise your own party’s newspaper. Friday is out as you’re too late for the weekend papers and lose much of your television audience to happy hour. Monday is ideal to get in your last licks, but the timing is so suspicious that the independent media just may ignore what you have to say…even more so for Tuesday. So what’s it gonna be? Wednesday looks like scandal day, but with both parties focussed on voter challenges in Magistrate’s Court, it could present administrative difficulties. Whatever the timing, rumours say the U.D.P. still has more to say about finance and education, while the P.U.P. has been looking closely at some interesting U.D.P. nationality documents.