It is amazing how a project that attracted so much criticism, and was used to sow so much hatred and discontent, is instilling a feeling of pride and admiration now that everyone can see and feel the finished product – in primis, from the very people that used it as a hate tool.

A few weeks ago, we were honoured by a short visit from the world renowned architect Renzo Piano. During our meeting at the Parliament buildings, we learnt that the government had confirmed to him that the buildings would be finalized as planned by him, while commenting subtly that his plans also included the garden in the underlying ditch. Indeed, he reiterated that the open spaces were an integral part of his vision and that these had to be viewed as something precious owned by everyone rather than something useless that belongs to nobody.

During that meeting I could not resist thinking that Renzo Piano’s project epitomizes the basic faults of Joseph Muscat’s Labour. At the same time, the project depicts how the PN, despite certain transgressions, decided and acted in the long-term interest of the country irrespective of the short-term political costs.

The Speaker complained that despite requesting the documentation related to the project, this had not yet been received from the government. It is unbelievable that an ex-deputy leader of the Malta Labour Party had to make such a dirgeful speech when he himself was part of the previous election campaign, until he was “politically murdered” by our Prime Minister, that had ‘transparency’ as one of its foremost battle cries.

Well, the term ‘transparency’ now evokes various reactions in the Maltese electorate, ranging from resentment from those who feel they were swindled in March 2013, to disdain from those who were indeed expecting the antithesis of what was promised during the election campaign.

For this reason, the word ‘transparency’ has disappeared from Labour’s vocabulary and I could not hide the smirk on my face when the Speaker protested that the government had hitherto refused to release the documents.

Meanwhile, the market hawkers felt betrayed because despite the pre-election backroom deal they had reached with Joseph Muscat, they had learnt that they would still have to content themselves with the lower part of Ordnance Street – practically, what the PN was willing to agree on before the election with the objective of striking a balance between the interests of this particular group of operators and the interests of the rest of society.

Although Joseph Muscat was ready to promise infinity and beyond to everyone and anyone, thereby securing their vote and support in March 2013, what happened to the market hawkers is testimony to the fact that the PN will bend over backwards to help and accommodate everyone as long as it does not impinge on the best interests of society in general.

What the market hawkers realized, and what the rest of us should understand is that invariably Joseph Muscat buys one’s vote, not by creating value but by taking away something from the rest of society. Because many of these deals are immoral and inequitable, they are secured in back-rooms and the contracts cannot be disclosed since the general public would react in the same way as it did when it found out what Joseph Muscat had promised the market hawkers behind their back.

Simon Busuttil is adamant that culture should be one of the PN’s strategic pillars because culture is a unifying agent and helps us recognize ourselves as a nation, as Maltese. If Joseph Muscat had the foresight of a statesman he would have never used this project as a divisive political tool. Contrast this to the PN’s way of doing things where, for the same reasons, the PN continues to offer its help with the important Valletta 18 rendezvous.

Of course, Joseph Muscat used Renzo Piano’s project to fuel populist sentiments, feeding the lie that the government was ‘squandering’ money on a capital project at the cost of society being asked to shoulder higher utility bills. This was of course untrue because the cost of utility bills was linked to the international price of oil and the fact that the interconnector project was still being built and we had not yet started reaping its benefits.

The real comparison Joseph Muscat should have been making was between the PN’s capital investments such as on the City Gate project and the interconnector project for the people to enjoy in future, and Muscat’s electoral feeding frenzies. The only irony is when one recalls those scornful words Joseph Muscat uttered at the inauguration of the inter-connector. Go on Mr Prime Minister; admit that even here “the PN got it right”.