No, it is not the mark of a test. One out of five refers to our national days since today we celebrate Independence Day. I am not aware of another country which has five national days. But Malta, one of the smallest countries, managed to agree on five national days. From time to time, some urge us politicians to decide and agree on one national day. Personally, I do not see that given the current political circumstances both major parties can agree on one national day. The debate is not mature and both major political parties have to acknowledge that what we as Maltese managed to achieve along the years was achieved to the merit of all and not just one political party.

In actual fact nothing happened haphazardly. Looking at our history one has to admit that along the centuries there existed great Maltese people who always dreamt of a better future for all wherein we Maltese could govern our own country. In actual fact, what was achieved is the merit of those who had this vision. Two of these great people were Manwel Dimech and Mikiel Anton Vassalli who also wanted to achieve independence, first and foremost in the minds of their compatriots. Today it is much easier to speak about certain ideas but during those times it was totally different.

More recently, two politicians who worked to achieve what we have today are Dom Mintoff and George Borg Olivier. They both wanted to achieve the same thing, perhaps with different methods, and one has to say that Mintoff had to face more difficulties than the PN leader. But, most importantly, we have to be proud of what was achieved by our fathers. If we think about the fact that we are a country of just 400,000 people and yet we still managed to build a nation, it is clear that this is due to our predecessors. Let us be proud of what was achieved and work to improve our country.

Road safety

A fortnight ago I wrote about the importance of road safety. I emphasised the importance that those in authority work as hard as possible to secure safe roads. Likewise, drivers and pedestrians should do their part and be responsible. I was positively surprised to receive feedback from England and from the United States. However I was not at all surprised at the fact that I got no reaction from Malta, especially from those in authority. Locally it seems that no one cares about what is written and no one gives some sort of feedback about what actions are going to be taken. I do not know if this is a sign of apathy or arrogance. Perhaps it is both since this government has been in power for too long now.

I urge the Transport Authority to make an assessment of all the roads in the country, rating them according to how safe they are, and of course also stating what action needs to be taken to make them safer. If need be, foreign experts should be brought over for this kind of exercise. I hope that if I get a reply about this proposal I am not told that this costs a lot of money or is not feasible.

Family matters

The debate on whether we should introduce divorce or not still goes on. Reports by those who are in favour or against are being made public. During the presentation of a particular report the Prime Minister was quoted as saying that his government was promoting the family. I do not know if I should laugh or cry.

Can the Prime Minister please state how his government is promoting the family? Can it be because he is against the introduction of divorce? If so, this is not what I and most of the Maltese public understands by promoting the family. Thousands of families are struggling to make ends meet by the end of the month. Family members are working more – of course those who have a job – and are still not coping with the needs of everyday life. As a consequence they have less time for their family. The cost of living is increasing but the same does not apply to our wages. The purchasing power of our families is decreasing and this is not making life easier, especially when these have to pay the higher tariffs imposed by the government of Lawrence Gonzi, while families across Europe are paying less and less for electricity.

Actions speak louder than words and family rhetoric should correspond to policies which help our families not hinder them.

Rockestra

I want to end today's contribution with a big well done to President George Abela and all those concerned for the magnificent concert organized on Saturday, 12 September. Rockestra was organized to raise money for the Community Chest Fund but it also managed to bring people together to enjoy the music played by the National Philharmonic Orchestra together with other performers. Those present enjoyed every minute of this concert.

As President, Dr Abela managed to shake the presidency and take it closer to the people in such a short time. The people feel that he is their President even if not elected by them but by their representatives in Parliament. This is a good sign that he became the people's President. Keep up the good work, Your Excellency.

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

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