Last Wednesday’s Talking Point by Stefano Mallia was rather like the writing on the wall during Belshazzar’s Feast, bringing us all down to earth with a bang and reminding us that we are, on all sides, surrounded by trouble and strife.

All too often our insularity prevents us from seeing the big picture- Kenneth Zammit Tabona

Several European countries are being faced with financial ruin and, down south, only last week in Libya the governor of our Central Bank underwent a pretty harrowing ordeal which shows very clearly that things are very far from settled in Libya and those who intend to, once again, use it as a temperamental cash cow had better look elsewhere.

No, as usual, we are far too insular and far more interested in the histrionics and shenanigans of our own Parliament with its renegades and rebels than looking beyond our shores and girding our loins to face an unavoidable tempest.

Nobody seems to be remotely interested to ask whether four years down the line it was a good idea to join the euro. Nobody questions the long-term wisdom of the British who, despite heavy barrages of criticism, have stuck to their pound and, again, despite being involved in a long-term ruinous war are still financially solvent. Nobody stops to ask why the price of everything has escalated and the euro cents are as throwaway as the mils of old (remember them?)... only good for playing tiddlywinks with.

I therefore hope that Mr Mallia is being more of a Jonah than a Jeremiah and that both the present government and the present opposition have a good grasp of what the financial situation of Malta really is. I also hope that they have taken and are still taking expert advice about how to deal with it as, willy-nilly, whoever is in power after the next electios, even if it is Franco Debono’s Neo Nationalists, the people of Malta will not have to face the austerity measures that many European countries are imposing just to keep solvent, let alone flush.

Mr Mallia’s article reflects my concerns to perfection. All too often our insularity prevents us from seeing the big picture. Mudslinging seems to be the order of day but it will not contribute to Malta’s prosperity; no, sir, not one iota. The fact that there are a mere 400,000 of us makes it all the more ludicrous. Boris Johnson could run Malta single-handed without any help from any of our politicos and, as he has done in London, make a huge success of it without these constant votes of no confidence and ministerial resignations, which originate within the Nationalist government itself and are transmogrified by the Labour opposition into parliamentary debates that simply serve to boost the ego of one gadfly of a backbencher.

This is not the way to govern a country and it cannot go on.

I fear that the imminent election will only serve to bring Malta’s economy to a grinding halt. We have seen five years of valiant struggle by the PN trireme to keep afloat despite rowers who are using their oars to punch holes in the hold.

The national airline, a vital necessity in a sea-locked country like ours, is on the verge of bankruptcy as is Enemalta, whose directors are under the impression that, by slapping ridiculously enormous energy bills on us, the people, it is going to solve its intrinsic problems about the way it is being run and make up its colossal deficit. The fact that we have no national solar energy or wind energy sources to mitigate the use of fossil fuels for which, to boot, we will be heavily fined in two years’ time unless the proportion reached 20 per cent is sheer insanity.

We may still be receiving free medical care at our splendiferous Mater Dei Hospital but then there are important lacunae that need to be addressed.

I will specify this shortcoming because its logic, or lack of, is symptomatic of our national policies.

Diabetes Type 2 is as common as the common cold. It is familial and is aided and abetted by a sedentary lifestyle and a carbohydrate rich diet. More and more people are diagnosed every year and, alarmingly, it is not only the ones who develop it with the onset of middle age but, nowadays, more children and adolescents have been diagnosed than ever before.

In other European countries, Type 2 diabetics are given free medication and, more importantly, free blood sugar level testing strips as, ideally, one must test at least three times a day. While Metformin is available free from Mater Dei, should one be allergic to it, there is no alternative but to buy it across the counter and these are pills that are on the almost prohibitive side.

The strips are very expensive; almost €1 each. This prevents people from using them as they should. Without strict and proper monitoring it is as easy as falling off a log to allow sugar levels to creep up to dangerous heights. What happens is that the complications fuelled by uncontrolled diabetes are such that will cost the Exchequer far more in the long run than should it decide to subsidise the cost of the strips.

Could I be clearer? Could I be more logical?

We need to think of long-term solutions to all our problems and be prepared to make sacrifices. We need to rethink our strategies to make them viable in five if not 10 years.

Maybe like Belshazzar we may think that the hand that wrote Mene Mene Tekel on the wall was a bit of a joke but then we all know what happened afterwards, don’t we?