We have a tendency to measure success in numbers. And for good reason, because numbers, to a great degree, are absolute and can hardly be argued with. Yet numbers, as objective as they may be, can also be blindsided, and fail to provide the complete picture within a context. This is what the Labour government is failing to understand and is now trying very hard to address.

Yes, the economy has done well in the past years, albeit exploiting past successes, without introducing one single new economic sector, save for the explosion of imported cheap labour from the farthest flung countries of the world. However, where has all this growth gone? Who is enjoying it? Are our families on the receiving end of this bounty? Not sure about that. They sure are on the receiving end of the stresses it has brought with it, and this is something that a new Nationalist government is determined to address.

Because despite all the insensitive triumphalisms, many people feel that life has become harder, in the past ten years. Bills continue to rise, young couples are struggling to buy property, families are spending less time together, and finding peace of mind has become more difficult. Daily life has become one long rush between work, traffic and duties.

That is why the Nationalist Party is running a proactive and positive campaign, which is proposing tangible policy, which is designed to make a positive difference in the lives of our families.

Alex Borg, together with all our colleagues within the Nationalist Party, have dedicated the precious time of this campaign to speaking about the need for a new economic model for Malta. Not an economy built purely on quantity, but one built on quality. One that creates prosperity without sacrificing our quality of life in the process.

For too long, our country has depended on an economic model driven by relentless population growth and constant expansion. The result is visible around us. Congestion is not limited to rush hour anymore, as it has become a daily reality, spread evenly throughout the waking hours of the day.

Public services such as healthcare is stretched to a point that it often feels as though it is about to buckle under the pressure. We know from experience, because we experienced it first hand not so long ago, that the country's security of energy supply did buckle more than once, and no one in government is in a position to reassure us that it won't happen again.

It's like trying to fit twenty people into your average family car. Can it be done? Perhaps for a few seconds, but you're still guaranteed that someone will end up with someone else's' knee in their eye!

Malta has always welcomed people from all over the world, and our history is nothing but one long confirmation of this. However, we need to recognise that the rate at which the population has grown over the past ten years has been unsustainable. Worse even, it has been completely unplanned and careless. 

That is why the conversation around a new economic model is the central topic of this election. We need an economy that grows in quality not quantity. An economy that rewards innovation, higher skills, technology and productivity instead of simply relying on larger numbers to keep expanding. We need better jobs, stronger wages and more investment in sectors that create long-term value.

That is how we address the mounting pressures our households are feeling just to get by. Utility bills, groceries, rents and loans are eating away at our quality of life. Many of us are working hard, doing everything right, and still finding it difficult to get by.

We can and will improve the everyday lives of the average Maltese and Gozitan families. We will offer the solutions that restore hope and stability.

During this electoral campaign, we shall continue to illustrate our plan for an economy that grows sustainably, and that brings quality not quantity. Malta deserves development that is planned, better quality of life and a space for our younger generation to imagine a future on these shores, rather than feeling forced to look elsewhere.

This is the conversation the Nationalist Party is placing at the centre of this election. Not negativity or fear, but a serious discussion about what kind of Malta we want to leave behind for the next generation.Top of Form

Darren Carabott is Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee

Bottom of Form