Reading the PN’s 353 proposal for vision 2015 is as interesting as watching paint dry. Some of these proposals must have brought much-needed comic relief to the thousands of people who are being subjected to such an intense overload of information in this brief election campaign.
If there is one thing that most families, whatever their political allegiances, agree on at the moment is that the cost of living in Malta is spinning out of control. Even families, who up to some time ago were used to living a fairly comfortable life, now have to run much faster, only to remain in the same place.
And yet caretaker Prime Minister Gonzi promises us in his pledge number 132 that “medicine prices will continue to be kept under observation”. Proof, if ever it was needed, that the present government has given up fighting the high cost of living that is undermining the quality of life of our families, especially those where elderly persons need constant medication.
After more than 20 years of almost uninterrupted governance of this country, the Nationalist Party is suffering from “voters’ fatigue”. People just cannot stand their arrogance any more, their mismanagement, complacency about the deteriorating quality of our environment, corruption and abuse of power, and crass incompetence at improving the quality of life of the families they should be serving.
Now Prime Minister Gonzi has added a new twist to this battle cry. He does not want us to judge him just on what he did in his years as Prime Minister, but on what he promises. He says he has a vision of excellence for Malta for 2015, but what he has been able to deliver so far is nightmares to most Maltese families.
The country can only benefit from change. The party that can bring real change is the Labour Party, which is prepared to undertake major reforms in the economic strategy of the country and reset the social priorities that have all been messed up under a Nationalist administration.
The first steps to be taken by a new Labour administration is easing the cost of living pressures on long suffering Maltese families and small businesses. We will reduce by half the surcharge on water and electricity bills and will eliminate income tax on overtime earnings. Overtime will continue to be paid at current rates of one and a half, or double, or treble the normal hourly rate as defined in the various collective agreements.
We will reform the parts of our education system that are giving us bad results because our young people deserve much better than the end of table classification of those who leave the education system without qualifications in the EU. We will encourage those students who are doing well to do even better and exploit the opportunities of further studies offered by our membership in the EU.
We will embrace in our team all those who want to contribute to the success of our ambitious plan for Malta, irrespective of their personal political beliefs. But we will not tolerate those who think they are very clever by abusing the positions of trust they occupy, or who try to profit from corrupt practices.
The despondent Gonzi team will be given time to reform itself from the seats of Opposition. Alternation of the political administration of a country is the great merit of a democratic system of government. In a couple of weeks’ time we will all have the opportunity to see democracy triumph by showing that we have the courage to change for our own benefit and the benefit of our country.
Let us not waste this opportunity because of irrational fear. Let us strengthen our democracy by voting in a new team that puts the interests of our families at the top of its political agenda.
Let us go with Labour and get things done.
PS: In view of the various reactions to my recent comments on the ‘DNA of Nationalists’, I want to reiterate that when I made this comment I did so in a political context and never intended to offend anyone. I apologise if anyone was offended by my comments.
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