Robert Tabone
A party for Gozo
On March 8, the people of Gozo, like the rest of the population of Malta, will be called upon to discharge their civic duty and cast their vote. The political destiny of the country for the next five years will be determined by the way Malta and Gozo will vote.
All political parties have targeted Gozo. So much so that Gozo has been showered with promises, some familiar but a few innovative. It is a source of satisfaction for Gozo to be singled out by all political parties for special attention. With such an array of promises, the Gozo voter will have to evaluate carefully for which party s/he will vote.
In my honest opinion, the party which will garner the support of the large majority of Gozitans will be the party that not only offers the most attractive promises but the one which can guarantee deliverability of such promises. I have no hesitation in singling out the Nationalist Party under the leadership of Lawrence Gonzi as the only political party willing, able and guaranteed to live up to its promises. It is the party now in government and, therefore, the party which will responsibly deliver. It is also the party which, over the past 20 years, has transformed Gozo from an island which had been considered merely an appendix of Malta, always on the margin of development, to an important part of Malta. Over the past 20 years Gozo was the recipient of investment in its infrastructure and developed into a showpiece of the Maltese islands. So much so that it started to contribute towards the economic and tourist well-being of the whole country.
If one were to analyse the past 20 years one would find that there were indeed three phases of development. As soon as the PN was voted to government in 1987 it started to deliver on its promises, the first and most important being the appointment of a Minister for Gozo. This provided a lynchpin for the development and progress which were to follow. The nine years that followed were the golden years for Gozo with development in the economic and social spheres. It is not easy and lack of space prevents me from listing all the achievements of these first nine years. However, in the areas of transport, education, sports and administration, Gozo established itself as a model. The groundwork was laid for further development on an ongoing basis. Many years later even Labour Party stalwarts grudgingly acknowledged the success of the first nine years.
From 1996 to 1998 there followed the second period of development. The scene was set as soon as the Labour Administration took over. The abolition of the Ministry for Gozo was an ominous harbinger of things to come. The curtailment of expenditure and the various measures taken put the brakes on further progress. Had it not been for the nine years of development, Gozo would have immediately slumped back to its pre-1987 position. Fortunately, the Labour Administration was short lived and the return of the PN to government ensured that the negative 1996-98 period merely retarded our progress thankfully without any lasting effects.
In 1998, the PN returned to government and, in accordance with its commitment to Gozo, immediately appointed a Minister for Gozo as it had done in 1987. Gozo immediately resumed its development and the continuation of the pro-Gozo policy of the Administration ensured that progress would continue with the same rhythm that had been adopted before. This third period in the development of Gozo, which lasted for almost 10 years. ensured that nothing would stand in the way of leading Gozo to an exciting future in this millennium.
An important national event that occurred was Malta's membership of the European Union. Gozo had played its part by voting some 60 per cent in favour during the referendum. After accession, Gozo started to reap the benefits. Some pre-accession funds were destined for Gozo but in the post-accession budget the Nationalist government ensured that 10 per cent of the inflow of investments would be destined for Gozo. This provided further proof, if proof were needed, that Gozo occupies an important place in the development strategy of the Nationalist government.
Looking back at the past 20 years, the Gozitans will have no difficulty in casting their vote. They know for certain which is the political party that is indeed a party for Gozo. They know which political party will deliver on its promises.
Mr Tabone is a Nationalist Party candidate for the 13th district.
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Joseph E Briffa
Feb 22nd 2008, 14:11
We in Malta have a lot of faith in the wisdom of the Gozitans; they never vote with their feet. They analyse and reflect and are far from gullible. They can read you like a book and are not easily taken for a ride. They know where their bread and butter comes from and are capable of differentiating between pre-election promises that make sense and are achievable and sustainable and others that are puerile and not achievable. They know which of the two big parties keep their pre-election promises. They also have a good memory and do not forget what they got from the PN and what they got from the MLP. They are firm believers that looking at the past helps to forecast the future. They are well aware that the leopard doesn't change its spots. Like you say, if the Gozitans want a bright prosperous future in the EU, they jolly well know who to vote for.