Last Friday, the Nationalist Party adopted its electoral programme. I urge you to have a look at it. It is short and simple.
The programme does not promise everything to everyone, nor does it answer all the questions. But it does answer the crucial question of what the PN would do for you if you entrust us with another five years in power.
To answer this question we spell out our vision for the country, our commitment to sound public finances and we list 125 concrete proposals that we would implement in office.
Allow me to comment on each of these three points.
First, our vision.
Our vision is to make another quality leap and to make you prouder still to be Maltese and to be European. This means that we will guarantee you peace of mind that the economy will continue to be run competently and in a manner that will improve your standard of living and not put it in jeopardy. We want to generate more wealth but we also want to distribute it more justly.
It also means that we will take another leap forward in the constitutional development of our country on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of our Independence with a revised Constitution. We will update the working of the State, of Parliament, of our neutrality clause and we will pay particular attention to the role of civil society organisations, the social partners and to the empowerment of citizens in a 21st century democracy.
It also means a country that is respected in Europe and beyond. We want to make you proud of Malta’s EU presidency in 2017 and of Valletta’s title of European Capital of Culture in 2018. And, in foreign affairs, we will continue to stand for principles and not wait for despots to be deposed before taking a stand.
Secondly, our commitment to sound public finances.
This is the premise on which our programme is built. Public finances are already on the right track and this is why we are one of the few EU countries outside an excessive deficit procedure. But we want to take another leap forward by achieving a balanced Budget by 2016 and by turning to debt reduction immediately after that.
And to make sure we do so we are committed to putting in place serious controls that would prevent the Government from straying from these objectives. We will do so by introducing a clause in the Constitution that would bind us and by establishing an independent Fiscal Council and an Economic and Financial Committee in Parliament that would scrutinise us.
Additionally, we have costed our electoral programme – a first in Malta’s political history – to show that we are not making empty promises but ones that can be kept without putting our financial house in disorder.
Thirdly, our 125 proposals.
They are divided in six areas: jobs, health, education, which are standard features of PN platforms, to which we add chapters on the quality of life, on civil rights and on Gozo.
The proposals were drawn up following a year-long exercise that opened up our party to fresh ideas. The result is a programme brimming with new ideas not just on how to create wealth and generate more jobs but also focusing on special target groups such as the elderly, the disabled, the gay community, migrants, sports enthusiasts and animal lovers.
A number of proposals are intended to give more power to the people. This is the case, for instance, with our two energy proposals but also with our proposal to establish a Solidarity Fund in which we will channel 0.5 per cent of the income tax that you already pay and to give you the right to choose how that money should be spent, be it your favourite charity organisation, your local band club or your dog sanctuary.
Contrary to the label that Labour readily sticks on us, the PN does not pretend that it has a God-given right to govern this country. It is true that the party made mistakes and disappointed or even hurt many people. Many are upset about the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Others about a promotion that they did not get. The list is a long one. But, despite this, we did get the fundamentals right as we steered the country in very treacherous waters and docked the ship of State safely in port.
We also knew that the decisions leading us to safety would come at a tremendous political cost for the party. But we did what we believed was right.
We are now presenting you with a realistic but exciting new journey for the next five years and we will leave no stone unturned to convince you that we will work even harder to regain and deserve your trust.
But, most of all, we will guarantee the normality that you enjoyed in this country over the past years and spare you from the tough and humiliating experiences that many other Europeans are going through be it in Cyprus, Greece or Spain.
The PN will continue to change. But it is adamant on steering the ship to safety once again.
simon.busuttil@ep.europa.eu
Simon Busuttil is Nationalist Party deputy leader.