Last minute actions

Lawrence Gonzi has neglected most people’s needs for the whole legislature. The Prime Minister says that a government is elected for a full term but he should also have catered for the people for a full term, not only in the run-up to the election. However, in a frantic bid to remain in power, GonziPN has suddenly decided to give some of the people benefits that it had refused to consider for a number of years.

Malta’s problem is the present administration and Lawrence Gonzi must stop acting as if there were no tomorrow. He should realise that the country has a future and it is his Government’s duty to act responsibly and diligently during the few remaining months of his administration.

These last few months GonziPN has agreed to and signed a Public service collective agreement, given consent to the Air Pilots agreement; approved the Law reform agreement with new salary and pension scales for the judiciary as well as offering a new pay package to the Police Corps. A number of promotions in the Armed Forces have also come into effect in the last months.

Other last minute actions include the whistleblower amnesty in the Azzopardi case and the sudden urgency in presenting the IVF bill and the Co-habitation Act. The Car Park privatisation bill, was presented by the Government now, to take effect later. This was however withdrawn after strong opposition from a majority of Parliamentarians. The St. Philips agreement was also rushed through, amid strong opposition.

Obviously, some of these collective agreements and bills were long due. Others were rushed  through even if the country’s financial situation demanded prudence. Instead of planning for these changes over a number of years, the government decided to try and undo its misdeeds at the eleventh hour. Clearly, Lawrence Gonzi does not care about tomorrow’s picture. He does not lose any sleep over the  uncontrolled increase in the National debt. To remain in power for as long as possible, he has pretended to disregard all the comments passed against him, simply because he knows he has lost parliamentary majority. Gonzi has been running away from Parliamentary votes but he cannot hide from the truth.  The truth will catch up with him and this is what will decide if he has been on the right side of history or otherwise.   

When wealth is lost, not all is lost, but when character is lost all is lost. GonziPN has lost all sense of decency to cling to power for as long as possible.  Gonzi keeps spending people’s money to try and win votes but as Joseph Muscat aptly said: “He can run but he cannot hide”.