Penning an article in August is normally a difficult task.

Our summer normally makes one relax, go to the beach and enjoy the beautiful island we have in its entirety. It is a beauty that we have built over the years, and not by coincidence, but by having the Nationalist Party in power. Our life is full, our potential reached and our workforce continues to brave the storm of recession, and the clouds of gloom.

We do have our problems of course, but certainly we continue to plod on, with different obstacles and different situations. I continue to say that every situation, bad or good, is an opportunity to be taken up. Imagine a life without problems, where nobody would care about anything or anybody; we would not need competent leaders, but we would all lie back and exist, rather than live.

When you see this Malta of ours, in all its splendour, with so many government projects done and still to be done, I wonder why we can still risk losing it all, and go back, or are taken back, on the premise that some are anti-Nationalist.

There is no major issue going round now, as most important decisions in Malta’s life have been taken by the Nationalist Party. One can repeat ad nauseum these events that are today part of our history, but without which, we will not be standing where we are. The Labour Party, movement or whatever you want to call it, was always on the wrong side of the fence, and yet seems to advocate the opposite just because of that golden vote in the next election.

The Maltese are normally calculated risk takers. We do not play with our future or that of our children. Safety is important to us, as much as peace of mind and tranquil living. So why risk, I ask? 

Some take the risk by not voting, although recently I did notice a sharp drop in the number of people who do not intend to vote. People who lived in the Labour times know how cruel those governments were. It seems that today’s trend is not to vote, but like any other trends or fashion, this will change and one will realise that mistakes were committed by not voting. However as that piece of ballot paper is dropped silently into the urn, there is no going back. Your decision is a decision that can take as long as 15 years to change, although some time ago 22 months were sufficient to notice the disaster dealt to Malta and its families. And if not for you, there are your children and family who will not be given the same openings as there are today.

I would like to share with the readers two points I came across when meeting people. In the feast week of a locality, you come across a lot of kiosks, vendors selling food and stuff. Loads of people eat and drink, and the scene is lovely. I would like to see that after the activity, the vendors carry out a proper clean-up of the streets in order to leave them as clean as they found them.

In our districts there are a huge amount of foreigners, probably around 9,000, who seem to work here. That may be 20% of the voting population in a council election. Hopefully, they do pay their taxes and national insurance contributions. They do not pay, however, local tax for their rubbish collection, cleaning services and other government services. They do pay their local council in their homeland, so they should start paying their respective council, start feeling part of a community and contribute to its upkeep.

I was thinking of a contribution from foreigners who are not paying tax here in Malta, if ever this can be controlled. Lest I am quoted out of context, by an eager media, I am not saying that the Maltese should pay up too.

What a lovely project is in place at Pembroke, inaugurated last Tuesday by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Tourism and Environment Minister Mario de Marco, who has thrown in all his enthusiasm in his designated job. We have had excellent results in the tourism industry. Thank you Mario. This has been welcomed by all.

I wish the readers a happy Ferragosto.

Robert Arrigo is parliamentary assistant in the Finance Ministry