When the government's popularity stands at what is probably the lowest level since the last general election, it takes a lot of courage for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to promise more bold reforms in the coming months. Neither the dip in popularity nor the recent obvious dissent among a few of his party's backbenchers seems to have daunted his spirits. He has shown he is not easily deflected in the face of adversity, believing, as he obviously does, in the correctness of the policies his government is following to regenerate economic activity and restart the island's economic growth rhythm.
His steadfastness in this respect is admirable, even though restlessness among some of the backbenchers was clearly making his job of directing the Administration even more difficult than it already is, a matter that he surely did not configure at the start of the legislature.
The situation has also exposed his and his party's political vulnerability, something that has given much grist to the mill of the Labour leader, Joseph Muscat, who, unsurprisingly, has been talking about the government's instability for weeks on end now.
Dr Gonzi shares part of the blame for the predicament he had found himself in. On their part, however, the restless, or over-ambitious MPs in his party, would need to reassess the motivation that had first led them to take a direct part in the country's political life. Tensions appear to have eased a bit now but it remains to be seen for how long the reported rapprochement will hold.
Yet, despite the internal trouble the party has had, Dr Gonzi displayed the kind of resilience that makes him valuable in the island's fight to escape with as few scars as possible from the economic turbulence that has rocked, and is still rocking, so many other countries. He was quite right the other day when he tried to make people understand the economic difficulties a string of European partners are passing through at present and the sacrifices people in these countries are being asked to make in the hope of avoiding serious repercussions to their economies and to their standard of living.
Iceland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and, now, Greece, have all shared the limelight, in various degrees, for serious economic trouble that has led their governments to take drastic action. Malta's economy, small and open as it is, is even more vulnerable than that of its European partners in the European Union. The government's deficit and national debt are higher than the levels set under EU rules and the jobless figure is growing, even though economic activity seems to be picking up again. However, the overall situation is not half as bad as that of a number of other countries.
True, higher utility rates are hitting both the consumer and all economic sectors and the slowdown in economic activity that the credit crunch spawned in its wake has caused difficulties as well. These problems could lead to further difficulties to manufacturing firms as they struggle to remain competitive and, also, to the tourist industry as it attempts to recover lost ground. The moment, therefore, calls for decisive action to ensure that Malta remains on the right track, not for errant behaviour or, worse, political obstacles that may derail the country's work to fight off the recession. A glance at what is happening in nearby countries ought to make politicians and union leaders extra careful not to endanger prospects of economic recovery.