Throughout my years of serving in the political arena, I have learned to be positive after surviving unfair campaigns. No one has ever dared attack my performance and my personal integrity but could only resort to personal attacks, in a desperate attempt to shoot the messenger as the message was always too high to target.

That same malicious strategy has been adopted on a larger scale throughout the first four years of Dr Joseph Muscat's government by those who know nothing better. Their traditional mudslinging campaigns are not new to local politics but their latest outbursts have reached the lowest levels ever. Creating doubts and suspicions, together with fabricating fake news and resorting to hate language have become the only narrative in reply to a hard-working Labour government that turned Malta and Gozo into a success story on all counts.

From issues to mudslinging

It is very convenient to ignore the main successful issues, or rather to divert the people's attention from them, and instead engage in mudslinging. Anyone could decipher a constant pattern because they applied these negative tactics at each point when the Labour government shone brilliantly in its performance of attaining the best results for our country - both locally and internationally. One might grant that sour grapes can be an apparent issue for them, but one cannot fathom why there are those who go as low as trying to destabilise the country's wellbeing through their dissemination of false insinuations.

In response to all these negative concerted efforts, Dr Muscat's statesmanship led us to forge ahead with the country's agenda, moving from optimism to success, from a chronic deficit to a historic surplus. Their habitual negative spasms have reached the lowest frenzy of personal attacks, including family members. The subtle attacks on Mrs Michelle Muscat have now peaked to untold animosity. It obviously led to Dr Muscat's strong reaction, albeit calm and composed, in the face of such a vicious eruption of hate.

The country knows well that the Opposition has no credentials to outdo Labour's successes in all major fields. They can only resort to feeling resuscitated from the huge 2013 defeat through the filthy campaigns they have been relentlessly promoting all through Dr Muscat's first legislature. However, for political mudslinging to be of any value to the electorate, it must pass two tests: Truth and Relevance. What you say about your opponent must be true and authentic, and must also be relevant to the electorate's immediate interest, otherwise it will backfire.

Our resilience

Over and above the Opposition's onslaught of attacking all we do, simply for the sake of being destructive, I have been very busy this week with important events related to my portfolio. Facts speak louder than words and as a government we have to be resilient ourselves to complement the nation's natural resilience. In my line of work, I come across this fact, especially in relation to our elders and people with disabilities.

All this came to mind last week at the inauguration of commemorative events marking the 125 years of the Long-term Care Facility at St Vincent de Paul. Exhibiting historic documents from the National Archives is in itself a vivid account of how we have been transforming the place into a state-of-the-art residence and a fully-fledged facility for long-term care. Going through such documentation one cannot imagine what the place was like when compared to the rebranded complex we have today, equipped with several state-of-the-art medical clinics for various ailments that afflict the elderly and residential wards that give dignity to our clients.

The fact that the anniversary events are managed by a team from among the hard-working staff, in consultation with the residents themselves, shows the high teamwork spirit. It also proves the seniors' own determination to stay active and fully participate in all that is meant for their own benefit.  

Older persons are a clear example of the nation's resilience. Their strength of character in many ways shows buoyancy to face reality with staunchness. They make meaning of any challenge instead of crying out in despair, and are ready to act and improvise solutions. In appreciation of that strong will power, we have to be proactive and cannot but support them through various initiatives and schemes, secured by the necessary legislation.

Promoting abilities

The SkillSpace Centre in Sliema, which I opened last month, was the venue this week for the launch of yet another Budget 2017 measure - the Sharing Lives scheme. Both the fully equipped premises and the new scheme are meant to highlight and enhance individual abilities from within the same people with disabilities.  

Together with parents, carers and professionals from Aġenzija Sapport, the scheme ropes in volunteers who can spend time with people with disabilities and help them socialise further. One-to-one or group sessions are held purposely to create individual friendship and trust, where volunteers are specifically trained and supported by professional workers.

It is also envisaged that in this way volunteering in this role is well structured and regularised, leading to timetables that are mutually convenient for our clients and volunteers. We have already had a very promising outcome through an initial pilot project over the past months, with about 15 volunteers and around 20 clients benefitting from such a scheme. Our resourcefulness for such initiatives arise from current programmes and proposals coming from families and carers involved. This has been the way forward and, together with all those involved, I am confident of the scheme's success in the coming years.

Let us never forget that over the years, not only was it a social stigma socially for the family and siblings to have a disability, but parents had to struggle incessantly to make ends meet, even at the risk of poverty. Many may dismiss such reminders but I hold that we all need to be aware of what these people have been through and to work harder to establish and secure their full rights. I have never believed in cosmetics and I am always determined to provide the best quality services to all those who deserve them.

Gozo's fair share

The first-ever professional training course for carers in Gozo during the past months led to the graduation of 80 new professionals last Thursday. Elderly Gozitan people and people with disabilities can now benefit directly from a stronger and better-prepared workforce closer to home. In its own way, this has created more job opportunities for Gozitans who opt to take up this career and serve people and their respective families in all that Government can provide by way of supportive services within the community. 

Needless to say, it was most satisfying opportunity to present certificates, also accredited by the University of Malta. While thanking all 80 new carers, I acknowledged their resilience in selecting such a career through which they will build an indispensable human contact with their.    

This week, I also opened a new day-care learning centre at Sannat, with the full cooperation of the locality's local council. It adds to the already established centres in Xewkija, Rabat and Xagħra, apart from others in the offing. Each time I preside over such openings, I always insist that they are meant to celebrate the commitment of all those who gave their precious input in following set timeframes and budgets while overcoming unexpected hurdles.

It is indeed satisfying for me as a Gozitan in the country's executive body to have worked for such events, as it further establishes Gozo's fair share of the Labour government's endeavours in the ageing population and disability sectors. Labour walks its talk and my fellow Gozitans can now, better than ever, before savour the real facts.