“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”
This is the opening sentence in Dickens’ famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities. It is a sentence that sums up what we are living under the Labour government. A government that, on various levels, has developed among the electorate a sense of high expectations with visions, strategies and plans, which quickly turned into disillusionment, disappointment and, most of all, incredulity.
It is a government that has promised us the world in its 2022 electoral programme but, to date, has fallen short in many areas, including infrastructure, education, economy, health, good governance and, most of all, Gozo.
It is no coincidence that recent surveys have shown a stronger bracket of undecided voters. It is no coincidence the government is losing ground. It is no coincidence the recent MaltaToday survey highlights foreign workers, traffic, corruption and inflation as the major concerns among voters, especially Labour-leaning voters.
It is no coincidence because the recent state of play in our country is of a government that lost its direction on key areas notwithstanding the numerous PR campaigns on Labour government visions and strategies to show otherwise.
The government insists there is no need for a new economic model, yet, it is pointless to avoid the elephant in the room. The concerns of voters towards foreign workers is real because it has slipped out of the government’s hands, developing into a major issue in view of its lack of sustainability, especially for a reality like Gozo. A surreal situation developed by the government’s shortsighted economic direction, which is now difficult to control.
The government intervened in an attempt to regularise, yet, its intervention is too little too late, especially since the bubble burst violently with short-term and, more so, long-term repercussions. The Nationalist Party has on many occasions flagged the problem. It has also proposed solutions but the Labour government arrogantly adopted the ostrich approach in denial of the truth written on the wall.
The Labour government insists on the need to focus more on the education system and developing the local talent required in key economic areas, but it takes no rocket science to reach such conclusions. The point remains: why now? Why has the Labour government for years ignored the problem? More importantly, how will the damage caused be remedied?
The same goes for infrastructure. A surreal situation where we were promised a lot but ended up with a pitiful situation with no planning, no strategy and no logic.
A simple drive from Gozo to Malta is a daunting task. Traffic jams all across the island, especially in key areas such as Qormi, Marsa, Tal-Barrani, the coast road and the Kappara flyover. Not to mention the Mġarr- Manikata-Mellieħa road, which sees a yearly flow of vehicles to Ċirkewwa estimated to be about 1.5 million in one direction.
Taken for a ride with many promises and very little tangible and concrete results- Alex Borg
Ironically, the government made heavy financial investments in some of the areas experiencing traffic problems. Take the Marsa project, where we were promised we would experience 79% less travel time and up to 70% less air pollution.
The government's infrastructural plans were announced a few weeks before the 2022 general election, it must be borne in mind, also included the famous metro project. This project somehow has now vanished from the government’s narrative.
Soon, we will experience the mayhem the Msida project will cause. The government finally gave us a glimpse of how it will alleviate the traffic problems the necessary diversions will cause. The minister for transport, infrastructure and public works has assured us all is under control. Time will tell.
It is no coincidence that corruption is still one of the major concerns for local voters. The ongoing court cases over the past months are surely not a feather in the government’s cap, particularly since, on taking the helm of the country, it insisted on transparency and spoke of Malta Tagħna Lkoll.
Malta is surely theirs but not ours. Neither does it belong to those who still struggle to make ends meet. Those who still have to swallow the bitter pill of inflation. Those experiencing social issues. Youths who think their only option to thrive is beyond our shores and Gozitans who, every day, are faced with the challenge of crossing the channel.
But now the government has set another PR stunt to raise hopes and trust among the electorate. We are halfway through its electoral mandate and the recent surveys are not too promising. That’s where Vision 2050 comes into the equation. It is a vision that seeks to regain trust among contractors, among the business community, among all those disappointed or irritated by the government’s arrogance, indifference and detachment.
But, this time round, it will take more than words to persuade all those who are fed up with this Labour government.
This is the tale of two islands that, for the past decade, has been taken for a ride with many promises and very little tangible and concrete results.
Alex Borg is the Nationalist Party’s spokesperson on Gozo.