Charles Darwin would be having a field day. These are not century-old turtles crawling around the Galapagos. They are male Maltese politicians seeking high ground for breeding rights to grab some of the scraps left by the big shots by marrying a very specific type of wife: one whose surname starts with an A.
Gradually, after millions of years of the single transferable vote, and political cross-breeding with Abelas, Agiuses, and Azzopardis, politicians named B, C, or heaven forfend, F, will roll into extinction.
Remember that voting preferences on our system usually run out after a voter has chosen his top one, two or three candidates and then proceeds to reward all other candidates of his favourite party he’s never really heard of in alphabetical order.
So it’s nice to sit on top of the list if people don’t have any other reason to vote for you except that you’re towards the front of the phone book.
When the politicians coming from further back in the book are driven extinct, the alpha politicians will be the ones with a ‘b’ for the second letter of their chosen wife’s name. Abelas will always rule. As long as nobody marries an Aardvark.
Meantime Sean Meli, a Labour star in Ħal Qormi rising out of the dark shadow cast by Roseanne Cutajar has found a way of leapfrogging over the intrepid harridan by marrying a Miss Apap.
They follow in the footsteps of that other power couple with a capital A, Mr and Mrs Alex Agius Saliba.
I’m sure they’re in love and all that. And in the interest of their children’s chances of carrying forward the new political dynasty they have founded may they be blessed with many Alberts, Annes and annexes to their bedrooms.
