A country that can boast of steady economic strengths and the highest rate of employment for decades, is the home of a hard-working and winning nation that can pump money back into the economy as a healthy legacy for future generations. 

This can be an objective description of the festive mode on this year’s Labour Day. While millions of workers in Europe protested in the major cities against high unemployment and the lack of reliable safeguards, Malta and Gozo celebrated the country’s unprecedented economic growth and the highest rates of employment ever. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s speeches, last Sunday at the PL’s AGM and on the First of May, gave the country a broad evaluation of the basic truths that have led us from chronic deficits until 2013 to consecutive surpluses since Dr Muscat has been at the helm.

Neither speech can be summed up any better than by quoting the chosen slogan for the current election campaigns: Malta f'qalbna (Malta in our heart).  Quite rightly, the Prime Minister exposed the motto as a natural sequence to former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff’s rallying cry of Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox (Malta first and foremost).

Malta in our heart

In the current run-up to both local and European elections on 25 May, never have these sentiments been so eloquent and meaningful.  Our country is central to everything we do, in every circumstance. And that is why Malta is in our hearts. In real terms, this is not a cry for just this election campaign. Strictly speaking, it should be the motto of every political group on our islands – including, ironically, the 'nationalist' appellative – where every choice and decision should be made with the interests of Malta and Gozo in mind.

Facts stand to prove that, as a Labour Movement, we love our country always and not just when we are in government. Several other instances confirm the truth of this throughout all the the time Labour was in Opposition until March 2013.  Some of those who lack decent political content have lately resorted to describing the current administration as a socialist government. As Dr Muscat firmly replied, they can say we are socialists, or social democrats, progressive, liberal or European. They cannot, however, help but call us Maltese first and foremost, as that is the distinctive way in which we have acted – and always will act.

This is in sharp contrast to what others can boast of.  Actually, they should be ashamed for having taken every single opportunity – more evidently during the last six years – to sow division and disseminate mistrust in the country’s institutions to the extent of denigrating the national interests and wellbeing in every EU forum they could set foot in. This is, in fact, a major issue during the current campaign and it should offer a deep, eye-opening thought for the electorate when choosing Malta’s representatives in the European Parliament.

Facing challenges

Various issues brought up during public debate this past week, prove that the Labour Government is continuously injecting the basic seeds for a winning nation, by the way it faces all challenges that others ignored when calling them mere perceptions. For example, it is common knowledge – and something that we do not shy away from admitting – that progress also has its consequences.

In the current circumstances, our immediate reaction is that we prefer the consequences of progress over the consequences of a stagnant country. The former can be faced with wide consultation that lead to rational and adequate solutions, while the latter will turn even more dangerous if people vote for a party that has no new ideas and which is in a worse state of disarray than ever before.

Our approach is, and will always be, based on the fact that we have been successful in creating wealth for the country to unprecedented levels and are distributing it through our programme of building a prosperity with a purpose. 

Creating and distributing wealth

The garnering of wealth has been the foundation for everything we can ever plan to offer as solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.  Proliferating progress across Malta and Gozo has been an ongoing and undeniable process throughout the first and the current legislature, with annual budgets that registered record surpluses without adding any new taxes to the extent of distributing tax-refunds for previous fiscal payments. 

In addition, we have kept our promise for lower utility bills and have stabilised fuel prices, secured free childcare for all, free school transport for all students, no fees for Sec and Matsec registration, regular increases in pensions after a 25-year freeze and, for the first time in many years, an increase in the national minimum wage – which will certainly not be a one-off.    

For anyone who cannot admit the vast national benefits of the country’s surplus, there is an endless list of social and fiscal measures that have changed the well-being of individuals and families from optimistic to success and, further, to the best times ever.  This will not, however, deter us from working harder to reach out to those who require further support, in the same way we offer tangible solutions to those at the risk of social deprivation –  after reducing their numbers to a third of what they were before March 2013.  

Socialists and pro-business

It is almost surreal – if not farcical – that those who made a habit of calling us ‘socialists’ forget that they also blame us for being pro-business. The measures referred to above, and many more that will follow in the coming months and years, do confirm that, yes, we are socialists and have never been ashamed of being so guided, The social reforms we have introduced over the years speak  for who we really are.

We are, however, also pro-business as we strongly believe that high employment growth is, and always will be, based on – and an outcome of – a successful private business sector. It is precisely through this, that we can improve the quality of life of our people and empower them to the dignity of earning a living. This is the manner through which we have succeeded in making millions for the country’s coffers and, consequently, being able to spend them among the fair and inclusive society we have been nurturing.

Surprise, or not?

The Gozo-Malta tunnel has been on the country’s agenda for a long time and more conspicuously during the last week. In a diligent manner, the Labour Government declared its awareness that such a mega-project will take years to complete and will eventually involve future administrations. In order to be politically ethical, I – together with Minister Ian Borg – tabled a specific resolution before the House a few weeks ago and we received the unanimous approval for a commitment that the project is to go ahead, binding both sides to its completion.

It seems, however, that the Leader of the Opposition – himself part of the historic consensus in Parliament – is not convinced of what he himself voted for.  During a televised debate with the Prime Minister this week, he gave the impression that he has had second thoughts about it, finding shelter in the excuse of further feasibility studies, which were mentioned in the same resolution for which he – and the different sections within his party – had voted only weeks ago.

Considering the state of affairs within the Opposition party or parties, should we consider this surprising?  We already know that their credibility is at its lowest, but now we are additionally regaled with another question: are they be reliable?

What a relief for the nation that we have a consistent Government which, time and again, is proving to be an agent for success that leads a country that is fast becoming a country of winners!