Malta’s reputation on the international stage had its ups and downs in the last four years.

The holding of the summit on migration which was followed up by the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in late 2015 were two feathers in this government’s cap.

Both happened before the eruption of the Panama Papers scandal and all that followed, and it must be said that matters have drastically changed since then.

Malta was the only European member state to have a serving minister named in the Panama Papers. What’s more, there was the OPM chief of staff too. And now there are allegations that the PM’s wife is the owner of a third company that was set up in Panama soon after the 2013 election.

Joseph Muscat continues to defend the indefensible. To say that Konrad Mizzi has paid the political price for his poor judgment is incomprehensible. What price did he pay? He stayed on as minister with the same conditions and perks; just losing his title when he is doing the same work as before is no punishment at all. And what price did Keith Schembri pay? Nothing at all, and yet he refrains from appearing in the media to face questions. Very much like Konrad Mizzi is doing.

Muscat also says that the government will continue to defend Malta after the attack on our tax system. He must remember that it takes years to build one’s reputation and only one moment of madness to see it collapse. And, in this sense, he did not help much with his inaction, as the Opposition Leader pointed out.

Malta’s presidency of the European Union was also a high for this government – but only for the first few weeks. As February moved into March the rumblings of an early election quickly put out any interest in such a historic moment for Malta. Having the PANA committee here in Malta during the presidency is not something that should make any government proud. And to have the Prime Minister refusing to attend a meeting with the same committee, again, should make him blush. There was also an attempt to discuss Malta’s situation in a special European Parliament session, but this, thankfully for Muscat, has been postponed till after the election. Nobody speaks about the EU presidency anymore, although Malta is technically still head of the European Council.

And last weekend we had the publication of the Malta Files, yet another blow to our international credentials. The focus on Malta has been great since the Panama Papers, particularly because of the PM’s inaction. Now the country must face the music.

Whatever happens, and whoever is elected, the first task of the next government will be to restore Malta’s reputation. The financial services industry, a pillar of our economy, is under attack and it is only now that we realise how fragile it is. Malta cannot afford to continue losing points on this.

In other news from the election campaign, it is of concern to hear the Opposition Leader say that elderly people are receiving phone calls from people linked with Labour telling them that their pension will be taken away if the PN is elected to government. If this is happening, one can only condemn such despicable tactics.

Busuttil also said that the Labour government has made little use of European funds, and a new PN government will build its electoral promises on this money.

The PN also unveild its programme for young people.

The Labour Party pledged to remove tax if people donate their residence to their children.