If ever we needed proof that the Labour governments of Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela had absolutely no plan how to run the country, we have been served abundantly and painfully in the past week, for the second year running!

We were promised that after the complete and unbelievable breakdown in the country’s power distribution of last summer, things were going to improve, and we would never be subjected to such episodes again. Some of use even believed the promises in good faith - oh boy were we wrong!

For the second year running, entire regions of the country faced extended hours of unplanned, unforeseen power outages at the peak of yet another severe summer. At the time when our families need electricity the most, over the weekend even, they have been hit by the might of this government’s best brand of incompetence and arrogance in action.

It is no use trying to justify the expounded demand on the grid – it is absolutely no excuse. It’s like going to a restaurant and being left waiting to be served for hours on end… and then being told that the staff had been busy. Of course, a small delay would be fine, but there is a limit to everything. This is the same thing. We are being told that the consumption of electricity over the summer period skyrockets, resulting in the breakdown of the supply. Well, that is when you need to be on you’re A-game then. If the heat is too much, get out of the kitchen.

Small mercies – at least we are not being told that the heat is melting the cables anymore! Someone had the good sense to stop lying through their teeth and say it as it is.

The problem is that the truth is no consolation either. We expect one of the country’s most important resources, and its efficient and timely distribution, to be run and managed by professionals who can guarantee a power supply to everyone at every single time someone needs it!

The hardships suffered by our families, the elderly, young children not to mention the losses made by restaurants, small hotels and countless businesses is immeasurable. It is absolutely unacceptable to be in this situation in a modern European country in 2024.

Nationalist administrations invested handsomely to put the Mintoff-era regular power cuts behind us once and for all. Same as they did in ensuring water supply, decent roads, an airport that doesn’t make everyone feel embarrassed when welcoming foreigners, and a general modernisation programme of the country. Labour on the other hand used the country’s energy supply to invest in its closest friends, through secret trips, dubious energy deals and unsavoury friendships.

In the meanwhile, the only economic model Labour knew how to operate was to explode the population of Malta with thousands of people at a time. It is obvious that the resources of the country would be stretched to their absolute limit. We foresaw it, called it out and even warned what would happen if the government persisted on this lost road. Unfortunately, our words fell on deaf ears.

The result is that the country now finds itself in this sorry mess. The saddest part is that, as global warming continues to rage on, and our summers continue to get harsher and harsher, the bill is being footed by the most vulnerable amongst us, like the sick and the elderly.

The situation is beyond acceptable, and the responsibility must be shouldered. Sadly, I am not holding my breath.

 

Alexander Mangion is Deputy Mayor of Attard