Let us for a second go back to the 2013 general election. The writing on the wall was very clear: the Labour Party was going to win by a landslide.

Led by a new, young and charismatic leader and boosted by a sleek and effective electoral campaign, Labour was offering the Maltese people something that was different.

Joseph Muscat no longer spoke of political parties but of a movement which brings together several different factions of society. He promised to lead the most transparent and meritocratic government this country has ever seen.

After 20 years of the same Nationalist government, that is exactly what the people wanted and what this country needed. And, thus, the younger generations, once so loyal to the Nationalists, quickly shifted their allegiance and voted for Muscat in droves, in the hope that phrases such as corruption, clientelism and scandals would truly become a thing of the past.

Two years down the line, it is abundantly clear to all and sundry that Labour has failed us.

Any hope that this country would truly experience a better way of government was quickly shattered after only a matter of weeks of Labour in power.

One just gets the impression that anything that this government does has to have a shady side to it

First came the never-ending list of promotions and transfers within all government departments, ministries, and, more worryingly, within the police force and the armed forces.

Then we learn that the (Labour) government was dropping a court case which the planning authority had instituted against the Labour Party regarding the state of Australia Hall, which was eventually sold off for millions of euros.

One just gets the impression that anything that this government does has to have a shady side to it, with the latest headline, the Cafè Premier scandal, being of a considerably more serious nature since the Prime Minister was directly involved in the negotiations.

Now, the government can counter this criticism by arguing that it is doing the most important task – of managing this country’s economy – well. But in so doing, it fails to realise that this is not what Labour was voted into power for. The economy was already doing well under the previous administration. The people voted Labour for a change in style but, alas, it was not to be.

The Nationalist-leaning young voters are disappointed at this situation.

Those who had given Muscat a chance have quickly come to realise that they were fooled.

On the other hand, many are still angry at the PN’s stand on the civil rights issues in the recent past, myself included. The party that fought so valiantly in favour of democracy and freedom in the 1980s, the party that transposed the European Convention of Human Rights into our legal system and the party that steered this country into the European Union was on the wrong side of history for the first time in its existence.

However, we can make positive use of that anger. We can use it to make ourselves heard within the PN, a party in transition but one that is changing and wants to change.

Slowly but surely, Simon Busuttil has started to implement his own style of doing politics and it is indeed the breath of fresh air that this country has been longing for. The PN has learnt from its recent mistakes and it is committed to never look back; this was evident in the clearest way when the PN voted in favour of the Gender Identity Bill in Parliament.

Busuttil wants the PN to be the young people’s party once again and he is taking concrete action in this regard.

The trust that he is placing in myself, as well as other young candidates, for the forthcoming local council elections is testimony to this. We are no longer considered as the voice of the future generation. We are the present.

The desire and the need for change has never been more important, however, it can only take place if young voters start getting close to the PN once again.

If you have an active interest in politics, then take the bold step to make your voice heard. Together, we can be the voice of change the PN so desperately needs. Together, we can help put the Nationalists’ past mistakes on the side and create a strong Opposition ready to govern this country once more.

This country does not deserve Muscat and his Cabinet of incompetent ministers (most of them, anyway).

This country deserves an honest and open government, one which has a clear vision of where it wants Malta to be in the next few years.

This country deserves to be governed by a team of politicians who are both competent and professional.

This country deserves better.

Karl Tanti, a lawyer, is PN candidate for the Mosta local council election.