I am not using the word ‘sustainable’ as I want to be entirely understood.

Every business, every self-employed individual be they a shop owner, professional, artisan, farmer, fisherperson or herdsperson, whether wares are sold from a van or a market stall; every self-employed person, whether an employer or not, all have a right to work and generate profits.

Today, small businesses and the self-employed are left to fend for themselves in the rat race that competition has become. Our government has forgotten what it means to be close to the little man. Modern political culture is all out for big businesses awarding direct orders, selling Maltese land for a lark and granting privileges denied to small fish. It may be claimed that with every change of leadership a new wave of ‘favourites’ is ushered in.

With our current government the list of said favourites is long indeed as is the list of the abandoned and forgotten. These small businesses, that account for the vast majority of Maltese entrepreneurs, are left to fend for themselves in a competition jungle where foreign multinationals are given an unfair advantage, be it in form of tax deductions, parcels of land, the blind eye turned to their irregularities or laws tailored to their needs.

The PN’s challenge as an alternate government is to ensure that small businesses and the self-employed are given the same attention and enjoy the same perks and advantages as the big fish. The government’s attention should not be focused so exclusively on the strong and mighty. On the contrary, smaller companies or individuals should be given the support and aid needed to thrive. Farmers, fisherwo/men, shop owners, artisans, professionals and the like, all deserve government attention. The PN believes that there should be no discrimination and rejects the classism that has engulfed, nearly to the point of laissez-faire capitalism, economic policy. The PN does not believe that smaller businesses are second class and therefore to be abandoned to fend for themselves on the outskirts of Maltese and Gozitan commerce.

With a Nationalist government, structures shall be put in place to maintain healthy, direct and continuous two-way communication with every person involved in business, be they self-employed or one of the several small local enterprises. The PN is, and will always be, ready to identify challenges that arise every day so as to address them immediately with minimal bureaucracy and easy access to civil services so as to best serve all commercial entities irrespective of size. Malta and Gozo require direct investment to improve infrastructure, be it the physical one or that of public services. This is pivoted in the PN’s vision and aligned to the Nationalist’s goal to have a cultural change where small businesses are given the dignity they deserve and are served with enthusiasm equal to that offered to big corporations.

The farming and fisheries industries are especially in dire need of investment and incentives. A Nationalist government will ensure that the supply of quality, fresh food is guaranteed. This will be done by safeguarding profits, something farmers, herdswo/men and fisherwo/men work immeasurably hard to gain in adverse conditions and with fierce competition from foreign counterparts whose economies of scale and favourable climates, for instance, greatly facilitate production and therefore enable them to knock down prices. Maltese and Gozitan produce is of course fresher, better for the environment and more useful to our economy. Consequently, the PN will, among other things, invest in veterinary services to help guarantee quality and affordable local meat and milk. Furthermore, imported products shall be closely monitored, as per current law, to protect both consumers’ health and this vital sector. Local businesses cannot be expected to compete disadvantaged with unfair practices in place.

We need to rebuild our services for these industries based on a vision rooted in support and incentives. Every small business owner, self-employed or otherwise, with or without employees, needs to feel supported by bureaucratic services the aim of which is to lend him/her a helping hand.

Energy costs, fuel prices and utility bill costs, most notably water-related expenses, need to be revised with urgency so as to help local producers remain competitive, especially in terms of their foreign counterparts, which nature itself favours greatly. A Nationalist government will aim to level the playing field by creating structures that help Maltese and Gozitan producers while enabling them to better cope with their environmental duties. This implies that every government service must seek to sustain the highest of environmental standards with a view of protecting our islands for future generations while safeguarding present day economic interests of all stakeholders no matter how small they might be.

All entrepreneurs must understand his/her obligations towards consumers; quality is not a matter of compromise. The PN’s vision is one where every individual is to have equal access to opportunity and success. Every self-employed individual deserves better than to be treated as a second-class citizen/businessperson. Help will be at hand to help improve both service and product. Our country deserves better that the current toxic economic and environmental realities it has been trapped in these past few years. Together we can succeed in delivering a future where one can enjoy the fruits of his/her work, where one gets value for money and especially where no one is left behind.

Edwin Vassallo is a PN MP and the party’s Spokesperson for the Strengthening of Agriculture and Fishery, Hobbies, Self Employed and Cooperatives.