From Mr S. Felice Pace

Whether the much abused (meaning what?) “core voters” were bewildered by my reaction to Mr J. G. Vassallo’s contribution “Panic Stations” (TMIS, 8 October) is something neither Mr Vassallo nor I can establish with any certainty. He took it upon himself to make the assumption that they were bewildered.

Mr Vassallo continues his selective response to my letter by once more asserting that Malta’s prevailing economic predicament has its roots in the Fenech Adami money no problem philosophy. This is too simplistic. Anyone who wants an accurate reading of the situation prevailing in the late eighties must look further back and examine in detail the state of the country and the quality of our life bequeathed to the Nationalist government in 1987 by the socialist regimes of Dom Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.

Water shortages, electricity cuts, a telephone system that didn’t work, a corrupt police force and an equally corrupt bulk-buying system, thousands of workers employed on the eve of the election directly with the government and with parastatal corporations, and so on. With no basic infrastructure to speak of, it was necessary for the Fenech Adami administration to invest in the people and in the country, and quickly.

There is no shame in spending and even borrowing, provided one has something tangible and lasting to show for it. And we know we have a lot to show for it, if we are honest with ourselves. As indeed Mr Vassallo knows, having been close to one of Fenech Adami’s administrations. The fact that the Nationalist government was elected again in 1992 meant that the people approved their new gained freedom, the market economy and the improved quality of life. Mr Vassallo has one word only for all the good things that were achieved by those two Nationalist administrations – “harm”.

Mr Vassallo always infers in his writings that the austerity measures that had been introduced to achieve convergence with the Maastricht criteria were part of a remedy that was imposed by the EU, making it look as if the government was not aware that such remedy was part and parcel of the accession package. The government embraced wholeheartedly the remedy in the knowledge that through membership of the EU we could put our house in order and then achieve the ability to move forward in all sorts of areas. This is called vision, something those who were opposed to Malta’s membership of the EU seriously lacked.

Once again Mr Vassallo goes for the doom and gloom scenario. He mentioned “the nobody is left behind” aspiration and the promise for a better living. The present government has made serious attempts to achieve the former, (and the latest budget is a case in point) by exempting thousands of families from the electricity and water surcharges. Something which the Labour government of 1996–1998 didn’t do when it introduced its anti-social package of charges on all and sundry and left the country with Lm300 (to check) added to our debt in the space of 22 months, with not much to show for it. As for the promise for better living, our achievements so far, due mainly to just over two years of EU membership speak for themselves. But for Mr Vassallo these achievements are just “folly”.

I’m curious to know who my “co-religionists” are! I do agree with Mr Vassallo that it is the core electorate who will have the final and decisive say. But then there is nothing new in that. Isn’t that the basis of a democratic system?

Salvu Felice Pace

GHASRI