I refer to the editorial entitled ‘Questions with no answers’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, September 29) and the claims that under “them” (the former administration) “the economy was sound” and “investors had confidence”.

How can such claims be made?

The annual budget deficits in relation to GDP went regularly haywire from annual budget speech forecasts; the official national debt to GDP was on a regular ascendancy solidly in excess of the EU’s criteria; the indebtedness of government corporations, particularly Enemalta, was similarly endlessly increasing; unemployment was increasing from month to month; and foreign direct investment was on a decelerating growth rate.

Furthermore, the national poverty figures were on the rise; individual Maltese workers’ incomes were at such low levels that second and third pillar solutions to the pensions’ timebomb could not be implemented; and official rating agencies’ assessments downgraded the economy at least twice.

These, and various other indicators, all clearly showed anything but “a sound economy”.