“Maintain democracy or go to dictatorship: that is what is at stake in these elections.” This is a quote by Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

I am sure that at the coming elections, this is also what is at stake. We need to restore democracy. Even people within GonziPN are saying so. Maybe some will argue that this need was urgent in the past, but the same need is being felt today.

The general situation in the country, and also in Parliament, stands testimony to this. Malta is being run by a clique and by a bunch of people who dominate and decide for us all. After the last general election, I continued to conduct house visits and these intensified in the last few months. During these visits, I learn a lot, and basically, one can draw up an electoral manifesto. But I can also vouch that a lot of injustices and exploitation are taking place too. Apart from this, the people are being deceived by the GonziPN clique in government about the country’s finances. Public funds are not being used correctly and in the best interest of all.

From time to time, the governor of the Central Bank, as is his duty, issues statements and expresses an opinion on the finances of the country and about other issues that he deems admissible. This is the case with the incumbent who happened to be a former minister as well. I must say that the governor of the Central Bank is no layman, and as such, I expect that his advice is heeded by all, in particular by the government. Of course, every decision has its political consequences and I understand that the government of the day, and in particular GonziPN, allocates more weight to partisan politics and the interests of the PN rather than those of the country.

If one had to analyse the decisions taken throughout this legislature by the PN in government, one will soon come to the conclusion that what determines certain decisions are elections. In fact, it seems that during the first four and a half years of the legislature, there are a lot of problems and in the run up to the elections, there are only solutions and everything will become possible, even if not put into practice.

This is the case now and the incumbent Prime Minister is seen smiling and ‘giving solutions’ to problems that he did not tackle for years on end. The GonziPN clan is doing its utmost to accommodate disgruntled PN voters, to try to bring them back into their fold and once again gain their support at the polls. People are being taken for a ride and I am confident that this time round, voters will think twice. For the Labour Party, it is not going to be an easy ride and the GonziPN clique is going to make use of the power of incumbency to the best of its abilities; more than it did last time around. The country now needs a Labour government.

The current administration has no clue as to how to meet the EU-set targets. These, of course, are Labour’s targets too. Apart from these targets, we have the Maltese issues, which need to be tackled urgently. After the Labour Party congress, 12 main points that are being described as our road map emerged.

But the country does not only need new and fresh ideas; it also needs a new way of doing things and a real commitment coupled with real accountability. Those who are governing today cannot guarantee this – and so there is a need for change. Change seems to be happening in Europe and I sincerely hope, for this country and its people, that change will happen here too. By change, I do not mean doing away with all that the current administration did, but rather keeping the positives and doing away with the negatives. Most of the positives that this country has are due to its people and workers, including the business community, especially during the most difficult times.

The Governor of the Central Bank, like his predecessor, gave his warning about the financial situation of the country. The GonziPN clique is doing its utmost to make us believe that the financial situation, including the debt and deficit, are under control. The government is not managing to control the cost of living either, more so since the government is contributing to it significantly. The Governor also stated that economic growth should be the key and we need to have higher growth, which is not happening.

And that is why all the EU Member States should focus on growth to create more and better jobs and as such, generate wealth to hopefully be distributed in a just manner. It was a pleasure to see PM Gonzi with the Socialist French President last week; maybe even GonziPN will be convinced about the need for an ideological shift in focus at the EU level.

Carmelo Abela is Labour Main Spokesperson for Social Policy

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