We are fast approaching March 9 and our decision will bind us for five years. That’s a very long time and, therefore, our decision deserves careful reflection because if we get it wrong we are stuck with it until 2018.

The storm has not subsided but the ship must set sail anew on March 9

Your vote is your right. But it comes with a no-returns policy and you cannot change your mind or return the faulty product to the shop a few days later.

I have made my decision to give up my seat in the European Parliament to contribute to change here in Malta. I did this because I can see that Malta is at a crossroads and that a wrong turning at this critical juncture can have serious consequences for the country. In nine years in the European Parliament, I have seen enough of that happening to other countries. And I do not want it to happen to Malta.

But before being able to contribute I need to persuade you to vote Nationalist for a secure and stable future. Here are five good reasons to do so.

Firstly, because the PN delivered concrete results that kept the ship of state on course while others were sinking fast. We delivered on the economy, on public finances and on jobs. And we also delivered a great deal on health and on education.

Just look at the other six EU Mediterranean countries, from Spain to Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Our public deficit, our public debt and our unemployment rates are the lowest among all of them. That’s right, we perform best on all three counts.

This did not happen by coincidence and you know it. It happened because we took the right decisions, even painful ones, that cost the PN a high political price. But we are now reaping the fruit of our sacrifices and we are tipped by the European Commission to register the second fastest growth in the eurozone. This is something to be proud of.

The storm has not subsided but the ship must set sail anew on March 9. It is for you to decide which direction she takes and in whose hands you entrust the rudder.

Secondly, the PN ought to be trusted again because it is a party with a vision and it has consistently steered the country in the right direction.

Our vision is that of empowering you to stand up on your own feet and take charge of your life. Our vision is to open for you the doors of opportunity and widen your horizons. Our vision is to make you prouder still to be Maltese and to be European.

It is the PN’s vision that led us to Independence, to EU membership and to the eurozone. And it is the PN’s vision that led us to overcome the economic crisis and the challenges of conflict in Libya.

We need the PN’s vision in government over the next five years because we need to stay in the right direction and make a success of our economy.

And we also need to get it right on a string of unique occasions coming our way, from the 50th anniversary of Independence next year, to Malta’s EU presidency in 2017 and Valletta’s turn as European Capital of Culture in 2018.

We need foresight not hindsight.

A third reason to vote PN is our electoral programme, which has 125 fresh ideas to help us make another quality leap forwards. Our programme is the only one to be backed up with detailed costings so you know that we are serious about implementing it.

By now you must have received a copy at home. Do have a look at it before you vote.

A fourth reason to vote PN is because it is a party based on substance and on values. When you vote PN you know what you are getting. And even if we disagree, you know where you stand with us.

Take corruption, which was used to try and break us in this campaign. While others paid lip service, we took action. We went straight to the police and used all the tools at our disposal to uncover the truth. And action was instituted against the perpetrators. We showed that no one is above the law.

Now compare that with Labour’s handling of the drugs case in the Labour Party club at Safi, just a few metres from a school. Both the leader and the deputy leader failed to report the matter to the police for fear that it would damage their party. And we would never have known anything were it not for a Labour whistleblower who recorded the truth.

So much for transparency and accountability.

The fifth reason to vote PN is because no political party is infallible. Yes, we made mistakes that should have been avoided. And we disappointed certain people.

I am personally committed to keep the party close to the people and to continue to address unresolved cases not just until March 9 but also thereafter. But the mistakes cannot, in all fairness, outweigh the positive results that were achieved.

So let us not change a winning formula in rough times. On March 9, let us set sail on a new journey in the right direction towards a secure future.

Do it for your children. Do it for your country.

Simon Busuttil is Nationalist Party deputy leader.