Main events which, over time, have been thrown in the way of humankind or are directly created by it become the source of investigation of many historians, journalists and creative writers alike.  The current global pandemic is undoubtedly the greatest challenge humankind has faced since WWII and certainly a lot will be written about it in the years to come.

COVID sprung upon us all out of nowhere and the international community had to combat this invisible enemy by relying on scientific knowledge and human talent.  World leaders had no manuals, no instruction books and had to lead their countries while people, including themselves, were shaken and directly affected.  No country was spared, and as usual some countries did better than others.

What is certain is that the pandemic brought devastation where it found weakness, in structure, in leadership, healthcare systems and access to resources.  Other countries, even those much larger and considered to be much more economically prosperous than ours buckled under the pressures brought about by the pandemic.

Major health systems around the world were brought to their knees and millions found they could not access the healthcare they desperately needed for themselves or their loved ones and economies suffered.

Globally, lives were lost and many also lost their livelihoods, their jobs and their homes.  In this context, Malta stood out as the country which, through timely and effective decisions, saved lives and livelihoods and administered a vaccination program with impressive speed.  In the regular meetings which I have with families and small businesses I constantly hear positive feedback about the way Prime Minister Abela and his Cabinet took timely decisions.

Of course, people in the street rarely talk about the bigger picture but that does not make it less important.  As we were fighting a pandemic, protecting lives and livelihoods, Malta registered an economic growth of 13.4% which is indeed a very good achievement. As is the rate of economic growth for the first 6 months of the year stood (5.6%), which is still higher than was predicted by the Government and the Central Bank.

Another figure: in spite of the restrictions imposed on economic activity during the first half of the year, the Gross Domestic Product was only 1.8% lower than it was in 2019. Setting aside sectors that had to stop operating because of the pandemic, economic activity in 2021 saw a 4.6% increase when compared to the level of activity we had before the onset of the pandemic. Investment reached a record high of more than €842 million, confirming that businesses are highly confident in the direction our country is taking.

The government’s income in the first 7 months of this year increased by half a billion euro over the same period last year. This means that Maltese businesses and families are not only capable of paying the taxes deferred from last year, but are even paying more in taxes due to an increase in their income.

With regard to unemployment, in July this year, there were 1,542 persons seeking employment. This was the lowest number of unemployed ever observed in our history and this speaks volumes about the diligent and very good way that our country’s economy is being managed.

It is clear therefore that our government has the right priorities in place, and was and is guiding the country through a steady economic recovery and registering a substantial economic growth during the most challenging of times.

Most people in our country acknowledge the fantastic work done by the government in this field.  The Leader of the Opposition, on the other hand true to the politics of negativity that consumed his predecessors before him, decided to come out against the work that has been done.

We all remember how the Nationalist Party had handled the 2008 recession.  At the time the Nationalist Party led with a politics of austerity, were people carry heaviest burden and pay for the challenges that the country was facing. At the end they drove the public debt up to 70% of the GDP.  I thought that the experience would serve the Opposition a lesson, even if the challenges posed by the 2008 recession are nothing compared to the challenges imposed by COVID-19. 

Let us all remember what was the first thing that the Nationalist Party did when the country was being faced by this global pandemic. During the time when the country needed unity and strength in leadership what did they do?   They had decided to call an internal leadership election!  Imagine for a moment that this divided party – rife with internal division and infighting, rather than Labour, was in charge of the country during these difficult times. 

But let us focus on the immediate present.  Perhaps Bernard Grech would do us all a favour and tell us exactly which of the government’s COVID assistance measures would he have done away with, which of the unprecedented investments in the health sector does he consider a waste when facing a pandemic and perhaps he might like to explain to us how withholding investment and leaving less money in the people’s pockets is supposed to help them, or the economy.

This government is working, is embarking on important reforms and at the same time it is listening to the people and be sensitive to their needs and ambitions.   While the party in Opposition keeps insisting on sticking to the same politics of negativity, hitting one dead end after another and refusing to ever learn from the past, Labour is staying in touch with the people and is inviting us all to take an active part and have a sense of belonging in our country’s success and socio-economic growth.

We are coming out of this pandemic better than we were before, with lessons learnt and a new hope for the future.