Experience proves that progress is impossible without change and that those who cannot change their minds when necessary, cannot change anything. Change calls for innovation and innovation leads to progress.

Change and progress are linked in such a way that no good leaders can afford to lose sight of them, if they want to lead and govern and not simply administer the status quo. It is basically what makes me feel so comfortable working within the Labour Government led by a dynamic Prime Minister. Until five years ago, we had been experiencing a long period in which there was no real leadership and society stood still.

 

Five years on

It is sad that we are still experiencing a worse and even more confusing situation within the Opposition party where we can hardly perceive what they actually stand for on any issue that concerns the nation. It is beyond belief that five years on they seem to stay happily stuck on the same tactics that led them from bad to worse at the polls and unfailingly in all periodic surveys.

Changing names at the helm or playing musical chairs are in no way equivalent to changing a mentality that only offers negative reactions to the country’s constant successes. Their prolonged attempts to tarnish the Malta’s reputation and that of all its major institutions can only lead them to further self-decay. Their state of denial and their wide span of inconsistencies, simply to make headlines, are certainly not what our supreme Constitution expects from a responsible Parliamentary Opposition.

On the other hand, Dr Muscat’s first and current legislatures have been shown, time and time again, that progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders have a clear, forward-looking vision and seize the opportunity to change things for the better, however bold such decisions need to be. This is precisely what has led to so many firsts in a long list of successes achieved since taking office in March 2013. Unlike the previous, lethargy-ridden Nationalist administrations, Labour’s first term in office proved that people make history and not the other way around. The current second Labour government is further proving that optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage that leads to change and true progress.

 

Gozo’s scenario

That is also my way of handling everything that needs to be done at the Gozo Ministry, no matter what it takes, to change the wrong perception that on this island anything goes. I fully appreciate that each one of us at the Ministry is part of the system, but it must be a system that leads to progress. It is by now very clear that comfort zones and inertia lead nowhere and are definitely not on my books.

Eight months on, I am happy to note that I am surrounded by a team of collaborators with a wealth of experience. Here again, individual credentials must be necessarily intended to move on to new levels together. In itself, it is a great motivator for job satisfaction when we gear up as a team and place individual experiences at the service of progress, which in turn needs to be evident and tangible. The positive results we are achieving on all fronts prove that the innovative manner of leading the team is paying dividends. Needless to say, no one expects final and definite results overnight, but everyone can appreciate that we now work as a motivated team where all hand – and minds – are well on deck.

Everyone on the island is fully appreciative that our young but promising economy is steadily converting Gozo from a burden to a dynamic complement to Malta’s healthy and constant economic growth. Building on past achievements, and setting out on the many new and ambitious projects on our agenda, is essentially work-in-progress towards set targets. This positive outlook regularly transpires in all my frequent meetings with Gozo’s constituted bodies.

 

Tourism – Gozo's backbone

One such meeting took place this week when I addressed the AGM of the Gozo Tourism Association and stressed the need to promote Gozo not only as a distinct destination but also as a qualitative destination that is unique and unforgettable. It is imperative that tourists receive the highest level of service when visiting our island, as this is what makes Gozo stand out as a different tourist destination. The tourism sector is highly volatile and therefore we must continue to constantly improve both the skills and the product on offer.

The GTA’s AGM was the perfect opportunity for me and an attentive audience to note the successes achieved in the tourism sector last year, based on an increase in the number of foreign tourists, as well as that of domestic tourism. We have experienced an increase of 12 per cent in the number of visitors who stayed for more than a single night, over the previous year. There was also fulsome praise for the Gozo Ministry’s initiatives such as the creation of thematic festivals and other cultural events that are helping considerably to transform Gozo into an all-year-round tourist destination.

Earlier this week we also had the Gozo launch of the innovative E-Commerce programme – FastTrack – which is being offered free of charge to Gozitan business owners, including operators in the tourist industry. It will be held in collaboration with the Malta Communications Authority and the Gozo Business Chamber. I believe that in an increasingly globalised reality, such courses are necessary for business operators who intend improving their activities by upgrading to an effective online presence to help boost brand awareness. The programme will provide the necessary skills to create new platforms for better exposure in a world-wide market.

 

Enhancing water production

Last Sunday I wrote that Gozo will be a direct beneficiary of a €17 million project to improve the management and protection of water throughout the country. The programme, involving entities from four Ministries, including the Gozo Ministry, will ensure improvements in the management and protection of water in the valleys, the water table and seawater. This has been further enhanced with better news this week that a major project is being planned for better water production on the island.

More than €100 million is being invested by the Water Services Corporation in projects that will guarantee a better future for the next generations. One of the projects is to construct a new reverse osmosis plant at Ħondoq in Gozo, that will produce around 9,000 cubic metres of water a day, thereby ensuring self-sufficiency in water production for the island.

In unveiling this vast project, colleagues Joe Mizzi and Aaron Farrugia said that the government is proud to launch this ambitious plan to improve water management in Malta at all stages of use – from production to disposal. The overall plan, upon which the WSC will embark over the coming years, will see an investment of more than €100 million – a significant proportion of which comes from EU funds – from which Gozitan residents and visitors will benefit directly through the new plant at Ħondoq.

The Operational Programme being drawn up contains a number of measures and projects to ensure the safety of the water supply – taking into consideration the lack of water resources and population density, improvements in water quality and sustainable management as well as mixtures of various resources targeted for maximum efficiency of resource use. This will be an additional safeguard for Gozo’s population which is periodically but considerably increasing with the regular influx of tourists all year around.

The multi-million project further confirms the long-range vision and innovative measures adopted by the government for future generations. It is also clear proof that stands taken by the Gozo Ministry lead to further placing the island’s needs and expectations high on the national agenda.