Tedious piques and petty games

A couple of days after that disappointing defeat for the Nationalist government came the Lisbon report which placed Malta at the bottom of the list.

The first reaction in the face of all these "disappointments" is to throw in the towel, conclude that the Nationalist Party has been in government for far too long and that now it's time for Labour to take over. But such would be a defeatist approach, which is not a Nationalist trademark.

Parties that have been in government for a number of years always face the risk of going past their date. But going past your date happens only when you run out of ideas and no one can accuse this government of having run out of ideas. It's precisely its ideas to bring change in the shortest time possible that is the primary reason why it's rendering itself so unpopular.

The PN is the talk of the town. Various interpretations have been given of the heavy defeat the party suffered at the polls and what the way forward should be. As a result, Labour has concluded that the PN is in shambles.

The public debate on how the PN should reach out more to the people is a clear sign of an open party, of the immense wealth and talent that exists within it, of people who have no difficulty in expressing their disagreements on how the best way forward should be. The PN is far from being in tatters; on the contrary it will in the near future come out even stronger to the dismay of Labour, who believes that victory is at its feet.

However, my impression is that the majority of the people, among them those who used their vote as a protest against the government, are simply interested in what really matters for them and their families. Cabinet reshuffles and musical chairs elsewhere will not yield them the fruits they are now longing for: more money in their pockets, a better standard of living, jobs for their children, a boosting economy which will kick-start businesses, a better future for them all.

On the industrial relations front things were a bit rough lately. I shall not go into the merits of the General Workers' Union-Enemalta dispute which now, thankfully, has been solved but this should serve as an eye-opener for us all. Can this country, which is now facing some very serious challenges, really afford these useless squabbles?

I totally disagree that workers should be suspended for obeying their union's directive but what would have the GWU attained had it ordered "sympathy strikes" or marched its members through Republic Street, Valletta? Do such actions create more jobs or do they simply serve to scare off any incoming investment to the detriment of thousands of workers and their families?

The citizens feel frustrated in front of all this, and rightly so. One can speak about how necessary the reforms being carried out by the government are but they will bear fruit only if we, as a country, put our act together.

Useless piques and petty games, wherever they come from, will lead us only to oblivion; as a country we will not move forward and no success will be registered if some are only interested in playing these games. We should once again seriously consider an attempt for a social pact. If it had been the public holiday's issue which halted the progress, now there are no excuses.

The younger generation is only interested in ensuring that tomorrow will be by far better than today and shall hold responsible all those who, for reasons known only to themselves, are hindering the country in such sensitive and crucial times.

United we stand, divided we fall sums it all up.