Not only do we live in a society where there is evident lack of respect for the authorities, but, as the police unions said in their statements after this brutal attempted murder, there is even a sense of hatred toward the police.

Why should a police officer get run over, dragged for hundreds of meters, and be left for dead in the middle of the street simply for doing his job? Did it need to get to this for the people to get outraged at the lack of respect there is for the police and authority in general?

It was heartening to see that thousands took to the streets on Saturday, to show their utter shock and anger for what had happened. But the event of last week is not an isolated one.

There has been an escalation of incidents, both physical and verbal, against the police over recent months. It surely does not help to have the PN lead a negative campaign against the entire police force and institutions coupled by highly provocative accusations to tarnish their image.

What example is being given, when an aspiring head of Government aided by fellow parliamentarians, takes an active role in a number of despicable charades in front of the police headquarters with the sole aim to belittle and ridicule the police force?

The Opposition has been deliberately tainting the entire police force, not just the Commissioner. This attitude is highly unfair and irresponsible. It is also demoralising for the majority within the Force that are exemplary in their work. I am a firm believer that the silent majority of the Maltese do respect the police and are appreciative of their daily efforts to ensure the proper functioning of the rule of law.

The police have made significant leaps forwards in recent years and they should not let these incidents hinder their motivation to keep working hard. We as politicians should lead by example, and not only show respect to the Force, but more importantly allow it to carry on with its mission in a serene environment without raising doubts were there ought not be any.

This week the National Audit Office concluded a three-year long investigation into the Mater Dei hospital saga. The outcome, as expected, is a very damning one for the Nationalist Party. I would say it is a text-book case of how any Government should not act. And this is not your average Government project, but by far the biggest ever publicly funded capital project which ended up costing in excess of € 540 million according to the NAO.

One would expect that if ever there was the need for a project to adhere to public procurement regulations, proper documentation and transparent decision making, the building of a national hospital is definitely one.

However, the report states that, "the NAO is of the opinion that the Foundation for Medical Services inability to provide basic information relating to a project of this magnitude represents an institutional failure and gross negligence in the administration of public funds. Moreover, an inadequate and unreliable audit trail detracts from the expected level of accountability, transparency, fairness and governance warranted in this project of national importance."

The lack of information is so big that the NAO was prohibited from carrying a comprehensive investigation which can provide some assurance or otherwise to the taxpayer how public funds have been spent. The NAO reports that, "the FMS indicated that the files and documents sought by the Office were not found and that the said boxes, referenced as containing the documents requested, were in fact empty." Notwithstanding this shortage of records by the FMS which was the Government entity responsible for this project, the NAO sought to obtain and collate information from other stakeholders. The information obtained in this manner is obviously fragmented and makes it very hard for the NAO to join the dots. It was a laborious task. It took the NAO three years to try to built the whole picture and reach its conclusions. It could not even be ascertained whether or not the works and services provided were through a public call, nor if the payments effected for the latter were lawful.

I find it very hard to believe that the lack of documentation at all levels is a result of negligence or deficiency. I believe it was intentional; the main reason being to make sure there was no evidence left behind for anyone who at later stage wanted to uncover all the wrongdoing that was going on. And this is exactly what happened to the NAO. To add insult to injury, despite the identified shortcomings in terms of the quality of work, in 2009 the Government entered into a final agreement whereby it gave away its rights by form of an absolute waiver. Therefore, the Government's right for redress and to seek compensation for the latent defects is severely restricted.

Reading through the NAO report and conclusions made me feel angry to say the least. The report is depicting very clearly how the Nationalist Government used to operate, with projects that end up costing much more than anticipated, completed many years behind schedule, no documentation left to ascertain the facts and purposely tying the hands of a subsequent Government so as not to seek justice. They simply cannot be trusted.