Last September, Times of Malta shared the results of a Eurobarometer survey showing that Maltese trust in EU direction had dropped by 40%.

According to the outcomes of another Eurobarometer survey shared last month, voter turnout could collapse for the upcoming MEP elections taking place on June 8.

While surveys provide an insight of the current scenario which may change closer to the election, this is still a worrying trend which needs to be addressed. 

The government’s propaganda has not helped much. There are several occasions where the government fails to negotiate properly in Brussels. Instead of admitting its lack of timely action, it tries to shift the blame on the European Union or the opposition, or more specifically on those “who go to badmouth Malta in Europe”.

This government and its representatives have lost the plot. This government is a propaganda machine and tries to give the illusion of Europe’s approval to their misgivings by, for example, inviting the president of the European Commission to visit a school in Gozo.

The word ‘honesty’ in politics has to some extent vanished from daily political rhetoric since Simon Busuttil attempted to restore some decency in Maltese politics. 

It is no wonder that Robert Abela in a recent interview said that he sees a lot of Busuttil’s qualities in Roberta Metsola.

Abela and his government have little appetite to deliver on much-needed reforms. It is no surprise that Malta has only fully implemented only four of 23 anti-corruption recommendations made in 2019 by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe anti-corruption body.

As former Repubblika president Robert Aquilina said on a number of occasions, the fight against corruption is not an easy road; only with persistence will this country come to its own terms and obtain justice. 

We need to do this for Daphne Caruana Galizia, we need to do this for Miriam Pace and Jean Paul Sofia and their families. Because the fight against corruption is about press freedom, it’s about fighting for workers’ rights, it’s about fighting to safeguard the environment, it’s about ensuring equal opportunities for all.

Which brings me back to the Eurobarometer surveys. Some people believe that the EU is toothless in the face of rampant corruption in Malta. This is false.

I still believe that when we joined the EU 20 years ago, we did so also to strengthen our democracy.

Therefore, I must support what PN MEP candidate Peter Agius said recently – that we need to use all EU tools to fight corruption.

I do not want people to lose trust in politics because of Labour- Rachel Williams

Just recently Times of Malta reported that following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, 22 people were arrested across Europe and their villas and luxury cars seized in what is alleged to be a €600 million fraud involving EU COVID funds. 

On the other hand we have ministers in Malta using EU funds for their own hotels.

We have developers turned farmers who benefit from funds which should be directed to genuine farmers. 

To cut a long story short, we need to use all EU resources at hand, be it EU laws or EU bodies, to keep our government and politicians in check.

Many in this country are thinking of not voting for the upcoming MEP elections for one reason or another, perhaps because of the perceived lack of EU action on corruption.

This is not the right approach. We need to choose decent and honest politicians who want the best for our country and who make use proud to be Maltese, such as European Parliament president Metsola.

We need people like Agius who are competent and who have made the fight against corruption one of their priorities through tangible measures.

We need people like MEP David Casa who are not afraid to stand up for justice.

Only by doing so will we be able to bring about a tangible change in this country and send a clear message to Abela and his friends at Mile End that we deserve better, that Malta deserves better.

On June 8. we will also vote in the local council elections. I will be contesting with the Nationalist Party team for the locality of St Paul’s Bay because I want to also ensure good governance also at the local level. Above all I do not want people to lose trust in politics because of Labour. 

If we want to rebuild trust in politics, we need to do this bottom up and I am ready to do my part to offer an alternative.

Are you?

Rachel Williams is a PN local council candidate for St Paul’s Bay.