This week, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech presented a review of the work that was carried out by his ministry. The press conference was also addressed by parliamentary secretary Jason Azzopardi

While attending the event, I could not help but noticing the amount of work that was put in by the ministry. There were so many initiatives taken on board that some of them did not even make it to the media.

I was surprised by the amount of people availing themselves of these initiatives and the income tax benefits that run into millions of euros that Maltese people have benefited from over the years, in various ways, as provided by various budget measures.

The assistance that the Maltese government provided to ailing industries during the years of recession has provided us with stable employment. Now, the increase in exports is attributed, to a large extent, to these very same industries, which not only came out of recession, but have also increased their output.

By saving these companies, the smaller supplier and the smaller Maltese firms whose success is based on the bigger industries, have also been saved. The wave effect has been safeguarded by a very good move.

We only hear on some media of crying workers, who were told to stop working due to the recession. Blame it on government, they say. You hardly hear or listen to workers whose job was safeguarded, and who are now working overtime.

Our media, even that of the very Nationalist Party, is lacking on this. We thrive on bad news, on disasters and slant stories against the government, but fail to mention the other side of the coin.

The backdrop of the press conference was the aviation park, another investment into a niche market that is growing. Again, millions of euros were poured to keeping investors happy with the infrastructure. SR Technics informed us that 60% of its workforce was formerly employed at the drydocks. SR Technics is very happy with these employees, who have taken up a new lease of life. Their experience and flexibility, and their ability to adapt to new skills, enabled the company to send them to work in Switzerland.

What a far cry from the reports we were used to hearing about the drydocks’ workers regarding how they were punished and finished. These workers are a living monument to the present administration. It’s a pity such positive stories are not covered by the media. These people can talk about their new beginning.

Jason Azzopardi mentioned that the sales being registered by the monti (open air market) hawkers are very good, not to say fantastic. The feedback on the monti, by both Maltese and tourists, was excellent.

And yet we have a shortage of good news in the media. It is the bad news that makes a sensation, it’s gossip on this or the other, the criticism of that person, if not character assassination, that is the order of the day. Contributors like this sort of thing. Others, more mature readers, prefer otherwise.

All this was happening when, during the past three years, the world around us – countries both near and far – has been passing through a crisis, one after another. This chain of events has affected Malta too.

Do you recall Lehman Brothers? They’ve probably been forgotten, as that was three years ago now. Their collapse started the global recession that hit Malta hard, and hit other countries hard too. When this was over, with the exception of Portugal, the African and Arab crisis erupted.

Nearly everywhere you look, there are internal fights, civil wars, fraudulent elections, dictators unwilling to move out, protests in the streets, presidents leaving their countries, rulers sent out to exile and whatnot.

The result will very well be an increase in oil prices that is being foreseen in the short-term. There are strong indications of a price of $120 per barrel, which will drive us up the wall.

What a hard three-year period we went through. The government stood its ground; it had to wobble somewhat under tremendous pressure, but still stood firm. It can continue to do so, with more flexibility, attention and good will from all sides of the industrial divide. We, as a government, are doing our best for Malta to emerge from all this mess with flying colours.

Robert Arrigo is a parliamentary assistant in the Finance Ministry