For the past four years, the whole country was kept anxiously waiting for a project that was kept under wraps in a more secluded manner than the secret of Fatima. I am, of course, referring to Labour’s energy proposal that was launched with so much pomp, flair and colour in the first week of the electoral campaign.

Four, five weeks later and this project has disappeared from the electoral antenna. I had to go through Labour manifesto’s energy section a couple of times because I could not believe my eyes: a complete dilution of this project, with no reference of the two-year time frame we had been promised; no mention of the so-called ‘one-year gift’ that Labour said the contractor would have given to ensure tariff reduction after a year.

This continues to raise more questions than it answers in relation to different issues:

The real cost of the proposal since Labour’s first effort left out significant capital costs, which could tally up to €200 million over and above Labour’s estimates.

The real impact on tariffs – after KPMG revealed that Labour’s proposal would result in a five per cent increase to families and industry.

The source of a fixed-price, 10-year gas contract, since Labour has, so far, failed to produce one example that fixed both price and supply.

The feasibility of the two-year time frame, which has since disappeared from Labour speak.

The failure of the energy proposal is finally a reflection of the wider electoral programme presented by Labour.

One might have been impressed to hear about Labour’s “hundreds of proposals”. However, one only needs to go through a few pages to quickly understand what it is all about.

Practically, there are two types of proposals. A significant chunk of them have already been implemented, are being implemented or have been taken from the Government’s proposals for Budget 2013 – which Labour voted against – or are in the PN’s electoral programme.

The rest is an impressive wish list of “continuing”, “encouraging”, “sustaining” and so forth, without any clue on how to actually carry that out.

Labour have the cheek of promising to maintain State education for free, as if anyone was discussing whether this should not be the case.

All this may seem trivial. It may actually seem funny. But we are speaking about our future here – our children’s future.

In today’s troublesome international economic and financial times, a country requires only one major flawed decision to send it reeling.

Let’s give them a try, some might say. With Alfred Sant we did not have the benefit of hindsight.

With Joseph Muscat, though, it is a different story because he has been quite keen in recent years to emphasise his economic credentials with suggestions for economic policy.

One of his first was the suggestion to emulate the UK in terms of a one per cent VAT reduction. A few months later the UK had no option but to increase VAT by three per cent besides slashing social benefits and taxing education further.

A couple of budgets ago, he made the Cypriot economic model the mantra of his economic management, practically suggesting we should follow their major decisions lock, stock and barrel. Two years later, the Cypriots are seeking a €17 billion bailout.

Part of the solution being considered is that Cypriot citizens will be expected not only to take a cut on government bonds but they might also have to forfeit part of their bank savings.

This is not scaremongering. This is what is happening around us. This is what would have happened to us had we followed Muscat’s economic ‘suggestions’.

Cyprus is not the only country to face collapse. In the midst of this turmoil, Malta has remained strong, attracting a steady flow of foreign and local investment, year-on-year records in tourism and healthy numbers in job creation.

This is the real meaning of administration by a safe pair of hands. And it is precisely those same pair of hands that can guarantee tranquillity to you and your family over the next five years.

It is the Nationalist Party that has contributed to create more and better work, guaranteed quality health and education and promoted a better quality of life and it is the party which, even in this campaign, is demonstrating the necessary ability to continue doing so for years to come.

Tonio Fenech is Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment.