To make an electoral argument out of the vicissitudes of Enemalta, as both leaders did in their Xarabank confrontation last Friday, was to choose to fight on a very slippery slope.

The confrontation itself, however, was rather revealing. The fact that they both devoted time and emphasis to the issue of electricity and water rates reveals they both admit the high impact of the bills on the quality of life of all Maltese.

There is much to reflect upon both in what was said and even more in what was not said.

Labour has been consistently promising to bring down the bills. This has been successively pooh-poohed as facile, not the right solution, populistic, etc. The Labour leader was hard pressed to reveal the mechanics of this proposal – time, extent, and all – but he steadfastly resisted saying all will be revealed later on in the election campaign.

To this, the Nationalist leader came out with a bill showing 0, from a person who installed photovoltaic panels and got his electricity for free. As was also pointed out, no bill can really be 0 because one has to pay for the meter charges and also for water.

Incomprehensibly, Dr Gonzi was more on the defensive than on the attack. He should have stated that his government has taken the most sustainable decisions to safeguard the security of energy supply by means of the Interconnector from Sicily and the power station extension. Both processes are still in the making, but when they are in place, Malta will have ensured security of supply for many years to come.

Dr Muscat, predictable from the billboards, made fun of a power station that cost so much and that still has not delivered electricity. He also added it is dangerous to health. Dr Gonzi was wrong to let this pass. First of all, as has already been argued, the mishap was, at least apparently, a mistake. It has nothing to do with the general architecture of the plant that, for the first time in the world, weds two processes together. Although unfortunate, accidents do happen but they can be set right. Secondly, the plant has produced electricity, so the billboard is wrong. Thirdly, it conforms fully to EU health standards so it will not be dangerous to health.

Dr Muscat must have been referring to the choice of fuel. This is not the first plant to use Heavy Fuel Oil: in fact most of the Delimara power station does so. Government is on record saying that it intends to changeover to gas as soon as the gas infrastructure is in place and conversion can be made. But as it is, the BWSC plant, to give it its popular name, is neither dangerous to health nor a failure as far as power generation goes.

But there was much more that went unsaid. First of all, the cost of power to the house in Malta, both taxed and untaxed, is low considered by European standards.

Secondly, there are two principles that must be safeguarded. Enemalta must be brought to order. Labour is right about this. The corporation, until very recently, had no administrative or financial structure to speak of. That cannot be allowed to continue. Secondly, Malta must move forward to a sustainable approach to the environment.

Finally, help must be given to those sections of the population that are at risk but this must not be done by a general relaxation of present rates but targeted to those who really need help. And it must be more user-friendly than the voucher system, which is also humiliating to those who benefit.

There should not be any electoral argument focusing around energy. For our country to continue growing we need a steady provision of energy and for our well-being we need as clean energy as possible. Controversies on who manages best a utility that has been ramshackle for the past 40 years is a futile waste of time.

And we are not on skid row. Deposits at banks keep increasing even when all Europe is in a crisis and when the number of banks has multiplied but interest rates have gone down. That does not mean we do not have people at risk of poverty, but we must see this aspect too for a more balanced view.