This government was elected to run the country, largely because of its pledge for meritocracy, accountability and transparency. There were other promises, of course, but for Joe Public, the call resonated. Could we really have a Malta where people were not allowed to smash and grab and get away with it?

The latest issue to have been in the news was Simon Busuttil’s pledge to not bind himself to agreements made between boathouse ‘owners’ and previous governments. He stopped short of saying a PN government would clear them out, but the message was quite clear.

Front Harsien ODZ have now joined the chorus, and called on the government to state its intentions. Illegal boathouses not only blight Malta’s coastline, but they are the epitome of what is unfair about this country.

Just because some people decided they were going to build a hut right by the sea, then turn it into a garage, then a hangout, then a fully fledged flat with television, wi-fi, water and electricity, it does not make it fair.

That land is stolen from the people of Malta. But when we look at what the government has already given away, its credentials are pretty dismal. When we look at the fact that an illegally built petrol station was given a licence to operate, that the same family bought a chunk property in Valletta and sold it for a huge profit to the government, then we know what to expect.

The government says that it will crack down hard on benefit abuse. Rightly so, but what about this other form of theft?  The government said that benefit fraud was theft... so why not call a spade a spade and declare this to be the same. It has declared war on corruption, yet there are so many shady deals that raise so many questions.

Does the government have enough to take the moral high ground and lose a few votes in the process of giving back to people what is rightfully theirs?

Probably not. All we have to do is look at the fact that Zonqor has been taken away and sold on for private use to house a Higher Educational facility. 2015 will soon be over and we will be heading into a new year. But we very much doubt that this, along with a large number of other controversial issues will be addressed.

The government and the Prime Minister keep telling us that life is good, that we have money in our pockets and that we are performing well. Yes, that is true, but people also want to see fairness, justice and meritocracy. If it is wrong to illegally build a boat house, then enforce the law and kick the squatters out. Things have even gone so far insomuch that people are offering illegally built accommodation on websites such as Airbnb. Something has to give. We would like to see what would happen if anyone tried to build a boathouse illegally in 2015, and in particular at Zonoqor. We are pretty sure they would be marched out without question. We shall wait and see what our fantastically strong Environment Authority might have to say on the matter.