I admit that in life it is very difficult to strike a happy balance. To have too little is not good but having too much is equally not good. Malta is experiencing this situation.

We have overpopulation, overdevelopment, too much tourism and an overheated economy.

Now all these do have their positive aspects, in that they increase consumption which, in turn, increases work, investment opportunities, turnover, higher returns and profits.  And the taxman delights with the increase in revenue from VAT and income tax. 

But the flip side to this is that, in such situations, the social divide widens, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Note the amount of people living in shelters and making use of soup kitchens.

Due to the sudden increase in certain economic activities, our quality of life has received a tremendous blow. Whereas people in business may be happy noting a sharp increase in their turnover and net profit, the moment they step outdoors they start huffing and puffing on account of massive traffic jams, poor air quality caused by the rampant and uncontrolled construction activity and the lack of open spaces.

This sudden push in the economic activity has increased the cost of living with the consequence that many people are struggling to cope. Well paid youngsters are finding it difficult to purchase property; for those on a lower wage it is almost impossible.

The cost of almost every service and product has risen exponentially. The rat race to cope and the frantic daily life has increased everyone’s level of stress and tension.

The government’s maladministration has decreased our quality of life in many ways. Corruption, abuse of public funds and lack of vision are the trait of this government.

People ask whether there a solution to all this. There certainly is.

We urgently need to kick out the politicians who have caused so much damage to our beautiful country and replace them with politicians whose interest is the well-being of the country and its people. The common good.

We need to focus on quality rather than quantity.

We desperately need to focus on our education system, concentrate on values and culture rather than on ways of scraping through exams, recoup lost ground and prepare and train our students to embrace and overcome tomorrow’s challenging times.

We must trim government expenditure by firstly decreasing the size and composition of the government itself. There are far too many ministers and parliamentary secretaries. 

There are too many government appointed chairpersons, commissioners, directors and CEOs- Noel Muscat

We need to recompose and redefine the number of authorities and institutions that are in place. Many of them overlap each other and cause more confusion than they offer solutions. There are too many government appointed chairpersons, commissioners, directors and CEOs. Useless persons of trust must be sacked.

The central government must stop competing with the private sector.

Local councils, or, rather, local governments must be strengthened and given the autonomy to manage their localities efficiently. This is where one finds politicians who best know their localities’ needs and priorities and who can counteract the one-size-fits-all diktats issued by the central government to best suit their residents’ needs.

The transport system needs an overhaul and a long-term solution.

The Planning Authority needs a thorough shake up. Local plans must be revisited and respected, to prioritise citizens’ quality of life above speculation for financial gain by a few, and, for this, qualified planners need to be employed.

In recent years, the environment has been the biggest loser. It has been mercilessly raped and violated. Unworthy politicians have sacrificed the environment to reach their goals of ‘over’ in everything. We need a government that truly believes in the importance of the environment, both natural and urban, and that places the environment at the heart of every move.

The health sector needs a lot of work for it to recover. Recent health ministers have made such a mess of the system that it is now on its knees. Their incapability and lack of vision ruined a sector that was the pride of our country. We need a modern system that can plan for, and cope with, the demand. The new hospital for mental care is already 11 years late. 

The tourism industry also needs rethinking and reshaping. We need to adapt to changing trends but, above all, we need to control quantity and quality. The product that we offer must be improved and suitable for our island. It must be better than that of our competitors.

Justice and good governance are vital for the well-being of any country. This is another sector where we have fallen behind and which needs immediate attention.

One way to counter the stress caused by the frantic daily hustle and bustle is for one to practise some form of sport. The lack of adequate and easily accessible facilities is keeping people away from practising sport.

We need to make our roads safer, and we must encourage people to walk, jog and ride a bicycle, which, thanks to lack of planning, are presently nothing less than dangerous activities.

A new government will need to work overtime to make up for the tremendous mess created by successive Labour administrations. It will need to work closely with civil society, unions and the business sector.

It will need to focus on governing, leading the way and being proactive rather than reactive. It will need to create a vibrant and effective economy that will benefit one and all. Rule of law and social justice must prevail. People must be respected and treated with dignity.

Noel Muscat is the mayor of Swieqi.