Notwithstanding the rising election fever, which seeks to focus public attention on the intense tug of war between politicians and their respective party machines, the local English-language media feels compelled to reflect the distress of the electorate about urgent every-day issues.

On Friday 22 November for example, The Malta Independent editorialised on the high rate of workplace injuries

Its point was encapsulated in the following telling paragraph:

“How many workers do we see wearing harnesses and hard hats (at construction sites)?

“How many home-made dangerous contraptions are built to reach an area that needs painting? How many times do you drive past a construction site and see people hanging precariously out of windows to reach something that need attention? In all honesty, the work practices regarding construction in Malta are, by and large, shambolic...”

That same morning, The Times carried an editorial article on an air incubator, procured in 2006, and still not operational in spite of the fact that Air Malta made the necessary structural arrangement on its aircraft, at “untold cost to the taxpayer”. The Times commented: “Six months down the line, the Health Division, Air Malta and the paediatricians are still wrangling over the issue. This smacks of comic opera were it not for the fact that serious issues are at stake.”

Poor performance

As it happens, these same newspapers carried various other stories relating to poor performance in the Maltese public sector.

One of them originated from Brussels after the publication of a study by the European Network against racism. It highlighted the problems and abuse faced by migrants and asylum seekers in Malta. It speaks of outright exploitation and “the way illegal immigrants are being treated, particularly through the detention centres” system.

A correspondent in the same paper had a graphic story to tell about the service provided by “rotten apples” among the nursing staff in a particular ward in the newly opened Mater Dei Hospital.

Yet another story from Brussels confirmed that the European Commission has put it on record that “the air in Lija exceeds EU pollution limits and is not in line with EU law”.

The Commission further declared that “an air pollution abatement plan, prepared by Malta, did not manage to deliver compliance”.

And yet another story dealt with Labour Party complaints about the high cost of medicines and the lack of government initiative to control abuses.

Inertia at the top

Nearly all of the above complaints relate to health issues – and they all point the finger at inertia at the top. Whether this reflects incompetence or solid evidence of a government past its sell-by date is beside the point.

The fact remains that the groundswell of public dissatisfaction is rising and the focus of public distress has to do with health and cost of living issues.

A general perception seems to have entrenched itself – wherever one looks, it appears that the administrative engine is not working efficiently and, quite often, it is not delivering because of lack of enforcement and lack of direction.

As the electoral campaign gathers momentum, Ministers seem to be more concerned with their visibility and their status in their constituencies than with their office responsibility.

But, when the electorate in general is primarily concerned with cost-of living and health issues, constituency considerations take second place.

Hence the sharp, vocal criticism of ministerial performance, and lack of delivery by the government. Public discontent is tangible and it is growing.

It will not be dispelled by one or two Ministers playing the role of Rambo, and still less by Ministers who think they know it all, and persist on doing their own thing by divine right.

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