It has become a brand in its own right – smart this, smart that. First we had SmartCity@Malta (the @ has since been dropped) and now we have the Nationalist Party telling us to be smart (and obviously vote for the PN the next time we have an election).

Now assuming – dangerous word, that – that our erstwhile government and proactive opposition are both smart, then we should have a smart country, run by smart ministers, ably aided by a smart opposition. Unfortunately for this small island of ours, smartness is a virtue that neither the members of our government nor those of the opposition have in abundance.

On Monday, Investment and IT minister Austin Gatt was thrilled to bits that a foreign IT company, the Atlas Group, had chosen Malta as its base and that, over the next five years, it would be employing up to 600 employees. Such an important investment is, inevitably, linked to the much talked about SmartCity that is being planned by the government and Dubai-based Tecom Investments.

Now, assuming once again that we are a smart nation, the obvious thing to do, especially when foreign investors choose to leave their money here, is to protect that investment. If the investment is a good one, if it will create jobs and if it will boost Malta’s economy, then we must all protect it with all the means available. And SmartCity is one such investment.

However, reading the opposition newspapers – print and online – or listening to news on the radio/television stations run by Labour, an outsider would be forgiven for thinking that SmartCity is one big mistake and that the citizens of Malta have been taken for a ride.

The problem with the opposition’s take on SmartCity is that they are looking at the project from the wrong angle. The well-hidden (sic) plans for the development have become perfect fodder for the Labour press to criticise and make the government’s previous statements appear to be nothing but a bunch of lies.

Both the government and Tecom Investments have gone public and announced that SmartCity will generate up to 5,600 jobs over a number of years. Of these, around 3,000 will be IT-related, with the remainder providing ancillary services to the city.

The opposition media, however, are more interested in finding every excuse to send SmartCity to its grave before it even gets off the drawing board. They have seen the plans for what will be an ICT city, yet continue to think they are dealing with another business park such as that in Mosta. Sorry guys, but this is a city we are talking about. And in cities you find accommodation, you find hotels, you find retail establishments.

SmartCity – the name says it all – is not another high-tech park. So, yes, there may be luxury apartments – so what if the developers are going to make a nice profit off their investment. But as long as SmartCity delivers what it has promised – thousands of jobs for the Maltese – good luck to everyone.

If the opposition really wants to criticise they should wait until the plans are made public and the development has begun. When the first 1,000 jobs fail to be created, take the government to task. But not now.

Now assuming (once again) that the government is smart, it would be opportune for the ministry concerned to be a little bit more proactive. Granted that the final agreement has yet to be signed and the government may be a bit worried that it might be jumping the gun. But we all know that the plans have been leaked to the Labour media, so there is no reason why the government should not come out and announce exactly what is in store for SmartCity. Unless, that is, the government knows something that the public does not.

This aura of mystery surrounding SmartCity is only leading to speculation by the Labour media, creating doubts among the public that we’re going to have another white elephant on our hands and sending the wrong message to future tenants. The government must not allow this investment to be threatened by anyone.

And the worst thing the government can do is underestimate the Labour party’s media.