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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 NOVEMBER 2025 Alex Borg needs to tell us why the PN should be trusted Editorial ALEX Borg will on Monday evening stand up in par- liament for what could ostensibly be one of his most important speeches yet. It will not be a short speech or one guided by questions from somebody sitting next to him. It will have to be a speech that critiques the budget but more importantly, lays down the Na- tionalist Party's vision and why it should be trusted by voters to run the country at the next general elec- tion. In many respects, Monday's speech is a defining moment given that the budget that has just been presented could very well be the last before an elec- tion is called. Borg must not waste his time on fairy tales such as the purported €1,700 annual increase ministers will be getting next year. A simple calculation shows that this increase is intrinsically linked, like it has always been, to the changes in public sector pay scales as agreed in the last collective agreement that came into force on 1 January 2025. This was not a surreptitious increase over and above the ordinary adjustments as happened during the Gonzi admin- istration. It was a faux pas for the PN to try and turn this non-issue into something it is not. If Borg does not want to accept the pay rise as Opposition leader, he should have just made that point, explain why and next year write out a cheque to the Government of Malta. The country has more pressing issues that need addressing than what ministers stand to gain as a result of public sector collective agreement in- creases. Instead, Borg must use Monday's speech to deliv- er a message that puts people's minds at rest that with a PN government, their standard of living will continue to improve. He must address the middle class that has over the past 12 years benefitted from measures that have left more money in their pock- ets and found a Labour government willing to cre- ate the conditions for them to earn good money. There is no denying that measures like free child care, free MATSEC exams, the extension of free school transport to all, the burgeoning house rental market as a result of a growing foreign workforce, the stability in utility bills and fuel prices, the in- come tax cuts of last year and those proposed for the next three years; these and other measures have given the middle class financial breathing space. Borg must acknowledge this and put people's minds at rest that a PN government will not threat- en these gains—there is no pertinent and immedi- ate economic reason to radically overhaul this mod- el. But Borg must define a way forward that takes the country to the next level. Having more money in your pocket is only part of the equation, albeit a very important part. The big protest outside parliament against govern- ment's proposed planning reform on budget day was a sign that people have other needs and con- cerns, which go beyond monetary considerations. People want to live in safe, beautiful communities where the physical identity, as much as the cultural identity, is not erased beyond recognition. People want to enjoy outdoor open spaces that are acces- sible. People want to be able to live in peace, inside their homes without the fear of having their house destroyed by some cowboy developer. People want communities where rules are enforced, where pave- ments and promenades are not usurped by com- mercial establishments, where public land is used judiciously. People want to spend less time in traffic and have public health services, including mental health services, that are timely and adequate. Peo- ple want a country where inclusion in schools for children with a disability means much more than simple mainstreaming. People want a country that is fair and where justice is meted out without fear or favour. Indeed, some of these aspirations may be contra- dictory; others require people to understand that solutions may require lifestyle changes. Achieving the right balance between competing interests and creating harmony in society are the hallmarks of what good leadership is about. On Monday, Alex Borg must show he has the grav- itas and vision to craft a new Malta that builds on the good of today. His target has to be quality of life in all its permutations—from bold measures to give families with children the support they need to raise children, while having the opportunity of spending more time with them to ambitious changes in our education system so that tomorrow's workforce is better equipped for a world driven by AI; from outlining a plan that minimises the need to have an increasing foreign workforce to fuel economic growth to having robust public infrastructure; from championing personal freedom and the pursuit of happiness to having a government that uses public funds wisely… Alex Borg must show the PN is ready to give this country the step change it yearns for. He must rekindle the spirit of Xogħol, Ġustizzja, Libertà without being shackled by nostalgia. He must inspire Fiduċja in a society that has changed radically since the PN was last in government. He must show that his party has humbled itself in front of the electorate and is ready once again to lead Għalina, Għal Uliedna, Għal Pajjiżna. Quote of the Week "Malta should be careful before rushing to change things." – Finance Minister Clyde Caruana on Mill-Kamra when talking about the shifting global positions on the 15% minimum corporate tax for large multinational companies in the wake of the US government's change of heart on the proposal. MaltaToday 10 years ago Government, police commissioner coy on inquiry into MFA, Beckenbauer $250k World Cup 2006 contract 3 November 2015 THE government and the police have re- fused to commit intolaunch ing an investi- gation into a contro versial contract that saw the Malta Football Association earn 5250,000 in exchange for the national team to play a friendly against Bayern Mu nich. Parliamentary secretary for sport Chris Agius admilled wilh Mal taToday thal he hasn't even followed the cases in the Daily Mail report ed last week that the contract was signed following a "secret meeting" between then MFA president Joe Mifsud and German football legend Franz Beckenbauer in June 2000. At the time, Mifsud held a seat on FIFA's executive committee that eventually award- ed the 2006 World Cup to Germany. Becken- bauer was Bayern Munich president, as well as the head of the organising commit tee that spearheaded the German bid. Malta voted for Germany to host the 2006 tournament, in a vote that Germany margin- ally won by 12-11 against South Africa, and the Daily Mail suggested that Beckenbauer was "complicit in influencing the votes of FTFA's executive commit tee". [...]