After watching last Saturday’s Dissett on TVM, featuring the two main parties’ deputy leaders, I must say we finally managed to view a civilised debate except for occasional interruptions by Simon Busuttil.
Whereas Busuttil had ample records to prove his arguments, Louis Grech struggled all the way to impress, since he had absolutely nothing to refer to prove his point. Busuttil is a born politician whereas Grech is more of a respected entrepreneur.
What impressed me was the way Busuttil prepared himself and, especially, how he shrugged off Grech when he mentioned the 25 years of PN government. Busuttil hit back by saying that if the PN were in government for 25 years the PL were also in opposition for the same period.
Busuttil acknowledged that mistakes were made and he apologised for that. He also admitted that the electorate was neglected and that was precisely why he entered politics.
However, despite these faults, his party still came out with very positive results in all sectors.
Malta is what it is today due to important decisions taken, which, at times, cost the party votes. The country is performing well and became the envy of other European countries struggling to come to terms with their economy. These changes came at a price, a price the PN overlooked for the good of the country. The electorate has now to either acknowledge or refuse to accept this way of governing.
The basic infrastructure is now in place for the PN to continue building on it to:
1. Start cutting the deficit to acceptable levels.
2. Continue with education investments that have yielded magnificent results.
3. Improve on health issues such as the Emergency Department, the waiting list for operations and medicine stocks.
4. Address the oil exploration issue more seriously.
5. Consolidate our European relationship in funds and service.
6. Distribute social benefits evenly among the most needy and take action to stop others who are abusing the system.
It is much easier to continue the build-up than risk losing all that Malta has achieved.
Labour still lags far behind to achieve such results.
One wrong decision to satisfy one’s ego may be enough to nullify the records achieved and go back to the old times.
It is our duty to vote; we must use our vote well.