I lost count how many times this was said to me over the past month:“Politicians are all the same, I’ve given up on you.”  But each time, it feels like a punch in the stomach. No. No, we are not all the same: for some of us integrity is the topmost value.

However, I can understand why people are so disillusioned.  Over and over we have been promised the politics of transparency and each time the promises fall flat, or worse, they are flipped upside down into a veritable nightmare.

So what is so different this time round, why should people believe that I mean business when I say I want to overhaul the whole political system and give it a clean-up once and for all? The answer is that I don’t believe in words, I believe in action.

Promising total meritocracy and zero tolerance to corruption does not mean anything unless you actually put the right framework in place. I am not just uttering spiel here - as prime minister I will promptly set up solid good governance structures, and change the Constitution. From now on, any government will have stricter controls and never again would we experience the surreal political scenario we are living now.

I am asking the electorate to judge me on my track record: in 2003, when I led the campaign for EU membership, I delivered what I promised. And that’s because my vision for Malta has always been consistent: a modernised, democratic European country. I always strove to achieve that in whatever role I’ve held.

I want a better quality of life for all of us: from children, to senior citizens. I want families to thrive, to have time for their pastimes; I want the economy to work for everyone, I want citizens to have the best of health and education systems; I want a society which is open to civil liberties. Above all I want a country which nourishes its soul, and is the pride of each and every one of us.

Under a Forza Nazzjonali government, the financial success of all kinds of businesses will be guaranteed

As Forza Nazzjonali we have issued a myriad of proposals to this effect. They are not just words in an electoral programme; they are a means to ending mediocrity, to kill the mhux xorta attitude which every time keeps us back. I want a country with the highest of standards, I want us all to aim high together. This has always been my unwavering motto.

Four years ago, I inherited a party which needed a complete shake-up and today it has risen again from the ashes. The Nationalist Party had lost touch with the people. I spent the last four years meeting people and listening to their painful stories on how they had been ignored, put aside.

It made me very angry, that the party had forgotten that politics is for people. So angry that when I am prime minister I have no intention of ever ceasing to keep that focus. It is also for this reason that I have made sure to surround myself with people who are equally grounded, and who tell me things as they truly are. There is no space for yes men – or yes women – in my team.

It is also the reason why I have opened the party to others, to a coalition, one which is solidly united by a common factor: the well-being of the island can be reassured if there is another party to keep you in check.

Yes, the economy is doing well. I have met many voters who know that corruption is appallingly rife but who are afraid of voting out a rotten government, lest they stop doing so well. I ask these people to take a longer view of the economy and ask them to take note of the fact that corruption erodes reputation, and the economy of an island like ours depends entirely on our reputation.  This is why important economic sectors, such as financial services and igaming are waiting with bated breath for Saturday’s decision.

That continued prosperity will only be possible under Forza Nazzjonali. Those who created the filth and tarnished our country’s image cannot be the ones to fix it.

I can personally vouch that under a Forza Nazzjonali government, the financial success of all kinds of businesses will be guaranteed. We will keep what is good – it is the corruption that has to go. It is the only way to ensure stability. We have a track record of economic success even in the worst of times. Forza Nazzjonali will listen. We will support business. We will address unnecessary bureaucracy.

Many people are undecided, scaremongering is rampant, but this does not faze me. In 2003, we faced a similar situation on EU membership, another decision that defined our destiny. Together – as a responsible nation – we chose what was best for the country.

Every day I am touched by the number of people of different political views who are joining Forza Nazzjonali. This is what politics should be about – the coming together of people who, yes, want to do well, but who also want to restore the soul of the country. We are on this mission together and every day I confirm that we are no suldati ta’ l-azzar, we are soldiers of democracy.

I will not let you down. I will always choose Malta. My word is my bond.