Earlier this year, the Prime Minister asked me to coordinate for him a series of dialogue meetings with civil society organisations and the social partners.

We often tend to do what is urgent at the expense of what is important- Simon Busuttil

This structured dialogue, referred to as Kuntatt, was launched in March this year and seven months down the line I can report that we have held a tally of almost 70 meetings.

Today, I would like to share with you some reflections on the experiences and lessons that I have learnt from this unprecedented exercise.

Kuntatt is a structured dialogue that brought the Prime Minister in direct contact with the key actors in society to discuss with them the decisions of government as well as the constraints of governing. We all benefited from the Prime Minister’s time, his frankness and his insight into the realities of day-to-day government.

But, more importantly, it was a chance to listen carefully to the problems that civil society and social partners face and the proposals that they have to make.

The informal nature of the meetings meant that we could brush aside all formalities and get straight to the heart of the matter.

In this sense, it was an exercise in mutual understanding away from the din of political rhetoric.

The frank nature of these meetings led to solutions and understandings that previously did not seem evident to either side. Likewise, the exercise helped us kill many misunderstandings. And it gave us the chance to prioritise the needs of civil society and social partners. This is important because we often tend to do what is urgent at the expense of what is important.

The issues discussed covered a wide spectrum. There were some who were dead right, both in their complaints and in their proposals. We took note and we did our best to follow these up with affirmative action.

There were some notable achievements. For instance, in our first meeting we met representatives from Forum, the umbrella organisation for a number of trade unions, and discussed their long-standing request to join the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, MCESD.

Their request has since been implemented by the indefatigable Minister Chris Said.

But there were also some requests that could not be met. On these occasions, the Prime Minister spelt out his position in a forthright manner and explained in clear terms what was realistic to expect from the Government and what was not. It was a chance to clearly explain why. And, far from attracting resentment, these explanations were met by understanding from the stakeholders.

On no occasion did I see the Prime Minister dither or mince his words or even pander to unrealistic demands. At no point did I see him promise everything to everyone. We can ignore the constraints of reality but we do so at our peril because reality will quickly catch up with us.

This was the case with some demands that cost a great deal of money. It is easy to say yes and win favour, especially a few months before an election. It is much more difficult to say no. And it takes courage to do so. But the financial constraints of our country are what they are and this is no time to set our financial course adrift.

The Kuntatt meetings were, therefore, a chance to make it clear that the Nationalist Party is not prepared to take decisions that may put our country at risk of a bailout. We would not take decisions that undermine our financial stability and, therefore, put people’s jobs and livelihood at risk.

This is why I consider some of Labour’s electoral promises as downright dangerous for our financial stability and for your livelihood. For they are often made haphazardly, on the spur of the moment, without adequate reflection and with absolutely no idea of how much they cost or how they can be delivered.

They therefore risk putting the country off track. And it takes just one or two serious mistakes to get there.

Overall, the people we met were understanding and open in their approach, even when we did not agree. And this went a long way towards facilitating the dialogue.

More importantly, it showed that civil society and social partners are ready to play their part in a responsible manner. Their attitude is exemplary.

If I had to put my verdict into one sentence I would say that this process has been a pilot project in a new style of governing. Governing honestly and assiduously yes but with both our eyes and ears open. In this sense it was a great learning experience that was well worth the effort.

simon.busuttil@europarl.europa.eu

Simon Busuttil is a Nationalist MEP.