Robert Abela: Credibility to lead, vision to take you forward

If you are a first-time voter, this is for you. Next week Malta goes to the polls. You will be voting for a government that will run the country for the next five years. A choice that is deeply personal. Because the vote you are about to cast will shape your life, home, job, family and, more importantly, your future.

So why would you let anyone make a decision for you? Especially when the stakes are this high and the future is this personal?

So, before you decide on who deserves your trust, or decide not to vote at all, read this.

A promise is only as good as who is making it. Let’s talk about what was actually done in the last four years. Not what was said but what was actually implemented.

If you are thinking about buying your first home, we introduced a scheme that puts €1,000 a year in your pocket for the next 10 years.

You will now be able to enjoy Fort Tignè and walk along Manoel Island or spend time on your weekends at White Rocks – spaces that were returned to you.

Gym memberships were made free for all 18-year-olds, stipends increased and your family benefited from tax cuts.

These weren’t only ideas on paper or promises we put on billboards four years ago. These were ideas that the government brought to life. They happened, for people like you and because of people like you.

Just like we delivered before, we will deliver again.

This being said, delivering on promises is not where this ends. It is where the next chapter begins. Because having a track record means very little if we stop there.

This is precisely why my sights are now firmly set on the future. My focus is on building on what works.

So here is what comes next.

Three ideas, built specifically for you and with you. Because I understand that owning a home is still something that many feel is becoming out of reach, we are going further.

The My First Home Scheme will expand support for first property buyers with more government support, so that, when you take that step, we will be with you every step of the way.

When you do not vote, someone else decides your future- Robert Abela

If you work hard every day, the new super bonus will put €1,000 a year directly in your pocket – because you earned it.

And if you are hungry for opportunity, the kickstart scheme is designed for you – with higher monthly stipends and support to study abroad through ERASMUS.

All this alongside other priorities we have in our manifesto to give you better quality jobs and more time with those who matter the most to you.

This is what proven means: being ready for what comes next.

Before going any further about what we plan to do next, I want to address something far more personal.

I understand you feel anxious. That you have doubts. That you may even ask yourself whether you should vote or whether it will make a difference. These are real feelings and they are valid.

But the truth is that when you do not vote, someone else decides your future for you. Someone else chooses whether you get that first home, whether your salary grows, whether you will be supported or whether the open spaces you love are protected.

This is what politics is for me. Your monthly paycheck, stipend or opportunity to study abroad. Your family having dinner together and your future hopes.

That is why everything we have worked on so far and everything we are proposing is built with just one person in mind: you. Not as a vote to be won but as a person who deserves the best.

Your life is on the ballot, show up for it. And, when you do, know this: your vote is your voice. Your say in what comes next.

Let’s build Malta together and shape it into the country we want to live in.

You are Malta.

Your dream doesn’t belong to you alone. It is our project, our responsibility and my promise to you.

Robert Abela is Prime Minister of Malta and leader of the Labour Party.