The public is beginning to lose its patience and the country cannot endure much more of this chewing gum and rubber band politics.  Every bit of news leading to another identity crises.  Libya, China, Azerbaijan, Europe and wherever.  Credibility extended to the limit.  Individuals behaving in unethical ways, blue today, red tomorrow and bright orange the next,   going all the way back to the antics of the PN backbench culprits in the last year or two prior to the election, on to the onslaught of the Labour Moviment in the campaign and throughout the new legislature of Joseph Muscat, we have seen enough chewing of gum and blowing of raspberries to make us burst.

There is now a chronic lack of political stability, which also spills over to economic and democratic instability. Cover ups and fancy narratives are leaving us lost and fed up to the hilt.  How many more fires to put out?  Would it be too much to ask for a normal, stable, confident and capable government?  We want to get on with our lives.  We want to be able to forget about politics on a daily basis and to know where we are heading and that there is reasonable security for our future.  Muscat's managers gave us the Road Map to instill this sense of security and direction in us. 

Only we never saw it and it must have got blown away by a Grigalata.  As things stand, the disconnect between the public and the government is growing by the day.  Who is convinced that the salaries being paid out by the bucket-load are justified and that we can afford such indulgence?  Does anybody believe that this a fair and democratic country with a stable Parliament? Have we not seen through the cover-ups and fast-tracks and diversions to realize that a change is needed? It would be hard to think that we have not yet noticed that it's all been stretched to the extreme.

The first job of a government is to create a stable environment where people can carry on with their daily jobs and activities and to reflect the aspirations of the population.  Destablising the country with one shift and change after another is leaving nerves frayed and discontent will soon begin to follow.  The power station saga is the biggest of them all, transport is another, foreign policy, IIP, immigration and hunting, justice and inequality have all had an impact on our sense of confidence and trust in what this government is doing and where they are capable of going.  The energy policy with Minister Konrad Mizzi and his wife in China and all the permutations of gas tanks, LNG FSU's and non-existent maritime impact assessments and rubber band MEPA applications has become the symbol of this instability.  Far from settling our minds with a 25% discount in our water and electricity bills, we see an abyss of what the next 5, 10 and 25 years will hold for us in terms of what price we are to pay down the line.  This is apart from the physical risk to our health and safety with the possible hazards of the gas tanker in the bay.

Going back to Independence and the Malta of Dr Borg Olivier, what a difference in the way things were taking place then!  The years of laying down the foundations for investment, industry, tourism, housing and infrastructure and the rule of law.  Malta was at the centre of the Mediterranean with all the attention on it in every positive way.  Having endeavoured to bring ourselves back to prosperity and a functioning democracy after the Mintoff & KMB years, we began to see real progress in this country and aspirations became ambitions and then achievements.  Whole new generations came up with new sights and opportunities never seen before.  We were far from a perfect place but life was generally good and stable, although not all may agree and many can say they wanted a change.  But the essence of it was good and the need for change was driven by a power hungry opposition who would stop at nothing to gain control of Castille.

If they were consistent, convinced us with their performance and instilled confidence in our belief in their honest intentions, we would not need to be concerned.  Unfortunately, the metamorphis of a storage tank, into a floating tanker on our doorstep from a Chinese into an Azerbaijani with Shell oil and a bankrupt partner, in under 24 months, to an unknown period, has just caused too many waves.

 

Even Poroshenko and the brave Ukrainians have a clearer vision of where they belong in spite of all the fighting on their borders.  To them it is not about power but about freedom and their right to chose.  There is stability in their mind even if the country has yet to find peace with the Russian element.

The battle of Malta continues to be fought.  The economy will reflect the same uncertainty and the deficit will grow as economic activity goes into decline.  Within less than 2 years we already see abuse of power and diversions instead of concrete actions on a regular basis.  The treatment of the opposition and the media has exposed fear and concern for an unlawful environment that is being created to sustain this instability.

The good thing about Simon Busuttil is that he is difficult to rattle.  That characteristic can induce a sense of stability.   This factor alone, can become the strength of the PN.  When all the hype about change, corruption and thrashings at the polls has ebbed there will be Simon.  This is what Ann Fenech had to say about him after the closing speech at the convention  -  "passionate, engaging, intelligent, knowledgeable and quick - so proud he is the leader of my party".  

This country needs a stable, honest and intelligent government.  We do not need to be the best in Europe but we should be the best to ourselves.  Those who are in power should stop focusing on their own imagination, face facts and make sure that they protect all the environment and infrastructure the country has available and has invested in, and that includes the human resources and take it forward towards a healthy and stable future.

It's not about how long you spend in power but what you do with it when you are there. 

Missed targets, secrets, a deal with the wrong partners and a stretch too far cannot bring about the political and democratic stability needed to deliver prosperity.  Only justice, equality, trust, a good economy and positive incentives for real investment and opportunity together with consistency can hope to achieve success not just for the few but for all.