When he addressed the media in his pre-budget presentation, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna acknowledged that Malta has three major challenges: traffic, rising rent costs and the environment. He added that “it is time to deal with quality of life issues”.

There are other, just as important, slow burning issues that need to be tackled, such as improving the quality of our educational system, to say nothing of making our pensions system sustainable. All these issues require the mapping out of a strategic direction.

When the Budget was announced in Parliament one could appreciate the achievement of this administration in eliminating the fiscal deficit, even if it must be admitted that part of this success is due to the one-time income from the IIP scheme. Among the laudable measures were the increases in the minimum wage and pensions as well as the renewal of assistance schemes for first-time home buyers.

But these headline measures are merely tactical initiatives to alleviate certain hardships that afflict parts of our society. Coming from a resounding election victory and still five years away from another election, many had expected the government to bite the bullet on critical issues that need long-term planning and competent execution to improve the quality of life of people. Quality of life is not measured solely by fiscal deficit or surplus figures, unemployment rates and size of the national debt. It is about those elements in our lives that affect our overall sense of well-being.

The setting up of an agency to carry out roadworks is not the strategic objective that is needed to make travelling by car in Malta less stressful. At best it is another tactical move to patch up roads that have been neglected for too long.

Strategic objectives are not just wish lists or declarations of intent. They are well-studied plans that define outcomes, identify resources and establish timelines for completion. The government announced that it has a seven-year plan for roadworks but missed the opportunity of the Budget to beef up this initiative with concrete details.

While some environmentally- friendly measures were announced, no strategic direction on this vitally important issue for current and future generations was evident in the Budget speech. Environmentalists, as well as ordinary people, are well justified in asking what is being done to control the negative effects of overdevelopment in many parts of the island.

At a time when the income gap in our society is becoming wider, the Budget failed to address the long-term issue of affordable housing. While rent controls have rightly been ruled out, details of plans for more social housing are scant and so far seem to be inadequate for the needs of the majority of those who have no way of guaranteeing a roof over their family members’ heads.

Our educational system is also in need of a major overhaul to ensure that Malta no longer features at the bottom of achievement tables. We spend on average as much money on education as most EU counties that are more successful. Building new schools is unlikely to bring about the quantum leap we need to ensure that our young people are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

The teaching profession remains distressed and lacks the respect and support that it needs to bring about the upgrading of our educational system. Little, if anything, was said about the investment that is needed in the system beyond encouraging educators to further their qualifications.

These are missing links in next year’s Budget. Strategic planning at a national level demands courage and commitment to look far ahead and identify those elements that will make our society better. It also demands discipline to ensure that the financial and human resources needed to improve the quality of life or our people are there when we need them.

Fiscal rectitude and low unemployment are the first essential elements for good planning at a national level. But this needs to be supported by a diversified, resilient economy where the skills of people are the main magnet that attracts investment.

Economic growth has reached cruising speed, Prof. Scicluna told this newspaper on the eve of his Budget speech. This is excellent but not enough. As the man behind the wheel, he needs to plot a clear direction forward: the government’s roadmap must include the missing links that connect today’s achievements with tomorrow’s aspirations.