If anything, the recent elections have brought one clear result. Dr Gonzi has emerged much stronger than ever before. The Nationalist Party electoral campaign was focused on his personality, the celebrations marked him as the sole handed winner and the rapid formation of a downsized cabinet confirmed this trend.

During his first term in office, Dr Gonzi earned himself a good reputation in curbing the huge deficits of the past. While many acknowledge this feat, one should not forget that it has nearly exhausted his strength, leaving him no spare minute to supervise his cabinet colleagues. He has now got a second chance to do his job better.

The beginning is very promising. The reduction in the number of ministers puts every one of them in the limelight. No one can hide and they all have to deliver. But again this time the real strains lie within the remit of the PM, predominantly in the environmental and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority area.

There is no doubt among the public that Mepa has grossly failed in the past. High constructions in the midst of our cities and building permits outside development zones have come to haunt us. The re-elected PM has promised to address these problems head on and the failure to do so will now be solely attributed to Dr Gonzi. We may have witnessed a good start but we may also end up with a very weak Dr Gonzi in the near future. It depends on the choice of his coalition partners.

On the one hand there are those who voted for him because they still trust in his ability to address the real problems. On the other hand there are those few who are already getting closer to him with the sole purpose of reaping phenomenal returns on their investments mainly by raiding our countryside and other prime sites. They are already planning how to win the PM for projects like Ramla, Ta’ Cenc, Hondoq and vicinity and how to assault two or three other

pristine sites in Malta.

We all know how many projects in Sliema, Tignè, Mgarr hotel and Chambray have all started with tourism and ended in speculation. For speculators it is evident that unlike President Sarkozy, Dr Gonzi is strong enough to refuse sponsored holidays. But these powerful men behind scenes are very creative. They present forward looking projects with employment prospects and all this may tempt Dr Gonzi to enter a coalition with these few to strike a “balance”.

These hidden powers are also keen followers of the slogan: together, everything is possible. For them however, “together” stands for dubious exclusive “business” deals assisted by politicians to the detriment of present and future generations. If need be Dr Gonzi should seek the support of an innovative and regenerated PN (what does the PN still stand for?), of environmental lobbies, of critical media and of civil society at large.

The shopping list for Dr Gonzi is long. It ranges from a total reform of Mepa, rectifying the failures of the recent past, more priority for environmental, heritage and energy (climate change) issues, and ensuring that his colleagues are not rowing in the wrong direction. Quo vadis was the question of the Lord to a disappointed Peter turning his back on Rome. When Maltese get the strong feeling that by voting Lawrence, they have in fact voted George, Dr Gonzi should know that they are completely disappointed.

Agnes Debono

Kercem