Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543384
I was listening to Nationalist leader Alex Borg when he visit- ed the MaltaToday offices and sat down for a conversation with the newsroom. His de- meanour is years ahead of for- mer PN leaders. He does not confront people. He is pleasant and finds it comfortable speak- ing to people. Comparisons are odious but Borg was made to be a politician. On delivery he scores 9 out of 10. On content, the score is not as high. He faced a long list of ques- tions and comments from the journalists who quizzed him on his policies and past decla- rations. They asked him about the four-day week, the plan- ning reform, the Gozo bish- op, Adrian Delia, the choice of chief justice and of course abortion. Alex Borg was his usual self, careful not to say anything negative about Jason Azzopar- di, Roberta Metsola or Adrian Delia. He was guarded when speaking about these politi- cians. On some of the political statements he made there was a discussion, sometimes there were clear answers in other cases not so clear. When it came to over popula- tion and the presence of third country nationals, his answers were not very convincing. He said that a new Nationalist ad- ministration would embark on a study to take a snapshot of the situation so that solutions can be tailored to the country's needs. But solutions are what people want to hear about to- day. Borg's response—a study—to his own party's battle cry on over population was not a very convincing way of addressing a main concern. Malta's present economic path and unstoppable growth, purchasing power and style of living has left us with an over-dependence on foreign workers. This is compounded by the fact that today's educa- tion system does not cater suf- ficiently enough for vocational training, leaving Malta without an indigenous skilled labour force. Trade schools were terminat- ed decades ago by a Nationalist government and this created a vacuum that robbed the coun- try of young skilled manual workers. Alex Borg is well aware that people have concerns about overpopulation, yet he also knows that the population conundrum cannot be real- ly solved. Unless he wants to bring Malta's economy to its knees, closing the door on for- eign labour is not an option. He also knows that some of the concerns about third coun- try nationals stem from having people of different colour and religion present in our com- munities not because they are robbing us of our jobs Times have changed and I be- lieve voters understand that we cannot do without third coun- try nationals in our economy. From cleaners to waiters, from hospitality staff to bus drivers, from postal workers to con- struction workers, farm hands and even fishermen, foreign labour is propping up several sectors across the board. And this does not include nurses, carers and doctors, without which out hospitals and old people's homes will collapse. The proliferation is wide- spread and also includes high- end jobs such as accountants. The cause of this rapid popu- lation expansion has been our massive economic push. The alternative to all this is taming the tiger economy and trim- ming it down. So, unless Alex Borg real- ly has a clear solution to this problem, it would be best to put the matter on the back burner. The numbers game Surveys give a snapshot of voter sentiment at a given point in time. Several surveys, including MaltaToday's, are showing some key trends that keep surfacing time and time again despite the difference in numbers. Three key pointers are: Fewer Labourites will vote in the next general election; more former PN voters are now rallying back to the party after opting not to vote; and the number of non-voters will increase or remain the same as four years ago. One thing that superseded the current electoral cycle is the fact that the 60,000 or so voters who form the 'party of non-voters' are here to stay. This trend has been developing over several election cycles. Nonetheless, as things stand today, the writing on the wall still points to a Labour victo- ry in the next election but not to the extent that some people blinded by political allegiance believe. Whether this prognosis will still be valid by election time still has to be seen. 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 FEBRUARY 2026 OPINION Nonetheless, as things stand today, the writing on the wall still points to a Labour victory in the next election but not to the extent that some people blinded by political allegiance believe Saviour Balzan Founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster The population predicament Alex Borg also knows that some of the concerns about third country nationals stem from having people of different colour and religion present in our communities not because they are robbing us of our jobs