So now it’s official – March 9 is election day. It is important now to take stock of the achievements and failures of the PN government and compare them with those of past Labour governments.

In my opinion, insofar as the PN governments are concerned, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. The problems with the PN stem from naivete and this is something I fail to understand. This is a great pity when, in fact, this stage should be dominated by decisions taken on education, health, employment, technology, the economy, etc.

To me, Austin Gatt is the main culprit for people’s current dismal perception of the PN.

The PN in government made some banal errors of judgment, foremost of which was the decision to give ministers their MPs’ honoraria in addition to their salaries, but, still, the balance is positive.

Now we must look to the future. It is irrelevant to talk of Gatt because he will not be contesting the next election. The most important thing is to look ahead.

The fact that the PN has elected Simon Busuttil as deputy leader augurs well not only for the party but also for the public at large. He calls a spade a spade and fights his battles in a non-confrontational manner – unlike Gatt.

And I would describe Lawrence Gonzi as a very honest man of high integrity who, perhaps, lost his way through all the vague advice he was being given. But he steered the country in the right direction and, despite all the external and internal pressures, came out on top.

I feel Busuttil and the team he is setting up ought to be given a chance because, given his record, I am sure he will succeed.

The election will determine the country’s future and that of its citizens. If the PN wins, let them put aside and erase their banal errors of judgment and improve on their achievements. If Labour wins, let us all hope that Joseph Muscat will be given the freedom he deserves from both the interior and exterior wings of the party to prove his worth.

Finally, may common sense prevail and let us hope that whoever wins we can all work together as one people and move ahead.