Mario Vella pontificated (August 30) that “national economic recovery will have to be achieved in spite of this government and not thanks to it”.

He asserts that we are not out of the recession yet because most of our trading partners are still tottering on the fringes of a weak and uncertain recovery with the looming danger of a double dip recession.

Presumably, recession would not have brushed us were we led by New Labour. Instead, the Nationalist government is the problem not the solution.

Economic opinion indicates otherwise. The Central Bank Governor gives two reasons for Malta weathering the worst economic storm since the 1930s: Malta had already made giant steps forward in its economic restructuring, which largely made up for the sectors that were experiencing serious difficulties, notably tourism and manufacturing. The government focused on those areas where its spending would make a difference.

Keynesian doctrine urges governments to resort to massive government spending during re-cessions and so did many govern­ments, among them the UK and Greece, amassing mammoth deficits.

That was also the advice of Joseph Muscat. It is thanks to the Prime Minister’s genius that he recognised that, in such a small economy as ours, one could focus on particular sectors and even on individual firms. Thus, over 2,500 jobs were saved. The government, in its negotiations with these firms, obliged them that, besides the taxpayers’ money, they had to invest their own money in innovation and new lines of production, thus enabling growth once the storm subsided.

In the tourism sector, the government focused on the investment in low-cost airlines, improvement of our tourist product and publicity.

There has been steady improvement since the end of last year but the record July arrivals prove that, even here, the government’s efforts are paying splendid returns.

At the same time, not only was the deficit kept in check but Malta was actually one of two EU countries that managed to lower their deficits in 2009.

Meanwhile, our GDP has been on the rise since the third quarter of last year. And, unlike other countries, Malta, together with powerhouse Germany, is enjoying both healthy GPD growth and an increase in employment.

Contrast these results with Dr Muscat’s prediction in March this year that the increased tariffs would endanger employment and unemployment would go down to the levels in March only in 2012 (The Times, March 8).

Of course, we have to be cautious. But Dr Vella’s warnings that all is not well in the world’s economy actually leads to the opposite conclusion to that intended by the columnist. Malta has succeeded in spite of a weak international economic climate. Whose merit? Dr Vella was, of course, right when he praised Malta’s entrepreneurs and our highly-productive workforce. But would they have been successful without the government’s leadership?

Would Malta have fared relatively well were a Labour government in the saddle? A hypothetical question! But I humbly submit that Malta would have floundered.

What were Malta’s main strengths? Besides a government with a vision, membership of the EU, the adoption of the euro, heavy investment in our educational system, liberalisation and privatisation, folding up of government lame ducks, removal of subsidies that encouraged waste, come to mind.

In all instances Labour were vehemently and actively opposed. No need to dwell on the EU and euro issues!

Would they have taken the bold steps regarding the dockyard or the wasteful subsidies? No, they are still proclaiming their opposition. They fought liberalisation and privatisation tooth and nail; they fought the closure of trade schools and derided the setting up of Mcast. It’s true that, in the end, they proclaim themselves converted.

But Malta needs ministers with a vision, not ones who are convinced once facts prove them wrong because they cannot be convinced by results that they themselves have to produce through their decisions, which they don’t believe in.

How lucky we are that the majority, albeit a slim one, gave their endorsement to the Nationalist Party and Lawrence Gonzi in the last election.

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