Political surveys should be taken for what they are: a snapshot of that particular moment during which they are held. But they do give political parties quite a clear idea of where they stand in terms of popularity or otherwise. 

The latest political surveys, three to be precise, one held by professional pollster Prof Vincent Marmara, Esprimi for Times of Malta and the MaltaToday survey, all show that the Labour Party currently enjoys the support of the majority of the Maltese electorate and that there is a substantial trust gap between the Prime Minister and Labour Leader Robert Abela and PN Leader Bernard Grech, with Abela enjoying a significant lead over Grech.

Last June, at the European Parliament elections, most of the electorate voted Labour but not overwhelmingly as it did at the last general elections in 2022.

Labour took that message and acted upon it. The electorate was telling us, through the polls, 'We trust Labour, we want it to keep governing, but we want a better version of it."

That is, in a nutshell, what the June polls said, abstentions and all. And it was our duty, as a Labour government, to listen and act. And we did. We still are.

Listening to people's needs and aspirations, being aware of the daily challenges that our families face, and helping them to overcome those challenges is why we are in government.

I have been in politics for most of my young and adult life. I have lost count of the number of house visits that I have made since my first forays in the political field. Thousands of them. First as a local councillor and deputy mayor, in Marsascala and eventually as a Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary and Minister.

I can safely argue that house visits are the best way to gauge people's moods. It is such an intimate thing being welcomed in people's homes, sitting down with them around the kitchen table, and they tell you, with no inhibitions, as should be, what they are going through.

And if you had to ask me what, in general, people speak to me about it is bread and butter issues: Daily life, its challenges and opportunities; their hopes for their children and grandchildren, health; the economy - on a personal level, and education; the state of our country's infrastructure, or rather the state of the pavement and the road that they live in and other issues that matter to them, that have an impact, large or small, on their lives and those of their loved ones.

And our duty, as politicians, is to listen, to take note of their concerns, and to act upon them. Some are difficult to act upon, but most suggestions made and grievances uttered can and must be addressed.

A dear friend of mine, a former Minister, told me that one of the potential pitfalls of government is that you are too busy governing.

He then told that back in June 2024, that is what, perhaps, happened wher we were, according to him, too busy governing. After the Covid 19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, which devastated the global economy, we had to turn over a new page: strengthen our economy, get back our tourists; invest further in the health sector; introduce measures to curb inflation.

It was no walk in the park, and it took most of our time. We managed to achieve what seemed to be impossible. People were grateful for our efforts, but they expected more from us and we fell short of their expectations. They expected us to be much more in tune with their personal needs, and they had every right to expect that from us.

Following the June elections, we pulled up our socks in this respect, and the latest political surveys are proof of that.

It's a long way, and we have so much more to do. We need to listen more, and we need to act faster. But that we are on the right track is confirmed by the people themselves who are constantly giving the government's performance the thumbs up.

It is a humbling message that motivates us to work further, harder, and more effectively to address people's needs and aspirations.

This is in stark contrast to the Nationalist Opposition party, which has, since 2013, failed to convince the electorate that it could be a better alternative to the Labour government.

It is not my intention, nor my responsibility, to analyze what is wrong with the PN, but it is no rocket science to conclude that they fail time and again to appreciate that what matters most to families and businesses are the bread-and-butter issues.

The PN is oblivious to all that. It insists on being negative and opposes every initiative taken by the government. It is anti-government for the sake of being anti-government. Of course, it's every Opposition's duty to criticize the government, but it must also offer better alternatives. The PN is failing to do so, and the latest polls amplify this lack of credibility from the opposition.

It is indeed unfortunate that the PN has been hijacked, for want of a better word, by a handful of people, including some of its own MPs, who are extremist in their actions.

I had the opportunity to highlight this in Parliament recently when I spoke during the discussion of the much-needed magisterial inquiries reform that the government is leading. I explained that the PN's opposition to this reform is motivated by one sole reason: they want to continue wreaking havoc on people's lives, those people whom they decide to attack because they happen to have different political views from theirs.

And I am not talking about politicians, as their victims, those too, and I have experienced that personally, and I was proved right, but about private citizens who either have a political view different from theirs or for love of country serve Malta as public servants to the best of their professional ability.

There is then a segment of our electorate that refused to vote at the last MEP elections, and according to opinion polls, they are still refusing to do so. Political parties have a duty to analyze the reasons that make people refuse to vote, understand what is leading them to proverbially vote with their feet, and convince them to participate in the democratic process. This process takes time and a lot of humility. The fact that a sizable portion of the electorate refuses to vote should be a wake-up call for the political class and the people are never ever to blame - we, as politicians are, and our duty is to address this situation without ifs or buts.

Labour shall continue to be in sync with people's needs and aspirations. The people look at the Labour Party for solutions. We shall not let the people down.