It is a pity that, while we have foreigners like Jo Abel (TMID, 23 November) who after only a few days in Malta could easily appraise our standard of living, there are people like S. Mifsud (TMID, 28 November) who still moan and whine about the misery of the Maltese people.

They persist with their gibberish, even though all indicators point to the opposite.

The quality of life of the Maltese people can be judged by the social indicators, some of which are given below.

The figures are given per 1,000 population for the year 2006 (Jan/Aug).

Motor vehicle licences 671.7; internet subscriptions 219.0; mobile phone subscriptions 802.0; fixed telephone subscriptions 517.0; home ownership approaching 80 per cent;

Estimated expenditure by Maltese travelling abroad, Lm41.1 million.

The above figures are an indication that the Maltese are not in dire need, as your correspondent depicts us. Our statistical figures contradict all those Jeremiahs like S. Mifsud, who persist in painting a gloomy picture of the Maltese way of life.

Facts speak for themselves.

Carmel Camilleri

Paola