I’ve been working within the iGaming industry now for over 6 years and more than 4 years as a manager or in a higher position, hence recruiting has always been on my table.

To start with, we had hundreds of applications per role and all non-Maltese candidates applied for one reason; the Maltese climate. Malta has always been known for being sunny and surrounded by an amazing turquoise sea. We attract people to come and work here since it’s a sunny and warm place.

The tide has changed. Lately, there was not one week when I did not hear about some acquaintance or close friend who packed their bags and left. Some of them have been here for decades, so we are not talking about short term visitors now. Some are married to a Maltese and others have Maltese families. They all have one thing in common though, they all can no longer justify living here. Let me tell some of their reasons for leaving, and I say this with tears in my eyes. Not only because I will miss them, but because I miss the Malta that I got to know 20 years ago.

One of them gave birth to a beautiful baby girl not that long ago and the baby isn’t sleeping well due to their apartment being surrounded by construction works. And everywhere is the same.

Another one has been here for decades and was looking into buying a property, but now decided to move to another European country with his family due to not seeing any profit in buying an apartment in a “bubble about to burst”.  The third one left - and this is a heart-breaking one - due to her children being so sick with respiratory illnesses. She couldn’t stand it anymore.

Yes, you couldn’t make this up. People are leaving and our leaders don’t want to understand the causes. They stare themselves blind on the surplus and the fact that we have iGaming and cryptocurrency businesses settled on the island.

What good is a surplus when we have a nation in distress?

The number of children with respiratory issues and illnesses connected to air pollution is increasing.

We have a 3% obesity rate and, worst of all is the fact that people don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is another thing people can’t take, the fact that their leaders aren’t giving them any hope that this will be addressed and sorted urgently.

May I ask you, dear Prime Minister, who is going to care for all these ill people going forward?

What will happen to our workforce when they have to take more and more sick days?

How will that affect our precious surplus?

And let’s take a wider look at the other aspect which seems to get little to no attention by you and the ministers not directly working within the area; the mental health of the nation.

The effect a degrading environment has on the nation is something many don’t think about. The reduction of green areas, the feeling of no hope and also the increased sickness - they all push people into despair and grieving. Yes, we are not sad. We are grieving the lost heritage sites which can never be restored once demolished to give space for million-euro apartments to be used by the few.

We have a transport minister claiming that he is widening the roads without proper cycling infrastructure because how on earth can we ask an obese nation to use a bicycle?

This shows how utterly ignorant some of the people in charge of our country are. Many haven’t even once used a bicycle, yet think they judge a whole nation and tell us that we can and can’t do.

Who are they to decide? Who are they to deny our children, the future Maltese generation, the right to move around freely in an alternative and safe mode of transport? They are literally choking us, while they enjoy it. Because they are not amongst us really - they are doing the changes that benefit them.

When the bubble bursts they will have enough money to move abroad and start a good life in a nice villa surrounded by trees and fresh air.

Please consider what I’m now going to tell you. Your future depends on a long-term sighted society. I know that short-term is rewarding, and we all crave to feel good right now. But very few short-term options end up well.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to sustainability and health. We need to invest in the wellbeing of our nation and the future generation to come. If the leaders won’t do that, then let’s show them that we will.

They failed us and our children. I demand a better future for them, what about you?

                                                                                                                                

 Camilla Appelgren is an MEP candidate for the Partit Demokratiku