Thank God for some short breaks every now and then because they give you the opportunity to rest, refresh yourself and prepare for another period on the fast lane. In my case, it also leaves me space for some thinking time, for which, I end up yearning during the busy times.

On the political front, this particular Christmas break should have served as an opportunity for some much-needed reflection on a number of decisions taken by the government or the political parties in the last nine months. Wisdom dictates that such reflection should lead, for example, to a realignment exercise in the run up to the European Parliament elections scheduled for May.

After having won power with such a bang, the Labour government should have used this break to assess whether a number of decisions it has taken in the first months of this legislature do some form of justice to its pre-13 March calls for national unity (Malta Taghna Lkoll), for dialogue, for consensus and for financially sound decisions. Unfortunately, this government has so far failed on a number of fronts. The call for national unity that seemed to have impressed many, did not even survive the honeymoon period of this government.

The string of partisan appointments, starting from that of the Commissioner of Police to key positions in various government entities, defeated the very concept of national unity and in some cases verged on the insane. Now this government has the opportunity to somehow redeem itself through a wise choice of a nominee to fill the shoes of the current President of the Republic, Dr George Abela. The argument put forward by MEP candidate Dr Alfred Sant that the PN had nominated four Nationalist-leaning politicians for the presidency prior to coming up with Dr Abela’s name, does not make much sense. This is an opportunity for this government to deliver on what it had promised. So far, it has only done the opposite. Many, like me, think that this government’s will is very weak, but only time will tell whether this whether we are right or wrong.

I also hope that this break served as an occasion for Muscat’s government to reflect on the damage it has caused by coming up with the idea of selling the Maltese passport for a cheap price. Its decision to tweak the scheme in a very artificial manner a few days before Christmas, only served to show how power has really gone to this government’s head. My feeling is that it has only decided to “discuss” the scheme with the Opposition to give the impression that it is ready to listen. It has now become evident that while doing so it had already decided its next step and was adamant to proceed whatever the outcome of the “discussions”.

I am not one to give up hope that easily. I still hope that this government agrees to scrap the whole scheme in the national interest and start afresh by proposing a scheme that steers away from the concept of prostituting our national identity for financial reward. This country deserves better.

This short break has certainly served as an occasion for the Opposition and the Nationalist Party to gain the necessary energy and momentum prior to setting for the EP elections campaign. The last few months were very busy for the party since it needed to literally rebuild itself. In addition, it needed to start addressing the financial situation which could not be left in that condition. Fortunately, the new leadership under Dr Busuttil stewardship has hit the road running. The first results are encouraging.

In the next few months our main focus will shift to the political substance which is, after all, what the electorate will vote for when we present ourselves for the coming electorate tests. The party structures and the shadow cabinet are gearing up for a revamp of the party’s policies in a number of areas. This process requires a huge effort to go out there, meet people, meet and discuss with stakeholders and to listen, listen and listen. But at the end of the day, it is the only way forward and we are determined to go the whole hog in order to be in shape in time for the big test.

2014 will be a very important year for the PN. The road to victory starts now.

Charlo’ Bonnici is the Opposition spokesperson for sustainable development, the environment and climate change.