I’ve been wondering for many days what the difference is between not raising the minimum wage and freezing it. Quite frankly, I’m baffled.

What’s the difference between not raising the minimum wage and a wage freeze?- Austin Sammut

Would appreciate any of the bright, progressive, moderate and modern men and women (many turned Labour from Nationalist, with their marketing and promotional ideas for young Joseph Muscat) to explain.

“Labour will not increase the minimum wage,” he is quoted as saying. If this quote is wrong, then, of course, I stand to be corrected.

The problem with Labour, as one friend told me recently, is that they are experts in shooting themselves in the foot. Muscat carried on with this expertise inherited from the less young Alfred Sant.

We have the wild promise, for example, of reducing water and electricity tariffs immediately on having the honour and privilege (or is it rather a scourge – I don’t know) of hosting a Labour government in this country. It seems we will have electricity raining from heaven.

One solution, the young leader let go: “More efficiency.” Where will that efficiency come from overnight?

The only efficiency we had from Labour governments, side by side with the wage freeze in the 1980s, was the efficiency of thug and police beatings in a virtual police state that nearly led to a civil war, the efficiency of loading the holds of our yachts with wine, pasta, toothpaste, chocolate and God knows what else (and sharing some quietly with Customs officers when we got back home).

It was the efficiency of having our civil rights suspended, with the musical chair antic of uncooperative judges in our courts of justice, the suspension of the Constitutional Court, the non-appointment of the Broadcasting Authority (the watchdog for the most powerful vehicle – the broadcasting media). This and so much more is Labour’s efficiency.

But I have two other little Labour games in mind. One is the Delimara power station and the other is the credit rating platform.

To start from the latter, I have absolutely no doubt that, should Labour be elected to government, our credit ratings – be it by Fitch, Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s, or whatever – would plunge.

Labour does not work. It has neither the capacity nor the capability nor the credibility to keep Malta above the waves in a world economic forum and this includes a European one, where one of the prince regents of the Labour Party, Karmenu Vella, might even change our agreement with the EU.

And, on the power station, we did see last week that, contrary to all proclaimers of doom and gloom, the new extension has been working smoothly in terms of lack of fumes and odour.

So will Labour swallow its words? Will it come clean as the power station is? It has also promised an immediate conversion to gas the day after it may be elected. But where will the gas come from and the money, of course?

But what really takes the biscuit (if there any pieces left after these PL gaffes) is the declaration made by Michael Farrugia that Labour will create an IT hub in Malta. Absolutely unbelievable.

We have achieved the highest European standards in ICT for years. Need I say more? And more and more unbelievable: “IT was introduced to Malta by Labour 30 years ago.” We were not even allowed to possess computers (together with colour TV sets) under the Mintoff regime!

And that is the difference between the PL and the Nationalist Party. The latter is realistic and responsible.

Yes. GonziPN pledged to reduce the rate of income tax but halted when the world economic situation went wild (I would have loved to have this reduction, mind you).

Is it not decisions like these, together with other economic factors, such as the solidity of our banks (including HSBC, the sale of which was lambasted by Labour cronies, whose only interest was to serve as chairman of its predecessor) that kept us going?

I have just read an article in Il Sole 24 Ore that really and truly glorifies Malta’s financial and economic prowess. I invite readers to read it online – dated September 19.

So what’s the difference between not raising the minimum wage and a wage freeze? And, what’s more, what is the difference between the PL (as the leader in the polls) and the PN? I will leave it to readers to decide.

But I can just say that I am quite sure that the current percentage point gap in popularity will be reduced significantly by election time, as had happened just a few days before the last one.

On a sombre note, last week was a very sad week for me and many friends, particularly the Neptunes clan. We lost two dear friends and stalwarts: Michael Gialanzé and Stephen La Rosa.

I knew them both well. They had at least one thing in common: their conviviality, accompanied by a constant smile, particularly on joyous occasions.

I do not feel like saying any more.

May they rest in peace and may God provide the necessary solace to their families. Hopefully, time will heal. It usually does.