Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1200489
11 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 JANUARY 2020 OPINION A solid economic agenda is an agenda for the people. Self-em- ployed individuals as well as en- trepreneurs who invest in their business and generate employ- ment desire and need citizens living in a stable country without political uncertainty and a fear of what the future might bring. Sadly, this is not the case lo- cally where our political reality creates uncertainty as news from the local law courts sow fear as to our beloved country's political future. Today, Maltese and Gozitans are disdained, ashamed and sor- ry to hear how that which was meant to be 'the best of times' translated to an exercise in de- ceit. The current government's strategy to distribute 'favours' so as to be indebted to by select businesses has been exposed. This political reality confirms what our very own Central Bank stated in its last report on the state of local economy. The slowdown it identified may only worsen as more corruption sto- ries are uncovered. It is the man in the street who is now spending less. It is the nation that is feeling the reper- cussions of political uncertainty. It is the nation's plea that mon- ey starts having real value, that honest investment is a real pos- sibility and that meritocracy, not corruption or back scratching, are the economic and political realities of the country. In the current reality, what the commercial sector needs the government to guarantee is peace of mind; a culture wherein no individual in society fears in- vestment or expenditure due to uncertainty as to what the future holds. Muscat's government, for that is what it is despite a change in name of the Prime Minister, seems to be incapable of bring- ing society back to the expected ethos of a democracy where the rule of law is supreme. Where opportunities are accessible to everyone equally. Everything indicates that this government seeks supreme con- trol and power. Only that which the government says is expected to be believed, despite the stark realities and the obvious proving otherwise. Dissenters are silenced if not eliminated. This government is one reigned over by a couple of individuals who use politics not for our dear country's growth, but for the personal gain of a few select in- dividuals. This is a government of 'dem- ocratic dictatorship', where de- mocracy is a game played by the government for appearances' sake. In this climate the commercial sector cannot grow across the board, to the benefit of the big and the small alike. How can it, when 'favours', discriminatory practices in all aspects of business ranging from the issuing of permits to the abuse of positions of trust to the awarding of direct contracts as opposed to the issuing of tenders are based not on merit, but on the basis of political favouritism? This government's test lies with its ability to re-establish a just and fair market. In the meanwhile, the commercial sec- tor waits to see whether promis- es made are unlike those spout- ed prior to elections, and Malta and Gozo may now expect a fair and free market. The commercial sector must now wait, cathartic, to see whether the nation as whole will have faith in the current ad- ministration. The ball lies in the govern- ment's court. It is hoped that favouritism, corruption and the absolute absence of meritocracy are done away with and become a distant memory. All this cannot be achieved by means of vain promises, but concrete actions. It is now the nation that shall hold the government to count. The nation shall no longer be bought by the crumbs that fall off the master's table, the nation is not a blind dog, the nation has seen the government for what it truly is. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. This is not a nation that shall be fooled the second time. This is a nation that can now do the maths, that shall speak up, that expects and demands that the principles of freedom and security are implemented across the board with every sin- gle Maltese and Gozitan person alike. A nation that does not want to have to pay its dues to a corrupt government just to be able to survive. A nation that wants a sustaina- ble economy to the benefit of all. This government is one reigned over by a couple of individuals who use politics not for our dear country's growth, but for the personal gain of a few select individuals Edwin Vassallo A sustainable economic agenda is an agenda for the people "What the commercial sector needs the government to guarantee is peace of mind"