The Prime Minister was very clear in his statement last January. The Labour Migration Policy Government is enacting these days is the first ever piece of legislation to address one of the most sensitive areas of policy that directly affects the quality of life of Maltese citizens.

That means that in a country measuring a handful of kilometres across, this is the first time Labour administrations have thought of having a policy in place, before flooding the country and the labour market with over 100,000 third country nationals.

If it weren't harrowing, this would be hilarious. Just like a plot line from a tragic comedy, the Prime Minister addressed the nation, with a straight face, effectively admitting that all that we have been enduring in the past 12 years of Labour governments has been improvised mayhem. Chapeau Dr Abela!

Now the Prime Minister is expecting our praise for doing something about the rather urgent situation. Well, not too fast Mr Prime Minister, not too fast!

First of all, for a Labour Migration Policy to be worth the paper it is printed on, it needs to be based on or at least accompanied by a clear economic vision for the country, clearly delineating the economic model chosen for the future.

It is very much like designing and crafting a dress. No use sowing the most elegant of cocktail dresses, when it is a camping trip that we have been invited to.

Same goes for a Labour Migration Policy, which needs to be based on a clear idea of where the country wants to be in the next five, 10, or 20 years' time. Otherwise, it is more improvised mayhem we're heading into.

The Nationalist Party presented its views to government during the consultation period which mysteriously lasted just over a month. In our feedback we noted how a Labour Migration Policy needs to respond to the needs of the labour market, which would be based on a long-term economic plan. Otherwise, how are we going to decide how many workers we are going to need? What kind of workers? Which industries will they work in? Which sectors are we expecting to grow? What skillsets will our workforce need in the future?

Unfortunately, the policy answers none of these questions, and instead it is merely a political exercise, intent on creating the illusion that the government is doing something about a situation that has drastically changed the face of the island for the worse.

We have already started reading news of how in certain localities the number of foreign nationals has now exceeded the number of Malta-born citizens. The irreversible and profound effects of flawed short-term policies are now becoming extremely hard to look away from.

For many years, Labour administrations have operated a policy of quantity over quality, growing an economy based on consumption and numbers. This meant that the country's infrastructure, be it our roads, our electricity grid, water supply, sewage management, accommodation, education or seas, where stretched within an inch of their life, to make up for the inordinate growth in demand.

The negative consequences are being felt in all aspects of our lives.

The Nationalist Party has been calling on the government to organise a national conference, that would bring on board all stakeholders to discuss and determine what the major challenges being faced by the country's over-night explosion in population. A conference that would discuss how this demographic phenomenon is affecting the economy, society and Malta's national identity.

However, unfortunately government appears to have no appetite for addressing the situation and is more interested in creating distractions that give the illusion of a solution.

We believe in a different economic model. We believe we should go for more quality rather than quantity and look at industries that are less labour-intensive while producing more value-added. We have done it in the past, with the introduction of financial services, gaming and aviation maintenance among other sectors, creating thousands of extremely well-paying jobs without needing to import hundreds of thousands of workers from abroad. We can do it again by seeking and nurturing new niches that look forward rather than back.

We need long term solutions that find a balance between the economic and social needs of the country within a context of a long-term vision. Otherwise, it will be more improvisation, and this is no jazz concert.

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