A promise is a promise and as such it should be kept. Almost six months have passed from the general elections and we know that promises have already been shelved by the present administration. Some might say there is nothing new in this since the Nationalist Party in these long years in government implemented very few pledges that were made in their electoral manifestos. And of course these people are correct to say so. Recently some of the PN acolytes, primarily Michael Falzon, an ex-Minister and one who was appointed chairman of a government corporation, is stating that promise 258 which deals with the appointment of directors and chairmen of boards is pure nonsense and that the PN administration should not implement it and say that it was a mistake that this pledge was inserted in their manifesto, and all this after just six months.

Of course we all know that during these six months government ministers appointed boards in the usual manner. The criterion of whether a person is capable or suitable for the job is secondary. I hope that these persons take their appointment as a service to the whole nation and not just being loyal to the minister who appointed them. I also hope that ministers appoint these people because they seriously believe that they can contribute to the country and not to pay back the support given to their party and also to them personally.

In this nation it seems as if only people who support the current administration are capable and willing to serve on these boards. Of course this is not the case. However all the others are being discarded and completely ignored. This should not be, otherwise the lack of human resources that this country has will manifest even further.

Holidays in Beijing?

The Olympic Games are already history although the nice memories of these magnificent games remain. For those who were in Beijing during these games it was a wonderful experience I suppose. My friend and colleague Clyde Puli, being Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Sport, was there and I am sure that he had a wonderful experience. During the time that he spent there he had an opportunity to meet his counterparts and other important players in the international sports scene. Of course I am not saying that he spent his holidays in Beijing, however the proof of the pudding is in the eating and now all of us await the results of the time spent in Beijing. In the coming months we need to see tangible results of this experience and I hope it will not be a repeat of what happened during the Sydney Olympic Games when the then minister spent a good number of days there and we did not see tangible results among the Maltese sporting community and for sport in general.

I also followed what the Maltese Olympic Committee said during a press conference where the Parliamentary Secretary was present. The MOC is still trying to convince the authorities that if we want to achieve better results we should invest heavily in sports, starting from schools and of course by giving a decent funding to the Malta Olympic Committee. In 1997 a Labour government understood this and substantially increased the funds of the Olympic Committee. We achieved better results in terms of medals in the Small Nations Games of Europe. Success brings success but this has to be corroborated and cultivated by all players involved, that is government and other authorities and of course the federations and associations.

One of the policy papers that the Labour Party worked on was that regarding Sports. I firmly believe that if we want to substantially improve and give sport its due importance, starting from education onwards, those concerned should look deeply into this policy paper and more importantly implement it. Sport has various dimensions and in my humble opinion the most important factors of sport are spelled out in Labour's policy paper on sport.

The festive season

The summer season is coming to an end and with it also the village festas. I would like to wish a happy feast to all those who are celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Victory, primarily the citizens of Senglea, Mellieha, Naxxar and Xaghra in Gozo. A special mention is due to the village of Naxxar after the tragic accident of some months ago. I hope that we learnt something from this accident and will not continue to abuse and literally play with fireworks.

The last feast which is celebrated is that in Zabbar where a large number of people attend and celebrate the feast to give praise and glory to Our Lady. A true feast after all is when we find the right balance between the profane and the religious.

Carmelo Abela Deputy Speaker & Labour main spokesperson for industry and foreign investment

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