Ignore those who hugged themselves for joy when Joseph Muscat was elected MLP leader and rhapsodised that the Nationalist Party is sure to win the next election now. Those feelings will turn the PN into the lioness that rolled lazily in the grass, thinking how good it is to be unchallenged by natural predators. In her contentment, the big cat forgot her old age and was swiftly done in by her complacency.

I watched the broadcast of the mass rally that Dr Muscat addressed upon becoming leader. Sure, it went from crass to cringe-worthy at times but he has five years to lose the ham acting. Point is, he has none of the hang-ups that Alfred Sant was laden with in his last term and delivered a fresh-start speech that was enthusiastically received. He quickly moved in on two supporters of his adversaries with an emotional appeal to stay and they, Maria Camilleri and Marlene Pullicino, rewarded him with mouthed thank yous and kisses. He pledged support to the government on tough issues of national concern, like ST Micro, and vehement opposition for each failure to keep an electoral promise. He told his audience that not all of them were going to like the party shake-up he had in mind, as Jason Micallef sat behind him smiling uncertainly while the crowd roared.

The scenes of "Call me Joseph", the flared nostrils and eyes closed as he sang the national anthem, the deliberateness of a boy taking his invitees through the motions of his Holy Communion party and the "Love Michelle, she loves you" will continue to provide his detractors with hours of fun. Possibly, there is more to come but enjoy laughing at the Indian Brave's feathers and you will miss the axe coming at your eyes.

In the last elections, Lawrence Gonzi managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He had to race up four flights of steps to grab a trophy which lay just two steps away from Alfred Sant. As is known, Dr Sant was too locked down to bend over and grab the prize. Let alone make it his. Next time, make no mistake, Dr Muscat's opposition will be as nimble as it needs to be.

The government's task in the coming years is to acquit itself of its responsibilities so excellently that this community will, in the main, feel that there is no reason to change a formula that works. To do so it can draw from several strong suits. To mention a few of them would mean to exclude others. So, I will dwell on one only: Use of EU funds.

We have been blessed by the opportunity to administer the fruits of our labours. Indeed, one of the bitterest things about the election of a Sant government, for those who did not vote it in, would have been watching it spend money from the Union that he, Dr Muscat and others so determinedly opposed. This did not happen and it is the party that, with others, brought about this change that will spend the hundreds of millions of euros that will pour into our coffers.

Without a system of public purchasing that works to near perfection, however, without a Department of Contracts that is up to the task, there will be two terrible consequences: One is that badly-administered tenders will get mired in lengthy litigation. This may make it impossible for Malta to use the funds by the earmarked date, thus losing them.

The other is that multinational companies with a poor view of Maltese tendering will not bother to participate in our competitive bids. In both these cases, we may end up failing to deliver or will fail to deliver the best product. That omission would represent the single greatest missed opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of our people and the fortunes of the MLP.