Now that the horse has bolted, in a bid to regain control of the situation, as well as of his political fate, Robert Abela is desperate to appear to be doing something about the increasingly alarming over-population in Malta.

While the Malta Labour Migration Policy might contain a number of proposals which, quite frankly, we have been putting forward and proposing for a number of years, it is only a face-saving exercise which does not provide the holistic vision needed to truly address the desperate situation we have found ourselves in.

Truth be told, Robert Abela inherited a time-bomb from his predecessor Joseph Muscat, whose government was solely interested in generating enough large scale projects that would funnel kick-backs to his associates and friends, come what may.

However, as we have been told in the wall-to-wall celebrations held a few days ago, Robert Abela has been at the helm of the country for five years now, more than enough time to take stock of the situation, find what's wrong with the system, address it, and pivot course. Any leader worth their salt would have managed to mitigate matters and enact the right policies in a timely manner, before the situation would have gotten out of hand.

Alas, sadly, Robert Abela remained frozen in the headlights, so to speak, and let the monster grow and grow, to a point that he can no longer ignore it. His internal support is dwindling by the day, and he has been given an ultimatum.

We are beyond niceties. We need concrete answers now, to truly put everyone's minds at rest that the Government has the situation under control and in order to do this they need to clearly declare, in no uncertain or half terms, the concrete parameters of their vision.

Like for example, in well-studied terms, what population size, is the government envisaging Malta to have in the next five years? How many foreign workers does Government intend to allow entry to the island? What economic sectors, will be identified to give up their workers? How many workers are we talking about?

Sadly, in the government's much promoted policy, these answers are nowhere to be found - but we are not surprised.

This Labour administration, under Robert Abela's leadership, does not have the right will or skill to address this problem which has grown way beyond its abilities. It is basic logic, that he who created the problem will not be capable of solving it.

In the same way, Robert Abela cannot solve the problem of over population in Malta. He just doesn't have the political will or vision to do so.

This is the greatest legacy that Robert Abela will leave behind for others to solve. It will be a monument to him, sadly, being an inconsequential prime minister who allowed the population to balloon to unprecedented numbers in a record short period of time, while leaving a gaping opportunity for abuse on workers.

The Opposition has been vociferous on the subject for a number of years and has presented a long list of proposals, some short term as well as long term, on how to address the situation. We have chosen to be a constructive Opposition, who wants to help the government of the day, in a bid to improve the standard of living of our people. Unfortunately, Government chose to ignore all our calls and persisted on its road of lack of ideas.

A Nationalist Government would do things differently. A Nationalist Government would consult with all stakeholders and interested parties, because we truly believe in the value of consultation. We would involve local communities, non-governmental organisations, our security services, business leaders, social partners and all voices that have our social fabric at heart, to truly craft a policy and strategy that reflects all players of our society.

We would evaluate and value all possibilities. We will not stop or leave any stone unturned, as we will keep an open mind to all solutions that will help mitigate the situation.

Finally, a Nationalist government would make sure to implement the proposals that have been put forward, both by the Opposition itself, as well as those who have our people's wellbeing at heart, without any further delays.

Though with this policy, the government is trying to give the false impression that it might have the solutions to the issue, sadly this is far from the case. The government has shown this, as it ignored calls by the Leader of the Opposition and numerous others to take action, time and time again.

Malta's population has grown by a 120,000 people in 10 years. We need a complete new direction to truly address the situation, not a half-hearted effort which only aim is to appear to be doing something.

Robert Abela, sadly, does not possess the ability to do this. We need a change in direction.

Dr Darren Carabott is the Opposition's Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and President of the Public Accounts Committee.