Remember the 353 promises?

More than four years have passed since the PN was re-elected in the March 2008 elections. Enough time has passed to take a look at what happened to the 353 electoral promises the PN made in the run up to the last election.

If the PN has full five years in office its government has at least to deliver an average of six promises every month. By now the PN should have carried out at least 258 or close to 80% of its promises. How many of these promises has it delivered?

The PN promised that people on public boards would be appointed after a call for applications. For the last four years these boards have continued to be packed with friends and supporters of the various ministers appointing them.

Before the 2008 March elections the PN said that Malta was facing a formidable challenge because of the increases in the price of food and energy worldwide. The PN promised that it would form a government capable of solving these problems and overcoming these challenges successfully.

The PN has so far done nothing to solve these problems and prices continue to rise and rise, higher than what they do in the rest of the EU. Malta still buys its oil at a higher price than most of other EU countries, including Cyprus a small island like us where oil has also to be transported from overseas. Why do other countries manage to buy their oil and fuel cheaper than us?

Other EU countries have effective mechanisms to ensure that markets work in an efficient and just way and competition watchdogs intervene then they do not. Families and individuals promised tax cuts before the elections are now being told that because of the difficult global economic situation, tax cuts cannot take place.

Before the last general election Lawrence Gonzi wrote a series of letters promising everything to everyone: a guaranteed job and a better income to Air Malta, Drydocks and Public Transport employees among others. They lost their jobs and saw their families’ living standards fall. Pensions, salaries and social benefits are becoming less and less adequate to provide a decent quality of life. But government is doing nothing to ease the pain felt by many hardworking individuals and families to make ends meet.

But the Prime Minister and his ministries stealthily gave themselves a weekly rise of €500. That was not one of the 353 electoral promises. The Prime Minister and his cabinet are very efficient when it comes to looking after their own interests.