Addressing a political activity lately, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was reported saying that those who do not vote in the European elections will “reward those who punished you for 25 whole years”.

Muscat was obviously implying that those who stay at home rather than vote Labour would be doing a favour to the PN who, according to him, penalised one and all between 1987 and 2013.

To rubbish this period in such a generalised way amounts to a cheap ploy intended to brainwash people and influence them so they would be unable to reach a balanced assessment. The Prime Minister’s assertion implies that Malta’s turning point came about with his electoral victory in March 2013.

I feel sure that to the balanced and genuine observer, things look very different to this acutely partisan picture presented by Muscat.

Let’s take the starting point. A remarkable, true-to-life depiction of Malta’s state of affairs in 1987 can be found in the introductory chapter of the PN’s electoral manifesto for that year’s general election. It was written by Peter Serraccino Inglott, who gave a down-to-earth, factual overview of the situation.

Reading this brilliant in-depth analysis again and comparing it with the situation Muscat inherited after 25 years of Nationalist governments is more than enough to demolish his theory that we were punished during those years.

It would be presumptuous of me to try and condense into such a brief space what Muscat inherited from the PN after those years but a reminder of some of the country’s achievements would not be amiss.

In March 2013, Muscat inherited a decent and smooth-running Parliament – the country’s highest institution – which for many years under Labour resembled more an arena of gladiators than a civilised forum striving to make people’s lives better.

Successive Nationalist governments normalised Malta’s relations within the international community after a long period during which our credibility and prestige were downtrodden during years of belligerent attitudes, strange bedfellows, threats and hollow loud mouthing by Malta’s ruling class when dealing with our international partners.

As for telecommunications, the PN in government took the country from a Third World status to a modern one, matching competitors that were decades ahead of us. In doing so it paved the way for foreign direct investment which would have been impossible and unthinkable under the conditions prevailing during the former regime.

The transformation achieved in the educational sector may be described as revolutionary. Labour left government in 1987 with a university of 700 students and in March 2013 Muscat received the same institution with over 12,000. Mcast – destroyed and disbanded by a former Labour government – was resuscitated, now having a population of 7,000 students and with a magnificent premises nearing completion.

In the health sector, a PN government replaced an 80-year-old hospital with a state-of-the-art one, while building a spacious and modern oncology hospital to provide top-notch treatment to cancer patients.

Infrastructural projects mushroomed during those 25 years: Malta International Airport; two new power stations; a whole network of first-class European-class arterial roads and a world-class freeport.

Above all, the Nationalist government solved once and for all Malta’s most pressing problem under the Socialists: the water supply.

I feel sure that to the balanced and genuine observer, things look very different to this acutely partisan picture presented by Muscat

To continue listing the achievements of that quarter decade would need volumes but one might also add the introduction of local councils; modern social services; the upgrading of our tourism to record heights (in quality and quantity); new sports centres and facilities; a big boost to our cultural life and so many other initiatives.

Malta’s positive energy during those 25 years provided innovative projects that produced thousands upon thousands of jobs in financial services, the remote gaming industry, the pharmaceutical industry and in the completely new sector of aviation services.

It would be naïve and politically dishonest not to consider a number of areas in which successive PN governments failed to perform as everyone would have wished and expected them to. But when one puts everything into context, the overall positive performance by far outweighs these negative elements which, Muscat says, have ‘penalised’ the Maltese people for 25 whole years.

It is not out of place to look at Muscat’s positions on certain decisions taken by PN-led governments. He was vehemently against the introduction of VAT and clamoured for a general strike by the GWU; he ran a single-handed campaign against HSBC replacing Mid-Med Bank; and he was the second most vociferous figure in Labour opposing, body and soul, Malta’s entry in the EU. The most vociferous was Alfred Sant, who Muscat has now adopted as a European Parliament candidate!

When Muscat says that the PN punished the Maltese for 25 years, the implication is that it also did so by taking Malta into the EU.

One does not expect a political leader to heap praise on his political adversaries but for a Prime Minister to indulge in such unsubstantial statements is tantamount to throwing away all political decency and any modicum of respect for our people’s collective memory.

Kristy Debono is Opposition spokeswoman for economic growth and competitiveness.

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