The year 2005 has been a tough year for the Maltese economy. Even though government finances have taken a turn for the better, there are still issues that have to be resolved. Of particular concern is the fact that those who are least well-off are those who have the greatest share of the financial burden. Although no new taxes were introduced in the budget, the cost of energy has increased, and unless there is a marked drop in the international price of oil in 2006, households can expect some hefty water and electricity bills in the coming months.

In the New Year, it is a custom to make resolutions and promises to do something or, in the majority of cases, not to do something. Some people promise to give up smoking, children promise to study more, and others promise to give more attention to loved ones. But resolutions and promises are useless if the will to take action is not there. Our politicians, the social partners and the constituted bodies all make promises at this time of the year – but how many of these are kept?

As we start a new year, past the decade’s half-way mark, we would like to see the government and stakeholders start putting words into action. There are a number of issues that, unfortunately, are put on the backburner or, even worse, swept under the carpet, in the hope that everyone will forget about them. Resolutions made today become mere memories – words that fade into nothing by 31 December.

What do we – the taxpayers – expect from the government this year, from the social partners, and from society in general?

The present administration has reached a point in its term of office when it has to start taking concrete action and not just announce what it wants – or wishes – to do in the coming 12 months. The government needs to speed up its reform programme and ensure the maximum and appropriate use of EU funding – Malta can ill afford to lose out on the much-needed funds granted to us from the recently approved EU budget.

On the home front, the government must continue to address social services and while curbing abuse, it must ensure that nobody is forced into poverty or social exclusion. The government must also focus its energies on implementing pension reforms, the much-needed changes to the rent laws, and step up efforts to increase the islands’ competitiveness and to create more and more jobs.

Unless economic growth is boosted, in order to create new opportunities for investment, the going will continue to be hard for our island state and the taxpayer will continue to be burdened with excessive costs and taxes. Bureaucracy, red tape and unnecessary taxes must also be wiped off the slate.

The government must now make things happen. We need action – not resolutions!

The social partners and the constituted bodies must also play an important role. It is time for the authorities to re-examine the function of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD). Some of the social partners need to look back at 2005 and understand that they cannot continue to act like spoilt children who throw a tantrum every time they don’t get what they want.

The social partners need to work together more to find solutions to the challenges facing Malta. The social partners must look also into the possibility of reviving the idea of social pact.

The social partners must stop looking inwards and focus on the wider picture that is Europe. This is the key that is missing.

We have wasted precious years promising to do things. We do not need more committees or reports. We do not need speeches and rhetoric. Malta needs a government that practices what it preaches and fulfils its promises, even if the political risks are high. We need an opposition that monitors and criticises the government, but that does not attempt to hinder progress for political gain. Finally, the social partners must be fully representative of society as a whole and not one particular sector.

So many “needs”… and we have heard it all before.

One word counts now: Action!