It is obvious that Joe Cristina (The PN needs to lose, TMID, 4 December) did not understand what his friend, the learned doctor of law, meant when he confided in him, before the 1987 general election, that it was time to put the Labour Party on the opposition benches.

During the years of Labour administration, Malta was passing through the worst period in its history since Independence. Democracy was being systematically eroded with all opposition to the regime being suppressed. In 1981, the Labour Party even had the cheek to take over government against the will of the majority of the Maltese electorate. Systematic violence was at the worst. Those who lived in those times still remember the sacking of the Archbishop’s Curia, the ransacking of the courts and of the residence of Dr Eddie Fenech Adami’s, (then Opposition Leader), the arson of The Times’ building and Nationalist Party’s clubs, the shooting of unarmed Nationalist supporters, the police joining the Labour thugs in breaking opposition mass meetings and the beating of students and housewives during peaceful demonstrations.

As if that was not enough, things went badly even on the economic front. The economy was stagnant and the Maltese were deprived of many basic necessities. Those were times when we had to pay Lm50 to be favoured with a coloured TV and possessing a cordless telephone was a crime. A bar of chocolate or toothpaste were a luxury. Importers had to pay good money for an import licence. Prospective University students were vetted and not everyone could make it. Corruption was widespread and institutionalised. The list is endless.

With good reason, the learned doctor of law had told Mr Cristina that “the country’s future would be more prosperous and could flourish more if it had different people with diverse ideologies at its helm”.

And how right was the learned doctor! Since the Nationalist government took office the Maltese have prospered beyond expectations. Democracy has been restored and everyone is free to criticise the government without fear of the consequences. Foreigners envy how such tiny island can enjoy such a high standard of living. A look at the statistics gives a clear picture how the Maltese have lived under successive Nationalist governments.

The number of University students has shot up from under 800 under Labour government to over 10,000. Unemployment is at its lowest in years, and this without creating any labour corps.

Tourism is at a record high with all hotels are fully booked. As a result new hotels are being built and others are being renovated. Foreign capital is at a record high, which reflects the confidence that foreigners have in our country’s economy. Economic activities are at their highest. Again the list is endless.

Those who lived both times can still feel the difference between the Nationalist and Labour administrations.

Today the learned doctor of law would surely tell Joe Cristina that it would be madness if the Maltese decide to abandon all this progress and leap once again into the dark just for the sake of change.

Carmel Camilleri

Paola