'Malta is well on its way to becoming a centre of excellence in the Mediterranean region.'

One of the positive pieces of news in recent days has been the announcement that a company that had initially showed its intention to set up shop in Malta way back in 2002, shall be inaugurated officially soon. This company is expecting to produce high-quality cars for a sophisticated market segment.

If one may refer to them as such, these would be boutique cars. Cynics could claim that such news should be no news at all. However, I think this is indeed interesting news because it is indicative of the attraction of Malta as an industrial base as well as being indicative of the ability to attract such investment.

It is not exceptional news because it has not been the only investment that Malta has managed to attract in the last years. One needs only mention the decisions taken by major and medium-sized companies already operating in Malta to invest further and expand their operations here.

These companies include Pharmamed, Playmobil, De La Rue and Dowty, apart from others. Such companies also include a major Maltese company, Farsons, which has traditionally produced mainly for the local market while venturing into the export market.

The setting up of companies in the pharmaceutical sector and the interesting potential that continues to exist in this area should also be mentioned. The millions of liri being invested in various sectors - financial, commercial and tourism - is another important fact.

There is also the heavy investment in information and communications technologies confirming that Malta is well on its way to becoming a centre of excellence in the Mediterranean region.

These are the types of successes we have managed to achieve. Yet, in certain respects, there is a sense of frustration that it is very difficult to invest in Malta; that there is too much bureaucracy that stands in the way of investors; that one needs a great deal of good will and determination to be able to withstand the frustration that this bureaucracy causes.

The claim that we have too much bureaucracy is made not only by investors but also by persons whose job it is to promote investment in this country, both in the public and in the private sector. Some of this frustration has also been aired in the past by a member of the government front bench.

The question is, how come we are capable to be successful in attracting investment of a significant nature while at the same time we are capable of having an amnesia and do things that hinder rather than promote investment? It has become fairly evident that we have an immense capability of rising to the occasion but we cannot do so consistently. In effect, this is why we speak of "rising to the occasion"; it is occasional and not regular. It is not a case of assuring quality consistently but a case of achieving quality depending on the circumstance.

This becomes even more evident when one notes that the hindrances to investment are not only the bureaucratic structures but also other aspects, some of which are in the public domain, while others are in the domain of the private sector. I am referring to the service given by some authorities and other public entities to the private sector. On a number of occasions investors have claimed that this treatment by such entities has led them to incur costs that make their businesses unsustainable.

I am also referring to the monopolistic approach adopted by certain private sector companies that in their own way pile up the costs for companies that want to compete in the international market. Another aspect is the inability to look at investment proposals in an innovative way. We fall at times to the temptation to tackle all investment proposals in a similar way, being unable to distinguish between more of the same and innovative ideas, thereby losing out on investment opportunities.

I do appreciate that being in the decision-making seat is not easy. In many instances, one can only appreciate the magnitude of a problem or the complexity of a situation, if one is in fact in the decision-making seat. However, we should also appreciate that we cannot live in the fear of taking a wrong decision. We should equally appreciate that investment can only be attracted to this country if there is a positive attitude towards it, not just occasionally, but all of the time. An effective investment promotion strategy requires consistency in approach, not just by the public sector but also by the private sector. Hence the question in the title, "Why cannot we be consistent?".