Plight and prejudice

The editorial of August 3 focused on the plight of the Nationalist Party. The major problem identified by the leader writer is "the long time the PN has been in power, leading to the view that a change in administration is now desirable" and that "(Lawrence) Gonzi is seen to be heading a weak government with a number of his team long past their sell-by date".

This conclusion is spelled out with some elaboration. It is held that:

(1) "they (the PN) have raised the ire of the environmentalists by pushing through their plan to extend the development boundaries, a move the EU Commission believes may be in breach of two of its directives";

(2) "more bad news came from the EU: the Commission considers the departure tax as an infringement of its laws";

(3) "The audit report on the Voice of the Mediterranean has raised quite a few eyebrows" and

(4) "Matters in the port are still in a state of confusion. It is still unclear, it seems, whether the rates have gone up or down".

The leader writer seems to have overlooked the relentless tax burden that has broken the back of many enterprises and crushed thousands of families, even though he acknowledges that Malta's deficit problem is one to which the Nationalist government "greatly contributed".

Any objective assessment of this catalogue of maladministration has less to do with the fact that "the Nationalists are showing signs of fatigue" and more with their performance during long years of uninterrupted office.

Sadly for all of us, the results are there for all to see. They leap out of EU and other statistics, and are tangibly in evidence in terms of poor economic record, dramatically so in the tourist sector.

The situation calls for positive solutions, and a clean break out of the suffocating mould that has depressed the economy.

Malta is badly in need of fresh air that would incentivise enterprise and promote the participation of all the economic players with potential to play an active role. It has to open up to the rising generation that has been pinned down by the faceless forces of the ancient regime.

The solution lies in new thinking, and in a modern approach to politics, rather than in the party politics that have led to near paralysis.

It is, therefore, pointless if opinion makers keep on harping on Alfred Sant's supposed merits or demerits, the more so when one argues that Dr Sant has "chosen to remain at the helm after two successive defeats".

He happens to be at the helm of his party because he has been chosen by his party conference delegates.

At the next general election, the electorate will be called upon to opt for alternative solutions to Malta's problems, and not for alternative leaders.

Prejudice will not alleviate Malta's plight. We all need to look ahead, rather than look over our shoulders. The challenge is to turn over a new leaf.

jgv@onvol.net