These last weeks have shown how important it is for a government and a country to have its systems in place. The importance of investing resources and finances in calm times in order to prepare for a stormy day has been amply highlighted in this past month.

We are led by a responsible government that relies on the guidance of experts but also knows what it means to lead a society and its people. It is a sensible government that doesn’t let pride come in the way of adapting measures which are in the long-term best interest of our people, communities and society.

The opposition has criticised the government’s handling of the situation. On the other hand the WHO has highlighted Malta as a global case of good-practice in addressing this pandemic. We will leave it to our people to judge us, when the time is right. Now is the time for action and decisions.

Before shifting to life after this dark period, I would like to make one point about our industrial relations. Let’s make it clear; this is a time where the government needs to intervene to help business owners and the self-employed, in a nutshell, to help people. However, this is surely not the time for anyone to take advantage of the situation. The government will come down like a tonne of bricks on those who attempt to claim more funds than they are entitled to. There will be fines, exclusions from future aid and also a name and shame policy. We will not let a sleazy few come between us helping those who most need our support in this hour of need.

With regard to the relationship between employers and employees, I want to see a sense of understanding developed. Co-operation and goodwill will take us a long way.

The Department of Industrial and Employment Relations, which is part of my ministerial portfolio, will assure that employers treat employees with the respect they deserve. Changes to work contracts and wages are not allowed if not with the written authorisation of this department.

Changes to work contracts and wages are not allowed if not with the written authorisation of the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations

On the other hand, I call on all employees to collaborate with their employer whenever the requests are sensible and aimed at safeguarding their employment.

Everyone agrees that the new normal at the end of the coronavirus debacle will not be the normal of a few weeks ago.

Children will have understood the reality of home schooling, with its positive and less appealing elements. Teachers will understand first-hand the capabilities of remote education and the extent of its use, including the drawbacks.  The older generation might be more at ease when using video-calls and ordering purchases and services online.

Employees will demand that the new norm of telework, in many work streams, remains in place also post-coronavirus. The flexibility of this arrangement will no longer be seen as an abuse or an extraordinary perk. Employers would have realised that, potentially, some of their employees do indeed perform better from home rather than at work.

We will have understood that our local produce is a gift that we should protect and value. We can truly count on our fruit and vegetables in times of lockdowns and closed borders. We should increase our appreciation of our agriculture and fisheries industries and now is the time to rethink the future of these sectors in order to guarantee their future.

We will have better understood the dependence of our supply chain mechanisms: how our importers link up to our distributors, to our shops, franchises, the efforts involved in having the ingredients for your pasta dish, the video camera for your video call, your hand sanitiser for hygiene and protection.

Hopefully we will have also assimilated that our livelihood depends on the efforts of the majority and not on the detached life of the individual.

I hope that those who we today call our heroes will always be treated with the respect they deserve.

Our cleaners, the Department of Environmental Health, our doctors, our nurses, our pandemic specialists, our delivery services, our government employees, our police, our army, our civil protection personnel … each one of us that delivers a service, especially those who until recently we used to take for granted.

Not to mention the larger picture: our open spaces, nature, the Earth. I truly hope that we will have understood the need to protect and conserve our nature, our nation and our planet. The signs of a new lease of life to our flora and fauna that we have witnessed in these weeks need to open our eyes even further; we need to stare at the stark reality that has come to our attention.

Humanity will soon be unleashed again on our planet; let’s show that we learnt our lesson. Let’s hope the kindness, hope and unity experienced in these months will make for a better Malta and a better world, after we see the back of this dramatic period in our lives.

Carmelo Abela, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister