Now that the general election is over and the PL won with a majority of roughly 22,000 votes, we can analyse what happened over the past few years. True, it is indeed a historic victory, as no other party has ever won four consecutive general elections. The PL wrote history. This does not mean that the PL government is to stay in power indefinitely. The gap is still comfortable and judging by the majorities of the eighties and nineties, I think that winning an election with almost 22,000 votes is still a big majority.
However, the PL must take note of the result and analyse what happened. It is only normal that a party in government for so many years starts losing its majority. One of the PL’s biggest mistakes in government was the performance of certain authorities and the public sector. Besides, some of the injustices perpetuated by the PN administration – which were promised to be addressed prior to PM Robert Abela’s leadership – were never addressed or only partially addressed, creating another injustice.
Another topic that is resurfacing is affordable housing, an area I have been writing about and discussing in recent years. The problem of rent, as well as housing prices, has become a sore point for many. We need to revise rent subsidies and accelerate the process of building as many affordable housing units as possible. The PL campaigned on a manifesto that introduced several measures to address affordable housing, including a 25% interest‑free loan.
Now, the PL in government must accelerate the implementation of the manifesto in its entirety. We must avoid past mistakes. The imperative here is to address the problem of those creating obstacles with requests for transfers, as well as to ensure that those halting any processes for government projects are removed from any position of power. Another issue that came up during this campaign is the problem of foreigners working in Malta. We must understand that some menial jobs must be executed by them; otherwise, we would have a problem. What the Maltese are not tolerating is the preference given to foreign workers over many locals. We do have a problem here, as this was another issue I noticed when meeting people.
Likewise, the traffic problem must be given priority. It’s not that we will eliminate traffic, but we can do better with the management of our road infrastructure, as well as with the work‑from‑home policy, morning appointments, and university and MCAST lectures. The PL did a lot of good and improved the lives of many, including pensioners. However, we must address those pockets that are not feeling the success of economic growth.
What PM Abela must do is surround himself with technical people, including political economists. Having an economist in politics is quite rare, and this is important. Policies must not be designed by regulators, but by economists who can understand the electorate’s concerns. Let’s be honest with ourselves: we could have done better in implementing national projects, including the upgrade of road infrastructure. However, there were other priorities, including cushioning the impact of the Ukrainian war and the ensuing energy shocks, which compounded into inflation that people could not cope with. Likewise, the problem of the Iranian war and the instability it created in the Middle East.
The PL must ensure the acceleration of projects of national importance and, as soon as possible, implement the policies outlined in the manifesto pertaining to social and affordable housing, as well as the SME Boost tax cuts. There are many other proposals in the manifesto which I want to see executed as soon as possible. However, the top priorities are affordable housing and the SME Boost tax cuts. SMEs need additional liquidity, just like our younger generation, as well as singles, separated, or divorced individuals, who need security when purchasing a dwelling.
The Maltese housing market changed, and so did the composition of our demography. What did not change is the way we tackle the problems created by economic success. We did not keep pace with the acceleration of economic growth. And this is why the electorate sent a message to the PL, even though the roughly 22,000 votes helped secure a strong mandate to implement the projects and the Int Malta manifesto.
Lastly, I wish I could contribute more to the country and to the PL. However, it is now up to the by‑election, which is expected to open in the coming days. Good luck to all those contesting.
