For schoolchildren and many families, the summer holidays are nearing the end. That does not mean that everyone else was on holiday, since many still have to provide what the rest of the country needs in whatever service is expected.
Looking at it from my point of view as Parliamentary Secretary, the public service never takes a holiday and God forbid it ever takes a break. Decision-makers ensure that projects in hand are completed and meantime dedicate more time for planning. This year, the budget for 2016 will be presented much earlier than usual, meaning that new measures and initiatives needed to be drafted, discussed and decided upon at a much faster pace. Evidently, the last months were far from a holiday for us as we were fully occupied with such detailed planning, together with legislative preparations and schedules for the coming months when Parliament is re-convened on 5th October.
While many were relaxing during the summer months, all Cabinet members were working hard, despite the Opposition's harsh and negative campaign of mud-slinging and character assassination. It did not come up with one single positive idea to help improve the country's performance. Negativity is in itself very frustrating and time-wasting for whoever is committed to ensure a better standard of living.
Little did one expect that the Opposition and its media would stoop so low as to attempt to belittle the hard work carried out tirelessly in the two delicate sectors for which I am responsible, namely the elderly and people with a disability. They are so politically and maliciously motivated that they stubbornly repeat their false accusations even when faced with the stark reality of true facts. We never thought we were perfect in all we do, but being obsessed with scoring political points at any cost is self defeating. It is such a pity that some people never learn to rise above partisan politics, even when it comes to delivering unfair blows to those supporting the most vulnerable in our society!
In full contrast to that, and in spite of it, we are all committed to put into place further promises from Labour's electoral manifesto. Come rain or shine, there are no holiday breaks for us, which is what is expected from a hard-working team that has gained the people's overwhelming trust three times over in its first two years in office.
As Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing, I constantly keep in mind the basic rationale behind the two sectors. The provision of equal and fair opportunities is a sine-qua-non in all our work since we intend enhancing a community that is free from discriminations and unjust obstacles to equal accessibility in everyday life.
As birth rates decline and populations grow older, people's abilities are becoming more and more diverse. As a nation we must respond to these trends in order to maximize the value of each member of society. Moreover, we believe that a robust society which embraces diversity is essential to create sustainable national value. This diversity is also an important factor in making the whole community more flexible and stronger so that it can respond to changes in its development and needs.
To this end, the government strongly believes in holding and nourishing diverse human resources, whatever the different levels of abilities. This should help them grow together through friendly co-existence and cooperation, and help them better understand one another's unique values. I have always been intrigued by what experts have repeatedly found out: very often we think that the whole idea about access is always about architecture and never about human beings!
In order to foster an atmosphere and environment that embraces diversity, we also believe that it is important to improve systems that further develop people's abilities and enhance their skills. It is our aim to provide equal opportunities to each person to experience great success and satisfaction in their roles in society and to promote the acquisition of knowledge and acceptance regarding diversity. Through specific legislation and administrative structures, we are committed to conduct various initiatives to realize this ideal.
The same applies to the other sector of my portfolio - active ageing. Being active does not simply mean giving older people something to do to kill time. Gone are the days when we accept those who say "there's no point in doing anything as I'm getting old anyway". Nor can we accept the outdated mentality that older citizens should save their energy and strength and rest.
We have embarked on numerous initiatives for lifelong learning within the community and transformed the traditional day care centres into learning hubs. We also secured further training for hundreds of staff in the various branches of care of the elderly. Besides upgrading our residential homes to the best possible quality levels, we have also been applying National Standards for residential homes and we continuously monitor the full effect of all our projects.
We have also initiated pilot projects that should contribute to the physical fitness of older citizens. The Secretariat is fully aware that exercise can even reverse some of the symptoms of ageing. It helps mind and body, mood and memory. Whether an old person is generally healthy or managing an illness, we provide ways of getting them to be more active and involved within the community, as well as improve their confidence and fitness.
I can assure everyone that in all these commitments there was no holiday break during the last months. Work-in-progress is not a seasonal task. All that has been achieved does not entitle us to sit on our laurels but inspire us to work harder for further inclusivity and equality in a just society.
Dr Caruana is the Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with Disability and Active Ageing