These past eight tumultuous years of Labour in government have produced enough material for whole generations of future citizens to ponder on and, one would hope, learn from as they move the country forward.

One particular piece of content, which I invite you to look for on YouTube any time you want to remind yourself that we’re not living in normal times, is an incredible interview that Malta’s Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo gave to Deutsche Welle’s Tim Sebastien last year.

Quite unbelievably for a former education minister and for someone who, rumours have it, lobbied for the presidency, Bartolo confessed how, in a vote of confidence on Konrad Mizzi, he opted to absolve the corrupt minister because his vote wouldn’t have made any difference anyway. Because, that is, there were too many other spineless MPs around him.

The reporter, understandably bewildered, reminded Bartolo of that most basic lesson in democracy: every vote counts. And then went on eviscerating him.

Now, to be fair, Bartolo’s “my vote wouldn’t have counted anyway” approach to democracy is, unfortunately, not exclusive to our country’s chief diplomat.

There are others who think there is no role they can play to make change happen. As if elections are decided upon by some mysterious algorithm or as if the rotation of power is something that somehow happens when it does.

The next general election will require all those who believe that this country needs to start afresh to mobilise and work together to turn the page. And the truth of the matter is that the country can only start a new chapter if that mobilisation is channelled through the Nationalist Party, the only real alternative to Labour in government.

Voting for the Nationalist Party at the next election is crucial- Chris Said

There is no other way of putting it: those who think that Malta deserves better than Labour and who are not helping the Nationalist Party mount the best possible campaign to win next election will simply be contributing to Labour remaining in government.

The Nationalist Party is nobody’s property. It belongs to all those who believe that the country we all love can achieve sustainable progress benefitting everyone while still championing what is right.

If you see yourself in that description, then the party needs you. Its doors are wide open to you and to all those who want to put an end to the bleakest political chapter in this country’s modern history.

Voting for the Nationalist Party at the next election is crucial but what the country needs today and every day until then are not votes but genuine efforts – big and small – for the wheels of change to turn.

Since taking the helm of the Nationalist Party, Bernard Grech has made the party relatable once again.

He brought back decent politics to our communities, through straightforward and honest dialogue, genuine commitment and understanding. He is turning the party into the forward-looking political laboratory it once was, focused on innovative solutions to the country’s most pressing needs.

This has triggered new enthusiasm across the board: from our local and regional committees to the growing list of new candidates that have decided to be part of the change we seek by contesting the upcoming general election. We are seeing more people join organised initiatives and others taking initiatives of their own to contribute in their own ways.

Surveys keep highlighting that there is now a very noticeable trend: the Nationalist Party is slowly closing the gap with Labour. But to get there in time for the general election, the party needs all hands on deck.

There is a role for everyone to play, no matter the age, the background or the limitations.

This is what it will ultimately boil down to: whether there are enough of us who believe that our voice counts and that our actions, big and small, can deliver the change the country needs. Or if we’re ultimately as cynical as Bartolo, thinking that our voice won’t be enough to make change happen.

Let’s prove the cynics wrong.

Chris Said, Nationalist Party spokesperson for Gozo