Listening to Labour politicians, including Joseph Muscat, talking politics, you would be forgiven for thinking that Malta stood completely still before March 9.

One minister after another keep reeling off new initiatives, or plans for new initiatives, in a manner that make it sound they are reinventing the wheel.

When, just a few months ago, they were careful enough to say they would only announce any new initiative when it was up and running, they are now organising a photo opportunity out of every move, just like the Nationalists used to do.

Dr Muscat told supporters at a party club in Rabat that his government was focused on achieving results to make Malta fairer and stronger.

Now which government from the time of the first self-government constitution in 1921 onwards has not had this in mind? What Dr Muscat probably meant to say was that his government aimed at making Malta even stronger than it already is today. That would have been fairer on everybody. But Labour wants to give the impression that the sun started rising for Malta when it was elected last March.

Again, Labour keeps saying it is concentrating on stimulating economic growth. Is this not a common aim of each and every administration? How can the people aspire to a higher living standard if the country remains stagnant? Was the country stagnant under the Nationalists?

Labour is not only glaringly failing to introduce a new style of politics, but, on the contrary, it is perpetuating anachronistic trends. If it keeps doing this for the rest of the legislature, it risks being told off in no uncertain manner when the time comes for the people to vote for their representatives again.

Dr Muscat said: “be optimistic. We do not discourage people.” When did the Nationalist Party in office discourage people? When it ushered Malta into the European Union? At that time, it was the PL that had discouraged people. Labour had raised alarms arguing that, if Malta were to get into the European Union, Sicilian workers would cross over and take Maltese workers’ jobs.

The contrast of the party’s talk then with what it says today over Malta’s membership of the EU could not be starker.

Yes, indeed, the world moves on; the voters’ verdict had to be respected, and opinions change along the way too.

There is certainly no need to bring up the times under the Mintoff administration either. But, then, it is deceptive to give the impression that practically all that the Nationalists did in their time was wrong.

Labour’s political amnesia is making them believe that Malta started on the road to economic development with their election. The Nationalists and Alternattiva Demokratika need to work harder to give Labour a reality check. Considering the progress the island has achieved over the years in so many new fields of economic activity, there is no reason why people should not be optimistic.

Who would have forecast that Malta would make such a rapid advance in financial services, aircraft maintenance, and pharmaceutical industry?

Malta has now moved higher up in the scale in development, far away from the times when textiles was a backbone of the economy.

There is no doubt that the electorate expects Labour to keep promoting the development of new niches.

The proposed development of the shipbuilding site into a maritime hub is one initiative that fits well into the island’s development programme.

But a degree of political modesty would not be out of order when trumpeting progress.

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