Ancient wisdom advises us to never go for something new simply for the sake of making a change.
This country deserves genuine progress, improved prospects and policies that steer it clear off economic and social chaos. New proposals are always welcome but they must be guided by the wisdom to pursue a long-term vision and strategy because novelty always brings an element of unknown.
This country cannot afford mistakes and does not deserve to be subject to experiments and costly u-turns.
The Labour Party is leaving no stone unturned to project itself as a new, changed and changeable party: new in terms of trying to distance itself from its anti-democratic past. New, by way of its flirting with certain elements of big business.
New, by seeking to project an image of inclusiveness, without double-checking the true credentials and motivations of those now seeking to befriend it.
New, by turning back from the consistently wrong economic policy positions that it took in the past, including the very fundamental ones of EU membership and the adoption of the euro.
And new, by promising impossible pipedreams about cheap energy that will only lead to higher bills and great concerns about the safety of power generation.
What else is new in the PL? Certainly nothing in its electoral programme, which is mostly copied from that of the Nationalist Party and simply promising to bring about measures that are already part of the progress which the country is making under the direction of the PN. Much less new in the skills and competences which the PL can bring to a future government.
The PL has, time and again, shown us its determination to shoot down the most competent brains in the country, evenfrom the Opposition benches. Its intentions to restrict governance positions to its acolytes are pretty clear.
The firm grip of the old guard within the party behind a façade of younger faces is equally evident.
What’s new in the PN? Although the past is not necessarily a mirror of the future, it is usually a reasonably good reflection.
And looking at the significant changes that took place in this country over the past 10 years, one can easily expect that the future would be just as dynamic and fruitful under a PN government, changes in which EU membership was vital but which were engineered and seen through thanks to the PN’s vision.
Both of which would not have been present had the PL been at the helm of the country, with people who are still, up to this very day, most influential within the ranks of the party.
Are we to really expect a new and dynamic country from those who would have kept us isolated outside the EU?
Are we to expect progress from those who consider it fit to unduly interfere in the awarding of public tenders? Can we believe that we will have good governance from those who, in the past, wanted to remove student stipends and seriously questioned the sustainability of the free system of healthcare? Rather, we need to rely on the party that was the architect of good change over the past years.
The party that is putting good money where its mouth is by securing in excess of €1.1 billion funding from the EU to implement its future programme.
The party that is fielding a wide range of candidates with valuable experiences within and outside politics to continue with the renewal within itself and in the country as a whole.
The party which has, over the years, put the individual at the centre and promoted the values that are essential to one and all, especially work, education, health and family life.
This is especially important for new voters who are looking forward to important changes in their lives over the next five years.
This electoral campaign will continue to reveal the offers made by the political parties for what they are.
And I have no doubt that, in spite of the shouting and posturing, the glitter and the gloss, the Maltese electorate will not be fooled to accept the proverbial ‘new lamps for old’.
info@kristydebono.com
Kristy Debono, an economist, is a Nationalist Party election candidate.