It’s been two years since the Nationalist Party was returned to power for a third consecutive term in office. It was the first time that a party won three elections in a row.
Two years down the line, the PN government is swiftly approaching the halfway mark and, before we know it, the next election will be round the corner although, frankly, this country seems to be on the eve of an election every day.
The Labour Party has every intention to keep up the spirits of its supporters, and by having them in an election mode through public demonstrations such as the one organised by a group of unions recently – with Labour’s help – it is reaching this goal.
On the other hand, such a climate is not conducive to the government, which at a time of recession and financial difficulty, wants the country to remain productive to the best of its abilities. Any disruptions at this stage could be heavily detrimental to a country that needs everyone to pull the same rope.
Looking back at the past two years, it must be admitted that the government has taken a number of important decisions that have probably not been explained too well to the public. This was confirmed by none other than Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg in an interview he gave to The Malta Independent on Sunday last Sunday.
“We have moved too fast and did too many things at one go,” Dr Borg said, which is taken to mean that the government is implementing its programme but the people do not know much about it.
It is common knowledge that governments tend to take the toughest decisions in the first half of their term, and then hand out the goodies in the second half as the election approaches.
This time, the first half of a term in office was also characterised by a worldwide recession that affected our shores too. The number of unemployed people is on the rise, although not as much as in other countries. The deficit is on the rise too as the government takes measures to keep Malta afloat but, again, this is being done cautiously and Malta is nowhere near a situation as that happening in Greece.
Added to this, a number of reforms have been carried out or are being planned. The rent law reform and that concerning local councils are already part of history, and this year two other reforms concerning public transport and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority will be in place too.
The government has also embarked on a number of rehabilitation projects, such as the upgrading of St George’s Square in Valletta, and new projects, such as the regeneration of Valletta.
One problem the government seems to be facing is that, although it has worked hard in exceptionally difficult circumstances, it has lost in terms of popularity because it is the negative matters that have taken centre-stage, foremost among which is the energy tariffs issue.
The Labour Party, with the support of a number of unions, has managed to make this issue the most topical subject on the island. This goes to their credit, and at the same time it confirms the difficulty that the Nationalists – government and party – are facing in getting their message across to the people.
One does not need to conduct any surveys to find out that the water and electricity rates are the most talked-about item in homes and public places. And yet there is so much else that is taking place.