These are difficult times for the party in government. Nothing seems to be going its way. Right from the time it won the general election by just a whisker, the going has been uphill all the time, as shown by the results of the European Parliament and local council elections in June. Party leader and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi appears to be losing some of the political pull he had in the first years of his election as leader and a number of his colleagues in Cabinet appear to be suffering from the wear-and-tear syndrome. In short, the party's popularity appears to be taking a battering and the outlook does not look encouraging as it struggles to cope with loads of old and new difficulties in so many areas of life in the country.
To make matters worse, the international economic situation has been greatly unkind to it. The government first thought the country would ride the storm but as the slowdown hit a number of European countries that are of direct commercial interest to Malta the economic outlook soon changed for the worse as a number of firms began to see their order books shrink. Malta is getting fewer tourists; exports and imports are down; and the deficit rose to a higher level than that laid down by the European Union, raising the public debt even further. The domino effect of the slowdown may have taken a bit long to reach Malta, but when it did, it caused quite a few problems.
According to one credit rating agency, the government has been tackling the situation rather well but the people do not seem to be impressed. Disgruntlement is growing, not diminishing. More inclement weather lies ahead for the government as the Labour Party, ever eager to put the Administration in a bad light, continues to fan discontent by raising unrealistic expectations of a "good budget" when it knows full well that the country cannot afford to splash out.
When, after the general election, Dr Gonzi pinpointed four matters, which, in his view had determined the outcome of the election, The Times added five others to his list. His four points were illegal immigration, water and electricity bills, the uncertainty in the job market and public transport. We added health care, the delay in bringing out the long-promised reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, inflation, the way the shipyards' privatisation was tackled and the sheer inability to take proper on-going care of the country's upkeep.
The list is now getting longer - three other matters that are very much on the people's mind are the growing complaints over government bureaucracy, the new residential parking schemes, and, the latest, the amnesty on fines and interest on unpaid tax. The amnesty has made the Finance Minister unpopular overnight. With his back to the wall, the minister might have thought this was an ideal way to rake in a few million euros to make up for the loss in revenue and it is, though such measures have invariably proved unpopular wherever they have been introduced. Two star footballers interested in doing business in Malta did not take long in coming face to face with bureaucracy, and, as regards the residential parking schemes, those who thought of the idea ought to climb down the mountain and remove the signs right away.
It looks like the government badly needs a stimulus to re-energise its engine.