It has been a decade of positive change – Glenn Bedingfield

In the last decade, Maltese society experienced an impressive transformation that has positively altered the life prospects of thousands of individuals who, under previous administrations, were cast to the fringes of society.

A paternalistic state dominated the lives of many and dictated how some people had to live. The state imposed that marriage was only between a man and a woman, completely ignoring new realities in our country and all those who wanted otherwise while chastising them for the love they wanted.

Another reality existed: those who were not lucky enough to bear children. Despite the improvements in the medical sphere, for some odd reason, previous administrations clung to their ideology whilst ignoring in the process the plight of so many couples who wanted to start a family.

We can all remember having previous administrations that were not responsive to the plight of society, detached from rea­lities and loyal to their ideological belief, ignoring the democratic sovereignty of our people after having voted for divorce in the referendum.

The reality we faced at the time was one in which energy prices were not cushioned, literally burdening our families and businesses with millions of euros in extra costs, thereby threatening the livelihoods of our families and businesses.

Then, add to this the chronic situation of out-of-stock medicines, never-ending waiting lists and the yearly increases in taxes, which was the norm rather than the exception.

We had a government that lacked empathy towards the people it was bound to serve.

This is a brief picture of the situation pre-2013.

Fast forward to 2023 and the situation is completely different, as the PL governments enabled our society and our families to seek new opportunities that would support their efforts to thrive in their family life, to love the person they truly want  and to enjoy a good quality of life. This is what we have achieved.

And this is why it is crucial for us, as a government, to celebrate our achievements while, in parallel, enhance our forward-looking approach by planning and preparing for the future.

We have become accustomed to an annual economic growth, which contrasts with the pre-2013 reality. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic and economic turmoil worldwide, our economy grew by nearly seven per cent, which is twice the rate of our European partners. Our economy is now more than double what it was in 2012.

The female participation rate, which was the lowest in Europe, is now much higher than the European average, with the number of women working standing at double the 2012 levels. The increase in female participation is thanks to the introduction of free childcare, which provided a new opportunity to those women who wanted to work while raising young children.

The manifesto so strongly supported by the electorate just a year ago clearly attests to the continued dynamism of the Labour Party- Glenn Bedingfield

Interestingly, however, most experts 10 years ago envisaged a completely different view of Malta’s future. The European Commission had just placed our country – yet again – in the excessive deficit procedure, calling for austerity measures to reduce the public debt burden, while all the rating agencies had downgraded their rating of our economy.

Furthermore, in its annual report on the Maltese economy, the IMF had concluded “the medium-term challenges to broaden competitiveness, diversify the economy and boost long-term growth appear increasingly daunting”.

The European Commission’s country report of 2013 warned that “the number of people at risk of poverty has seen dynamic growth in recent years”. It also noted that,  instead of dropping, carbon emissions were going to rise by 33 per cent by 2020.

Luckily, and thankfully, this was not the case.

We progressed and transformed our society, which was formerly held back by a small conservative elite, into one of the top countries across the EU in terms of civil liberties.

We introduced multiple reforms across numerous and various areas such as free childcare, free public transport and the tapering of social benefits, that – one must keep in mind – remain on the wish lists of many larger and historically more progressive societies.

Does this mean that all that happened during the last decade was perfect? Not at all. Mistakes were made and a number of areas need to be given the priority they deserve. But the strength of the movement that has been driving change since 2013 remains and it is a force for positive change. As a result, it does not close itself into a fortress mentality, focused on just trying to defend its record and closing its ears to criticism.

In fact, in view of this, we have launched an ambitious programme for a greener Malta: more green, open spaces for our families, youths and all members of society to enjoy. We have listened to the concerns of many that our urban centres need to be reviewed, adding more space for recreation and enjoyment. We acknowledged that and we are working to bring about the much-desired change.

The manifesto so strongly supported by the electorate just a year ago clearly attests to the continued dynamism of the Labour Party. Its 1,000 proposals, which continue to drive economic and social change, also include a reorientation of priorities to address emerging realities.

If they are implemented, and we are already in the process of implementation, our country can look forward to yet more positive transformations in the years to come.

Glenn Bedingfield is a Labour MP.