There are evident signs of restlessness in the Maltese political firmament. During recent weeks, the local media reflected a growing awareness of the government’s lethargy, which has become all the more marked since the 8 March general election.

The media seems to be speaking with one voice.

The Malta Independent of 19 April fired the first shot, when it remarked about the government’s “long honeymoon”. It highlighted the fact that “six weeks after the election, the government still seems to be in slumber” and that the Prime Minister was not much in evidence.

On the following day, The Malta Independent on Sunday pressed the point further. It held that “a month has already passed and we have not seen much of the government except to be reminded of its slim majority, its backbenchers’ grumbles and its problems with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. It would seem that the government is finding that getting its act together is rather an uphill struggle”.

The editorial writer went to specifics. He held that “people judge by what they see, by how it hits them. Speaking to them about SmartMalta, when they see the Kasbah-like atmosphere of City Gate, for instance, on a daily basis will not cut ice. Nor speaking of a Malta that excels in IT, only to find the government’s own website showing very clear signs of neglect and shoddiness (corrected after it was pointed out by TMIS”.

MaltaToday joined the chorus. Under the heading “Gonzi’s new way of doing politics at Mepa” the editor digressed to cover a range of old chestnuts, only to conclude that Gonzi is the grand master of procrastination. “He can kick balls back into someone else’s court, and then stroll away for a long holiday…”

The Times came closer to the bone on 25 April. Its leading article complained of corruption in its various forms and methods which has been left largely unchecked, and referred to the various rules and regulations so often flouted with impunity.

It held that “public opinion is sick and tired of seeing the scandalous manner in which certain highly-questionable major building projects have been approved by Mepa, which is also renowned for making life so difficult for the ordinary citizen”.

The punch line was to the effect that “the Prime Minister has to show he means business, and now. Too much time has been lost”.

In the same issue, The Times echoed the misgivings of public opinion in an article by Tony Zammit Cutajar, who asked pointedly “Where’s our government?”

He referred to the entrance and the bastions of Valletta as just two small examples of the inertia in our country, and pointed out, “Malta’s general environment has been ruined, to a very large extent, by the so-called building boom of the last 20 years. Not surprising really when you read the shocking news that over 4,000 permits were issued for building outside development zones.”

Taken in the mass, the above accurately reflects a growing and palpable national concern that wants to come to terms with reality and its costs.

Public opinion seems to be intent on breaking a time-honoured conspiracy of silence and to eradicate, root and branch, the inertia that debilitates governance, as well as the bureaucracy, and opens wide spaces for corrupt