Politics based on the individual

Bureaucrats and politicians tend to cite statistics. However, as people involved in politics we need to focus our attention and always keep in mind that our work concerns more the individual than the whole.

It is true that the government feeds the hungry media with information about the gainfully employed, the number of new businesses, the average earnings and the number of court cases decided. However, the Nationalist Party does not rely solely on these for its policy decisions.

The Nationalist Party sets its policies on the experiences that people like me have when meeting people and discussing our policies with all those who are affected by them on an individual basis. As a political party we feel we have a duty to tackle the needs of the individual when implementing our policies.

My personal experience during home visits as a PN candidate both for the local elections and now for the general elections is clear evidence that while implementing policies, we should always stay focused on the individual. We are not managers cutting costs with a calculator in hand. We are politicians whose concern is the well-being of every single person.

This government invested its time and energy in assuring as much as possible that everybody starts off from a level playing field. What better way to achieve this than by offering the best possible level of education?

This administration has invested heavily in educating our children and young people in IT. There is an average of one computer for every seven students in government schools. The re-introduction of the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) means that students have 33 full-time courses and 60 part-time courses to choose from, offering tuition in acquiring skills to ensure themselves a place in a competitive working environment.

The Malta Development Corporation has managed to approve 185 new projects with Lm80 million investment and 5,000 new jobs. This without considering the MDC's pending projects and other capital projects such as those of the Cottonera redevelopment, cruise liner passenger terminal and Manoel Island and Tigné project which have resulted in an increase of 1,000 jobs in the construction industry.

The government has built and distributed 900 housing units to families. Therefore, one can see the progress that the administration has made. The individuals have benefited from the progress that we have made, and that is the real satisfaction.

Reading the numbers on databases is encouraging but meeting the people who have really been positively affected and are reaping the benefits of this administration makes it worthwhile involving oneself in politics.