For the past several weeks the word "leadership" was consistently in the news. At one extreme we had regular contributors to local newspapers eulogising Eddie Fenech Adami's leadership qualities and integrity and, at the other extreme, we had other contributors saying that what the country needed was leadership.

Maybe leadership means different things to different people. Leading a political party to successive victories is definitely leadership in the realms of politics. Avoiding the right decisions on tough issues like pollution, the drydocks, smoking, hunting, overstaffed parastatal companies, outdated union legislation, government deficits, etc. is definitely not leadership.

The U-turn by the present administration on the issue of smoking in places of entertainment is a good example of an administration interested in winning the "Mr Nice Guy" contest and not in the "Future of our children" (smoking is on the increase among young adults). Any self-respecting organisation will tell you that "health and safety" are number one on the list of "values". No "ifs" or "buts", health and safety should come before profit, market share and also votes.

If indeed the current administration feels it can continue postponing taking the tough decisions to deal with health hazards such as smoking and pollution, one has to seriously question where "health and safety" fit in this administration's list of values. Building the "mother of all hospitals" does not put health and safety at the top of the values list.

We have learnt that under the EU financial reporting standards the government deficit for 2003 was Lm175.6 million, versus the Lm105.3 million quoted soon after the last general election. This needs also to be seen against the "sound financial status" that we were told Malta enjoyed before the last general election.

True, leaders continually strive to bring "clarity" to any situation. Leadership is not about "fooling some of the people some of the time" or playing with words and numbers.

Having been misled on the state of the country's finances, Air Malta workers now find they have been misled about their own viability. All of a sudden everyone, from senior managers to ground handling staff, find out that earnings are too high.

Having relied on this level of earnings for several years on the basis of what they were told or, more importantly, what they were not told, they now have to readjust their family lives to the reality which existed, but was conveniently ignored, for years.

The work practices or staffing levels that are being blamed for so much of Air Malta's problems were negotiated by the respective unions and were accepted by the shareholder, in the name of "non-confrontation". Is this leadership? Is this integrity?

The non-confrontational leadership of the past 17 years has certainly removed the fears for one's safety that existed pre-1987. But did the country need 17 years of it, and counting? Now it is time to "pay the piper".

Sir John Egan, during his recent visit to Malta, referred to the state of productivity in the UK in the 1970s, and how Mrs Thatcher tackled the problem. Despite militant action by the unions, and considerable inconvenience to the public, she had no problem getting re-elected and delivering an economic powerhouse.

Now that Dr Fenech Adami convinced some of us to join the EU, how are we going to catch up with the likes of the UK? As stricter EU rules come in to tell us how to raise chickens and stuff sausages, well managed and organised competitors will give our local producers more than a good run for their money.

Like the Israelites who were told by Moses "Put down your tools, pick up your donkeys, follow me to the Promised Land" we have been promised some "manna" to help us on our way there. Funnily enough, Moses became tired at the end of the journey to the Promised Land and he left it to his appointed leader, Joshua, to finish the job. (History does repeat itself.)

Maybe when Dr Fenech Adami fully understands the problems that exist and how he left the Maltese working in shackles trying to compete with EU members, he might stop to think for a split second and say to himself: I should have told the children of Malta "Pick up your tools, put down your donkeys, this is the Promised Land".