Sometimes we put the cart before the horse. Malta has always been a reactive, rather than proactive society. We have the same attitude when it comes to implementation of projects – whether minor or of a grand infrastructural nature. Let us take some instances which happen to be noticed by anyone with eyes to see.

The park and ride site, in Floriana, for instance, is badly in need of a clean-up as rampant weeds have sprouted all along the pavements and the sides. And why on earth have they allowed that old rusting, empty shed to stand in the middle and block valuable parking space? Everyone knows that come 3 July the park and ride site will be taken over by Arriva and that the government is extending the facility with more parking space, but the neglect evident on the site is no good omen at all.

Meanwhile, most of the principal roads on the island, even those that have been built recently, are badly in need of markings to be repainted. When it’s winter, we are told it is impractical to repaint the signs. When it’s summer, it’s probably too hot to repaint. So how come other countries have immaculate road signings and we don’t?

Down at Sliema, the government embarked on the Bisazza Street project and it seems it will become a beautiful road, everything considered. But why oh why has the department not prepared a water run-off drain while it was at it? Why is it that once the inauguration is over and the autumn rains come, the rainwater will flow down the middle of the road instead of being collected in a proper drain?

Also in Sliema, a wonderful garden has been created, the George Bonello Du Puis Garden. But like anything else done by the government, in the last days before it was opened, there was chaos and mess. Until the night before the inauguration, the toilets were still far from complete; floor tiles had not been laid, electricity was still being passed, etc. It was only later that most of the flaws and imperfections were ironed out, if they have been all ironed out, that is.

Why is this? We are unfortunately used to this being the rule in many private sector ventures, except the really upmarket ones, and we all grumble and complain that we do not seem to be getting better at project management.

But should we expect this type of attitude by the government too? The government has all the funds it needs. It has all the best resources in the country. It can order its way around. But is it so hard to get its employees to do things in the proper way?

Last week the Public Accounts Committee (this time mostly unreported by the media) focused on the Auditor General’s report on road maintenance in Malta.

It said that year after year money is spent on filling in potholes that are turned back into potholes as soon as the rains come.

Is it possible that in this 21st century the world has not yet found a way to carry out proper road maintenance; or is it we who are the exception and the rest of the world has got there before us?

After all, our taxes go into paying for these cases of neglect, as well as for the more meritorious things done by the government such as healthcare and social assistance to those who really need it.

In a way, we can say we hand over our hard earned cash to the government so that it can spend it on our behalf in proper and value-for-money ways. If this does not happen, we, the taxpayers, should contest the government if it becomes clear that it has no proper control over expenditure and over quality.