In 1987, the Nationalist Party started building a new Malta. Our country was transformed from a pariah state into a modern European country with a thriving economy. Yet, our system of government was never radically transformed to ensure that all public institutions remain at arm’s length of government. A future Nationalist Party under my helm will make it a priority to protect these fundamental institutions from politicians and their ambitions, and providing them with complete independence and operational autonomy.

This would guarantee good governance at all levels, while keeping politicians – especially those in government – continuously in check. It is only through completely independent institutions that our country can provide its citizens with the government they truly deserve. This is not about divesting government of its power. This is about safeguarding honesty, equality and good governance.

A future Nationalist government with me at its helm will ensure that the government does not have to be bigger than it needs to be to move the country forward. This means, for example, that the government would never, in any way, compete with the private sector. It would also mean that the government would provide all resources to those Institutions and keeping a constant eye on them, such as the Police Force, the Auditor General, the Ombudsman and authorities that are supposedly independent of government. Being held to account at all levels and at all times through fair and independent bodies representing the people and not the government, would allow us politicians to truly abide by our oath to serve our people without fear or favour.

We must guarantee that equality and fairness are never cast aside and sacrificed at the altars of convenience or on a subjective interpretation of what constitutes the common good. Law-abiding citizens must not feel alone when fighting state-sponsored theft, unfair treatment and environmental ruin. This is why a future Nationalist government will work to deliver a new Government-Citizen equilibrium by reforming our system to ensure that it becomes much harder for injustices to occur and to have it raise alarm bells when they do. This would entail a genuine and detailed revisiting of a number of actions and powers, laws and regulations and inject in them a much-needed dose of equality, fairness and true respect for fundamental human rights. It is also time that we ensure that government, government entities and Parliament itself, are effectively barred from abusing legislative and regulatory powers out of convenience or, worse still, to circumvent judicial decisions.

As leader of the Nationalist Party, I will be presenting a detailed proposal on a new Government-Citizen equilibrium in which the government doesn't look down on citizens. The power needs to come from the bottom up, and that stream needs to be protected. A future Nationalist government will also commit itself to never permit abusive harassment by the government, its departments or agencies. This equilibrium would also entail that the Courts of Justice are never used by the government and its bodies to delay justice. On the contrary – we will put in motion all possible structures to ensure that justice always takes its course and does so quickly.

We owe this to our people. We also owe it to our children and their children – the possibility to live in a country where no one is above the law. We must have the courage to face our past, address errors we have committed, correct them to the greatest possible extent and build a far stronger, fairer and honest future together as one nation.

This will be a new deal that as Nationalist Party leader I will be pushing forward – to send out the message that we have had enough of living in a country where some are more equal than others, where everything boils down to how close one is to the people in power.

This new deal guarantees a quantum leap for the country we all love. It will wipe the slate clean and allow all of  us to feel part of this nation. It would mean having a level playing field for all, knowing that no one is above the law and that institutions that are meant to be on the side of citizens remain effectively so. This is what hard-working Maltese people deserve. This is what a Nationalist government with me at the helm will make it a priority to deliver.

 

 

Chris Said is contesting the leadership election of the Nationalist Party