Each one of us needs to rely on others for support in times of trouble. Be they members of our family or friends, these special persons make going through life possible. We may not talk to them often but knowing that they will be there in times of need makes all the difference.

Who can we trust with our vote on Saturday?

Over the past five years, each and every one of us passed, whether we realise it or not, through at least three moments of great need.

These were events that might have ruined our well-being as we know it.

The first was the 2009 economic crisis. This crisis could have easily cost us thousands of jobs in manufacturing and tourism and thousands more as ripple effects would have spread to the rest of the economy. This could have led to austerity measures, as happened in many other countries.

If all this would not have cost you your job, it would, at least, have reduced your income, either through a pay cut or higher taxes.

Yet, we were spared these pains. On whom did we rely, wittingly or not, to avoid this catastrophe from happening? Was it on the Opposition, whose economic ideal is Cyprus, a country now riddled with fiscal, banking and economic crises? Certainly not.

Judging by their past, the Opposition’s reaction would have been to close up our economy, isolate us from the help the European Union would offer us and castigate us with austerity.

Fairly and squarely, it was the Nationalist Party in Government that delivered us from this trouble. It was able to use the opportunities opened up through EU funds, push resources where needed, effectively link training activities with job security and save us all from economic catastrophe.

Those of us with sense and sincerity will recognise this. They will see that a government led by Lawrence Gonzi provides them with the security they need for their livelihood to continue in the face of all the challenges that our economy has gone through and which will not fade away after Saturday’s election.

The second major event that could have seriously affected each and every one of us was the momentous developments of the Arab Spring, particularly as they unfoiled in Libya.

Those were days of trouble for Malta during which a wrong decision could have cost the loss of millions of euros to Maltese business and associated jobs, tarnished Malta’s international reputation as a safe, stable country where to do business and go for a holiday, and, God-forbid, caused the loss of Maltese lives and possibly, our country’s very security. Yet, here we are today safe, sound and looking at North Africa in terms of future economic opportunities. On who have we all relied in these times of trouble?

Some sincere soul-searching will lead us to admit that the resolution of this crisis was all Gonzi’s doing and indeed was one of his finest moments.

Would we have rather relied on PL in government at the time, with their history of connections with Muammar Gaddafi and his acolytes? Would the PL have as skillfully navigated the treacherous waters of those days? More likely, the PL would have once again put our country on the wrong side of history, making us all the last of the Gaddafi apologists, steered by the more conservative and backward-looking elements that still militate in the PL to this very day.

The third event was Malta’s recent negotiations with the EU to obtain funding for the 2014-2020 budgetary period. These funds, in past secured thanks to the PN’s vision of Malta as an EU member State, played and continue to have a critical role in our economic success. Yet, our very own success, coupled with the accession to the EU of countries that have lower income levels than us were likely leading to the loss of a substantial part of this funding.

Gonzi once again skillfully negotiated to actually obtain €1,120,000,000 for Malta, that is about €2,800 for each and every person in the population.

Who can we trust with our vote on Saturday to continue to be there for us in the coming five years in our times of greatest need?

Kristy Debono is a Nationalist Party electoral candidate.

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