Several political analysts had predicted a hot summer, and I must say the government has honoured the expectations.
The hot summer started early in June with the 2024 European Parliament elections, followed by the results of the local council elections. The results sent a clear message to the government that the electorate was not happy with its performance, with its arrogance, and with the list of scandals exposed. It clearly showed that the famous “Malta Tagħna Lkoll” (Malta belongs to all) was a joke and a gimmick, a brilliant marketing stunt to gain power and set in place revenue streams for a few selected people.
It’s a system that rekindles memories of George Orwell’s famous book Animal Farm, and makes the famous Napoleon in that book look like an amateur.
The electoral results sent shockwaves across the Labour Party leadership, with several heads rolling, some resignations and a few who are still in denial of the message written on the wall.
The results led to some popular names losing their thrones. Ramona Attard, Randolph De Battista and Daniel Micallef are just a few who ‘resigned’, paving the way for a cosmetic change in the top structures of the party, justified by the new narrative of renewing the party.
It was a musical chairs exercise that offered more of the same and little hope for true change. The cracks within the party, the different factions and schisms are still there. I dare say they have even grown. The decisions that are being taken in the Labour Party have exposed the rift between ministers and other key exponents of the party.
And they have exposed the weaknesses of the prime minister, who will be reliant on the new deputy leader of party affairs and deputy prime minister. He will be dependent on others who still dictate the agenda in the shadows.
But internal Labour Party issues are just the tip of the iceberg in this hot summer for the government. Incompetence and inefficiencies on infrastructural issues, constant power cuts with their inevitable impact on the local business sector and the population at large, as well as sea drainage issues have further exposed the government’s lack of vision, and most of all, ability to manage the country.
Add to this the lack of a dynamic economy that attracts foreign direct investment towards the island in key sectors and the lack of a clear economic strategy that has the ability to target key pockets of the economy.
This is the state of our Labour government today: a tragi-comedy in the making- Alex Borg
Then there is the government’s inability to effectively address the country’s human resources issues and the lack of an education system geared to address the perennial issues of today, but most of all, tomorrow.
The health system is oversaturated, and the country still does not attract quality in tourism but is stuck on quantity.
Furthermore, there have been numerous changes in the leading roles at several authorities with questionable appointments and the uncertainties such changes cause.
And the film sector should surely perform better when one keeps in mind the spending compared to the investment over the past years.
There’s more. The government’s curriculum vitae also includes the Vitals corruption case, the driving licences racket and the Identità scandal, all adding to the government’s already heavy political baggage.
The best may be yet to come, because we have still to see how the Electrogas case will unfold.
This is the state of our nation today. This is the state of our Labour government today: a tragi-comedy in the making, which has an impact on the business sector, on the nation as a whole and on the next generation. It’s a tragicomedy that ultimately has an impact on the nation’s fate.
This is the sad reality that we cannot tolerate because the stakes are high and the end result will determine our tomorrow.
Immediate action needs to be taken, and that action must be triggered by the Nationalist Party, which has a duty towards the nation to point out these issues, but most of all, to offer a credible alternative to each and every one of us.
Alex Borg MP is the Nationalist Party spokesperson for Gozo.