The incessant power cuts of these past few days have made us realise the actual cost of a slice of pizza. They are but one of the many consequences of a failed economic model. Edward Scicluna, then minister of finance, had insisted that we need foreigners to retain our competitiveness.

Foreigners are what will keep our production costs down. Put differently, we cannot have cheap pizza unless ‘imported’ food couriers are paid peanuts to deliver it to our homes.

But we are now waking up to the truth that everything comes at a price. We discovered the true cost of that cheap slice of pizza.

And it is not just the power cuts. Congested roads, higher prices for essential goods, higher mortgage costs, long delays in hospital waiting rooms, increased road fatalities, road rage, and unbridled construction are all symptoms of Labour’s way of keeping “our economy competitive”.

Clyde Caruana, the current minister of finance, who was, back then, the head of the employment agency, facilitated this policy of labour importation to grow our economy. Malta’s population grew from 417,432 in 2011 to 520,000 in 2022.

Minister Caruana tells us that the number of people living in Malta can shoot up to 800,000 if current trends persist.

Our country is not coping with this unplanned and unprecedented increase in population. The country’s infrastructure was not upgraded to meet the increased load. Electricity cables are melting due to the heavier load. Demand is far outstripping our ability to supply.

The same can be said of our waste management. If that wasn’t enough, Minister Caruana has an added conundrum. Energy bills in Malta are subsidised. The imported labour is benefitting from this subsided energy bills.

The European Union is asking for the removal of these subsidies because of the ballooning government debt. Higher wages will be demanded if these subsidies are removed.

The cost of labour will shoot up. This could be the final straw for the already crumbling economic model.

The government is mum on how it intends to change the course of our economy. There is no plan B. The usual buzzwords are not working. People are seeing beyond the glitter and glitz.

The realities are starting to hit home and polls are starting to reflect it.

Robert Abela’s woes go beyond the economy. The poor handling of the tragic death of Jean Paul Sofia, the spectre of criminal proceedings against Joseph Muscat and the fallout from the fraudulent hospital deal are some of the issues occupying Abela’s mind.

We need to show that there is still good and beauty in Malta- Mario de Marco

Suddenly, the Auberge de Castille, which seemed so roomy and spacious a few months ago, is starting to feel suffocating.

Leadership, which is solitary at the best of times, is more so in times of trouble. His has little to no room for manoeuvre.

He knows that there is disgruntlement within his party ranks and that every miscalculated step brings him closer to losing his grip on the Labour Party.

And it is not just big gaffes that matter now. Attending a concert after voting against a public inquiry into Sofia’s death, under different circumstances, have been brushed aside as a minor if undesirable, miscalculation. Now it is viewed as a major insensitive gaffe that alienated him from his core voters.

Politics can be a very unforgiving arena. It kicks you most when you are on the ground. And Abela is no longer on his political feet.

All this is bad news for our country. As our economic challenges mount, we need clear heads to steer us through the challenging times ahead.

The Nationalist Party has yet to convince the majority of people that it has the answers to our country’s pressing problems. The party must convince the electorate that it has the right people and policies to take this country forward.

There is no question as to whether we have the right pedigree. We have moved Malta away from the brink of collapse in the past and we can do it again.

We have implemented economic reforms that transformed Malta from an inward-looking country to one that grew from strength to strength.

The challenges now are different. Ironically, one could say that the challenges are the very opposite. The Labour administrations have divested Malta of everything that is Maltese.

We must rediscover our true selves and build our success on what makes us unique. We need to show that there is still good and beauty in Malta. We need to have the courage to look for success within ourselves.

The Nationalist Party must do so by aligning itself with the younger generation.

The younger generation carried Malta out of limbo in the mid-1980s. It is that same generation that must drive the change today. Instead of chasing them away from Malta, we must harness their energy and encourage them to drive Malta forward.

Mario de Marco

We did it in the past. We can do it again.

Mario de Marco is the Nationalist Party spokesperson on tourism.