It’s a sort of annual general meeting with the Maltese public on the state of the country’s financial affairs; how Malta has performed in the wake of the worst economic crisis in the world, its position today, and what one foresees in the crystal ball for next year.

Having just gone through two years of economic downturn is relevant to anything any government does or proposes. To continually ignore this malaise, purposely or unwittingly, is a grave mistake. To forget it willingly means that you do not want to tell the truth, how bad the situation was and may still be, and what medicines have been injected into the patient (Malta) in order for that patient to recover, albeit slowly, and start leading a normal life again.

We owe such explanations to the electorate. The people today are well informed of what is going on in Europe. Television keeps everybody informed, and we all see, daily, what measures other governments of countries nearby are taking to counter the recession that still bites them.

Here in Malta, we sometimes tend to live in Cookooland, and ignore these facts of life that command our lives. Forgetting the recent past, just because we are living in a relatively calm atmosphere, with most pistons of the economy working, does not mean that the Nationalist government did not remedy the situation; that action was not taken, when jobs were at risk, and when direct intervention was needed to help the economy recover.

We tend to forget all this, and prefer to talk about the other petty situations that are common in our streets, like the allegation that the government was going to reduce wages. What an idea to create panic.

Everybody knows that the cost of living never went down, not even when the corned beef was being imported in bulk buying days, or when that horrible toothpaste was being pushed down our throats, or when that tasteless chocolate was being produced. We all know what we went through in those Dark ages. We have progressed so much since then, and the cost of living wage increase will be based on careful calculation as has been the case in recent years.

The economy, in Malta’s case, has made a small step forward, and after two such difficult years, this is in itself an achievement. We tend to take this for granted, more so from a Nationalist government, which has so much pressure to produce results, even in the most awkward situations. That’s what the people expect from the Nationalist government. Had it been anybody else, its acceptance of a shrinking economy would be tolerated. Such is the perception of the electorate in Malta.

The fact is that this budget will be served in this context. If there will be no more companies going bust, no more volcanoes, or anything else that can threaten the economic life of Malta, I believe that we would be today laying the basis of economic growth for the future years.

We look forward to the budget debate, the “all-going-bad” speeches with no concrete alternatives proposed. The more one hides the reality, the less credibility one gains.

Robert Arrigo is a Parliamentary Assistant in the Finance Ministry