The weeks morph into months, cold and wintery as we have not had for some years now and the months into years.   Time is rolling by and we continue struggling to keep a cool head whilst the “Keep calm?  Not for the Maltese” is more up our street.

The street itself has also changed.  Iconic buildings that stood on proud street corners and were something of a landmark have been demolished or monstrously altered into another shape and size.  Drive up one street and find a concrete room with a crane blocking it, reverse if you can, get yelled at, try another with the same result. 

The mood grows weary hearing continuously about one case of corruption after another and the accusations flying from one side to the other.  We want to be optimistic.  We want to get on with our life.  We should not have to be so pre-occupied with the environment around us and lack of accountability.  Many people had thought that a smart new way of running our country was going to bring prosperity and a relaxed and confident future for us.  Unfortunately, the opposite happened.  The country is locked in a charmless crevice – tall buildings to one side and corruption to the next. 

Sometimes, when we reach this state, it becomes difficult to judge and find the energy to imagine a different reality.  Instead, it is easier to accept the general state of affairs and make do with what we have, convincing ourselves that it is good and we have done well.

In this way, a minister without portfolio who found himself with this title due to the fact that he put himself before the people he was supposed to serve, is now responsible for Chairing the Energy Council for the duration of Malta’s presidency of the European Union and the remarkable Chief of Staff has been absent from work for health reasons without anyone replacing him or some explanation being given to the public for a good while now.

In other ways we are also expected to keep away from protesting any shortcomings in the health or business sector or the way our money is used in the interest of privileged individuals or companies.   Malta always managed to keep a positive financial position when tourism was good.  The tourism sector had recovered well under the PN, after the challenging years of the Twin Towers in the USA and then the 2008 banking crises.  By the time the Labour government was elected, the benefit of bringing in the low-cost and other airlines was giving Malta the boost it needed and geo-political affairs continued to contribute to the popularity of the island, bringing in record number of arrivals.  The cruise-liner traffic, established on a sound footing, also by the PN, continued to add passengers and calls to Valletta.  Air Malta was better positioned to carry out the re-structure it needed.  Once the tourism wheel is turning, there is always a good revenue and many people get to benefit directly or indirectly. 

Financial services are under the spot-light with all the negative publicity about corruption and the sale of citizenship to non-disclosed persons as brought about by Muscat and his close confidantes.  This sector, too, was established under the PN government and remains a pillar of the economy along with the gaming business.  Now, it is under threat, not only from the bad light falling on it but also from the lack of innovation around it.  In order to stay ahead of the digital game and to compensate for our limitations in terms of qualified employees, research and other forces, we need to keep on investing in it and implementing new technologies before we begin to fall behind.  Not much of that has been happening unless it is through private investment.

However, like a family business that once thrived and fed up to three or four families and that today has barely one or two original family members on the board, we run the risk of losing our place on the market. 

With challenges from overseas and more even from the same government that is meant to be promoting and driving the means to attract more business but appoints jobs by favour and discards organisations whose role it is to develop industry, we rely more and more on the tourism sector to keep a good balance sheet. 

So, if anyone is a bit sceptical of re-switching to PN at the next election, they only need to take a couple of minutes to consider that all that they enjoy today is really the fruit of what was done before Labour got elected and it can only do better under a PN government, if not for anything else, then simply for the fact that all this embroilment of corruption is taking place now, under the Labour Government and without that not only will there be more time to deal with the work of the day but also to have a more positive and pro-active management and leadership and improved reputation.

As for tourism, again, the many improvements made to the infrastructure were made under the previous government and the current government reaps the benefit.  Again, if not in another way, at least from the direction it was given. 

The maritime industry, the energy sector, the Freeport, the EU membership, the Euro, education, health, employment -  all gained or brought gain under the PN administration.  More could have been done or done differently in the environment sector although the effort was in trying to improve and where in many ways we are now so much worse off. 

Many do not know or remember what effort had to be made to recover from the disaster of the Mintoff and other Labour governments.  The country today is a different one but still a work in progress and falling behind is not an option to those who had to put in the hard work and investments, training and direction. 

Whoever picks up the job next will need to have a professional team, well informed and prepared to lead and make policies to fix the deficiencies over these past years, experienced and yet energetic and bright, diplomatic and confident, with a positive and knowledgeable mentality.  The spirit of cooperation and honesty is essential and cannot be compromised.  It will have to be all hands on deck. 

So, let us pull ourselves up and get ready to tow the rope.  Looking back at what was done in the past, that is prospering today, is enough testament of the capability, positive mentality and experience available for a new commitment to do well by ourselves and by our country.  Do not lose the opportunity to make the right choice and put your trust where it is needed.