Criticising the government

The editorial (September 15) and your recent change of policy in criticising everything the government does and not publishing letters answering the government's critics has left many of your regular readers baffled.

The Times and her sister paper have for long advised the government that tough measures are needed if this country is to keep pace with our European neighbours. Along with many others The Times agrees upon the need to curb public expenditure, to attract local and foreign investors, to create job opportunities, to collect the taxes due and to stop all kinds of abuses. But, unfortunately, the "not in my back garden" syndrome has strong roots among the Maltese.

At last the government is responding but, of course, those who have had it so good for so long, such as the tax dodgers, government employees who never gave a day's work and many other abusers are not happy with the measures being taken. In fact, the results of the European elections and the local councils are nothing but a protest from those who still persist in living in the past.

Certain measures have also to be taken because of our EU membership which The Times supported. So it is a pity that this same paper and her sister, instead of rallying support for the government's measures, which everyone agrees are urgently needed, are chiding it for its low rating in popular support. It is with deep regret to notice this shift in policy of your paper, which makes it synonymous with the papers coming from the Union Press.

It has become a national pastime for everyone to criticise the government and it seems that your paper has joined the fray. After all this government is not as sensitive to criticism as past labour governments. You can enjoy hitting it below the belt to your heart's content.

But we expect that those who experienced the agony of heat are expected to be more vigilant in the way they do things.

Editorial comment: The Times never implemented a policy of not criticising the government. In addition, a cursory look at the letters and articles published in The Times should give a good indication of a) what the national mood really is and b) whether replies to government critics are appearing or not.