Over the past weeks we have been through a period of transition in the government of the country. It was a period that was well managed and has not created any unnecessary uncertainty. However, it is now the time to move forward. We should not be in the business of writing history; historians should do that. The economy can only move forward if we look forward, rather than backwards.

This period of transition reached its culmination in the last 10 days. The events of the last 10 days should shape the economic and social debate in the country in the weeks, months and years to come. Irrespective of what one's beliefs may be, irrespective of whatever one's agenda may be, irrespective of what one's aspirations are, we need to get down to some serious talking followed by some equally serious action on how we wish our economy to develop in the immediate future.

The aspiration aired by President Guido de Marco, during the dinner in honour of Dr Fenech Adami, will hopefully turn out to be true. He augured that the debate on the key issues facing this country would no longer be based on purely partisan political lines. He expressed the strong belief that, from now on, we shall be focusing on the ideas and not who expresses those ideas, and that there shall be a willingness to find the common ground rather than highlight the differences to the point of exacerbation.

Today we have a new prime minister and a newly sworn in Cabinet, even if mainly formed of familiar faces. I had always stated that in a sense this is a continuation of an era, in that the principles guiding the government shall remain the same, even if style and strategy may change. Priorities may also change to take account of a different local and international scenario. In fact Dr Gonzi did enunciate his top 10 priorities of his government last Sunday.

These top 10 priorities include

¤ the need to generate jobs; the need to maintain the competitiveness of businesses operating here;

¤ the need to sustain tourism such that it remains a primary activity of our economy;

¤ the need to address the fiscal deficit in preparation for the entry of the euro;

¤ the need to exploit fully the opportunities offered by membership of the European Union;

¤ the need to have an efficient public administration such that bureaucracy does not impinge on the operation of the business sector;

¤ the need to maintain a strong welfare safety net; and

¤ the need to maintain our investment in education.

They are priorities that the Malta Labour Party, the trade unions and the organisations representing business should have no issue with. If anything, the issue should be as to who has the better ideas and who can deliver better on these priorities.

In the meantime, the Union Haddiema Maghqudin has published its document giving substance to its proposal on the social pact. The UHM, on its part, also gave its own list of priorities. This list is very similar if not identical to that of government. It includes

¤ the need to enhance competitiveness;

¤ the need to increase efficiency in the labour market; the need to promote innovation;

¤ the need to reduce bureaucracy and to create a business-friendly regulatory environment;

¤ the need to have a stable economic framework; and

¤ the need to enhance our tourism product.

What seems to get in the way of agreement on the social pact is the tendency to unearth skeletons that there may be in cupboards and the fixation that if something goes wrong someone has to take the blame. This is tantamount to a constant looking into the past, hiding behind past mistakes so that we do not feel the responsibility to look forward and propose new policies and strategies.

However, the public's expectation in this regard is very clear. They want the social partners (including the opposition) to sit down together and decide how to address the issues facing this country. The public's taste for a fight has diminished considerably.

I strongly believe that the public in general and the business sector in particular know that there are no easy solutions. Neither do they expect quick-fix solutions. Nor do they want someone to keep reminding them of the problems (or the challenges) that lie ahead without proposing any concrete alternatives. They simply want to move forward towards rational, long-term solutions, balancing the need for positive economic results while maintaining social cohesion.

It is up to the social partners together to deliver these solutions.