There is a vision out there for Malta. A vision that is calling upon all of us to roll up our sleeves and do all that is required of us in order that, by 1 January 2015, we can find ourselves at the forefront and in a position of excellence with regard to education, tourism, manufacturing, ICT, financial services and health. These particular sectors, together with special attention to the needs of the sister island Gozo, will definitely mean not only economic success but also a brighter future for our children and families.
There is only one party which is offering this: the Nationalist Party with Dr Lawrence Gonzi at its helm. The party leader believes not only in the nation but also in its people. He wields courage and cautious but positive attitudes. He firmly believes that we can succeed and during the last three and a half years he has proved himself, even in excess of expectations. So much so that there are those among us who take the good things for granted. Unfortunately opposition journalism is merely one negative punch after another, below the belt and totally uncalled for.
This attitude on the part of that section of the population cannot be taken seriously – not by way of arrogance but because of the mere fact that there is a better option out there. Each day presents us with a new challenge and unless we continue to work, at least with the present rhythm, we are bound to lose ground. We would miss out on opportunities and could fall back and fall short of expectations.
Last weekend was an opportunity for elucidation. During the Nationalist Party general council, the prime minister put matters into context and repeatedly explained the party’s aims and vision. The air was vibrant with expectation. There was no room for coincidence and we cannot expect to acquire that which we do not work for. The Nationalist Party is bent on succeeding and is asking the nation to vote it back into government in order to achieve better results, even better than those being already acquired and envisaged.
We are putting our cards on the table. The whole stack is out there for all to examine, view, scrutinise and then decide. There are no hidden agendas. We are not waiting for any Wizard of Oz at the end of the rainbow. Yet we are in agreement that the proposals we are putting forward are attainable and doable.
On Monday, at 6.30pm, the prime minister will report to the nation the financial achievements of the last 12 months and what we are realistically expecting during the next year, unless there is an unforeseen change in government which could bring about the lowering of expectations. It is no secret that the 2008 budget will seek to address family needs to strengthen the fundamental basic component of our society. This strength will enable the family, as a unit, to face the challenges ahead. The budget proposals are realistic and not out of this world. We shall put to the best use that which is available to us.
It seems unfair that the electorate expects much more out of the Nationalist than they do of the Labour administration. Whenever Labour was in government, people were conditioned to gulping down, in significant doses, the various injections of unwanted constraints and sacrifices. ‘Tightening one’s belt’ was the saying of the day under Labour.
Today’s Labour Party is unchanged. It believes in revision rather than vision. It is a party that is scared of taking the plunge, notwithstanding the fact that the odds are in the country’s favour. It is scared of “ghosts” that keep haunting it even if the indications are that little or nothing had been left to chance. Unfortunately at the MLP helm is a leader who believes that we are white bait (makku) ready to be gulped up by the whales around us.
If it were for the party in opposition, today we would be experiencing solitude and isolation outside the European Union. The foggy idea of partnership bandied about by Dr Sant to the electorate was not even decently explainable. Worse than that, when it came to numbers, the day after the referendum, he ventured to state and insist that a 46 per cent ‘No’ vote was higher than the 54 per cent ‘Yes’ vote. This was similar to his preferring a 21 per cent CET system comparable to the then 15 per cent VAT taxation system.
With the same logic, even dreaming of joining the Euro Currency Regime would not have been considered. By now we would be experiencing hefty budgetary deficits, even heftier than those we were faced with during 1996-1998, hovering in excess of 10 per cent of GDP with the then Prime Minister Alfred Sant repeatedly considering devaluation as the only means of addressing the problem.
Devaluation would have rendered the purchasing power of our currency to be much less and would have led to a higher inflation. Heaven alone knows. Perhaps the only solution to keeping prices down could have been a return to the “golden days” of bulk buying with deserta being the only delicacy on sale. Perhaps the saying that the Lord moves in strange ways is true after all. The Labour administration between 1996 and 1998 was practically 22 months too long. We shudder to think of having to go through the same experience once again.
Hopefully those days are in the past and not to be re-lived. In this particular case we would rather not live twice. This country needs a strong manager as prime minister with clear ideals, a constant political view and ambition. We need a prime minister who thinks, proposes, discusses, refers, decides and then acts. Once a decision is taken, then there is no holding back.
The terms of reference for this top job, which will once again be on the line in a few months time, are abundantly evident in Dr Lawrence Gonzi. He has shown himself to be capable of the task. Of course, there will be the ‘not so good’ days; however the ‘good’ days will definitely outweigh the uncomfortable ones.
Now that we are doing well, let us not get gullible and swallow improbable proposals that would steer us away from what is evidently the right avenue.
Tony Abela is a parliamentary secretary in the office of the prime minister