Democracy is ultimately a popularity contest. Politicians the world over are compelled to look for ways to make themselves look good and get re-elected. This often leads them to make decisions that are popular in the short term, even if they are not in the country's best interests in the long term.

One example of this is the way politicians often shy away from making unpopular decisions about key issues like health, education, the environment and the economy. They know that certain decisions, even if they are necessary and logical, will get them booted out of office. So instead, they make small changes that fail to address the real issues.

For example, politicians are reluctant to overhaul the university stipend system, even though it is extremely expensive and practically ineffective. As a result, we the taxpayers are paying for stipends for students who leave the country immediately after they graduate. Essentially, this is a waste of money and resources. At the same time, the money spent on stipends is robbing our university of possible research funds which are much more valuable to the university itself, the students and the country as a whole.

Another example is the way politicians often ignore the need for long-term planning. They are naturally more concerned with getting re-elected in the next election than making decisions that will benefit the country in 20 years. This is why we often see politicians making decisions that are based on short-term political expediency rather than on what is best for the country.

For instance, many politicians are reluctant to change our current unsustainable healthcare system, even though it is based on treatment rather than prevention. This system is expensive and inefficient, and it is only going to get worse as our population ages.

This needs to change. We need a system that allows politicians to make unpopular decisions that are in the best interests of the country. A system that guarantees long-term plans without the fear of an opposition that will capitalise on the wave of momentary discontent that these may bring in order to score political points over their opponents.

One way to encourage this kind of thinking is for both the government and the opposition (together with the relevant stakeholders) to come together and develop a national strategy for the country. This strategy should cover all of the key areas mentioned above: education, health, the environment, and the economy. It should be based on evidence and expert opinion, and it should be designed to benefit the country in the long term, not just the next election cycle.

This will undoubtedly bring a number of challenges. It will require politicians from both sides of the House to put aside their differences and work together. But it is essential if we want to create a better future for our country.

And this is where we need another paradigm shift. We should no longer regard our ‘small size’ as a disadvantage. On the contrary, we should leverage the islands' size and focus on how we can exploit the several advantages this brings with it. Our close community is one of these advantages. It is much easier to explain and adopt a national strategy in a country like ours than, say, Italy or the UK with all their differences caused by historical regional issues and their population size. It is, by far, easier to get the message through to half a million people than to 60 million people.

Courage and foresight are what our politicians need. Imagine how a defined national strategy would make it much easier to attract foreign investment. For businesses to plan accordingly? For people to plan and adjust their lifestyles for the next 20 years?

The recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology are a perfect example of why we need a national strategy. AI has the potential to revolutionise many aspects of our lives, from the way we learn to the way we work, or get healthcare. But it also has the potential to create new issues, such as job displacement and social inequality.

We need to decide how we want to shape our future, and we need to put in place the policies and regulations that will make it happen. How can we plan our future unless we know where we want to go? How will we know what is likely to be needed in the next 20 years without a clear strategy in place? What kind of careers and jobs are we likely to need? What should the population demographics look like? What about our infrastructural plans and what they need to cater for? What kind of country do we want Malta to be 20 years from now?

This is something that the government needs help and support to do. We need the input of everyone in the country, including academics, educators, business leaders, economists, (social) scientists and ordinary citizens. We need to have a national conversation about the future. Our future.

The time for action is now. We need to start thinking about the future and how we can prepare for it. We need to develop a national strategy and we need to do it together.

Mark J Galea is the managing director of Quad Consultancy, an HR Management Consultancy firm specialising in people management, strategy, learning and development and recruitment. Before setting up Quad Consultancy in 2010, he spent the previous 15 years heading the HR teams within a number of leading Maltese and international companies.