This legislature has been breathless for all the wrong reasons. For so many years, day after day, we woke up to scandals of corruption, of incredible cases of organised crime, of money laundering, of the absolute degradation of our environment, of an impotent police force, of an attitude that those in power are above the law.
The naming and shaming of Malta on the FATF grey list perhaps personifies what our country has become and how it is perceived internationally. Malta is today no longer credible and is being associated with Syria, Yemen, Zimbabwe and other similar countries. This is not the company our country should be aspiring to. We do not deserve this. This is the legacy of the Labour administration. Deep down we all know it.
The legacy of the Nationalist Party is the opposite. It is the legacy of gaining independence for Malta, of acceding to the European Union, of being part of Schengen, of joining the euro, of turning Malta into an excellent financial centre competing with the best of the best. And, with all its faults, the PN always sought to uphold first and foremost the interests of Malta. Deep down we all know it.
We also know that the PN consistently stood and stands for what is right, for the common good of the Maltese and the country, for good governance, for upholding and investing in the rule of law, for a strong economy not built on the commercialisation of our identity, on corruption, on kickbacks but on thoughtful investment, on attracting and investing in new technologies and on finding new markets.
It was my party that created the remarkable aviation industry, reformed tourism, invested in the future of Air Malta – which was annihilated by Labour – and established a centre of excellence for iGaming.
It was the PN that dared to dream big about a state-of-the-art healthcare system for our nation. When the world was going through the financial crisis, when countries sought bailouts, Malta performed well and became the envy of many countries. Indeed, it was this deep-rooted and rigorous financial and administrative structure that secured the future both for Malta and for its future generations. If it were not for this hard visionary work, Malta would be in a very bad place right now. Deep down we all know it.
There can be prosperity without corruption and being subservient to organised crime- Chris Said
Yet, irrationally, my party is still behind in the polls. This just does not make sense. I have often wondered why this is so when the opposite should be the case. There is only one explanation. This is because the PN never wanted to do what the Labour Party was doing and is still doing.
This is the buying of votes through personal accommodations at the cost of Malta, by endorsing constructions in outside development zones, impeding our police force and other institutions from doing their job, looking the other way on organised crime, feeding corruption, associating with criminal elements, abusing the direct orders system and turning the inner core of Labour cronies into millionaires while throwing peanuts at the rest of us. Deep down we all know it.
The PN always abided by the principles of the rule of law, by upholding the law. And when there was a need, responsibility was shouldered. It did this out of a conviction that the only way to govern is to do what is right; even, unfortunately, at a political price.
A political party should never sell its principles, it should not go to bed with organised crime.
A political party should seek the interests of the nation above anything else. This is what we politicians should represent. Deep down we all know it.
The Maltese will now get a chance to exercise their democratic right.
On March 26 we, the Maltese, will elect a new government. For many, the election is a foregone conclusion.
The PN will seek to convince the electorate that there is an alternative way for the country, that there can be prosperity without corruption and being subservient to organised crime, that there can be development and construction without having to destroy our environment and that Malta can be, once again, a respected country.
We are with you in achieving this. Let’s make it happen.
Chris Said, PN spokesperson on Gozo