Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546781
FOR days, the Nationalist Party built expectations around its In- dependence Day celebrations. The return to the Floriana Granaries after eight years was presented as significant, with a three-day programme culmi- nating in the mass meeting ad- dressed by Opposition leader Alex Borg. Against that back- drop, I expected substance. Instead, my reaction was one of disbelief. It was an anti-cli- max. After all the hype, the headline announcement was that the office of the Opposi- tion leader would move from Pietà to Valletta. Borg framed it as his "next step to Castille" and that frustrated me, because Malta needs a serious Opposi- tion. The constitutional role of the Opposition is not decorative. As a government MP, I want an Opposition that scrutinises government rigorously, con- structively and on the basis of facts. A credible Opposition makes government stronger. It forc- es us to examine decisions, defend policies and recognise where more needs to be done. When that scrutiny is lack- ing, government must be even more demanding of itself. Electoral success must never become complacency. Labour is in Castille because Maltese and Gozitan citizens entrust- ed it with governing, and that trust can never be taken for granted. Equally, anyone aspiring to govern must earn that confi- dence. A new office address cannot substitute the much harder task of convincing peo- ple that you are ready to lead the country. The road to Castille cannot be measured in metres. Neither can political connection. Every village square in Mal- ta and Gozo is close to the people—Birkirkara, Siġġiewi, Qormi, Luqa, Żurrieq, Mosta, Rabat, Marsaxlokk, Victoria, Nadur and everywhere in be- tween. What matters is not where politicians place their desks, but whether they understand people's lives; the families fac- ing monthly bills, young cou- ples trying to buy their first home, businesses dealing with costs and bureaucracy, pen- sioners, workers and students. It also means understanding ordinary family life, school runs, homework, extracurric- ular activities, appointments, work and somehow finding quality time with your chil- dren. That is where political con- nection is built. Not through a Valletta postcode. A healthy democracy requires an Opposition capable not only of criticising but of presenting detailed alternatives. What it would do differently, how pro- posals would work, what they would cost and what their con- sequences would be. Beyond events, slogans and symbolism, there must eventu- ally be a programme capable of carrying the enormous respon- sibility of government. There is an irony too. Charity begins at home. If being closer to people is the objective, there is something curious about moving the Opposition leader away from the party headquar- ters where PN employees, offi- cials and volunteers work every day. Political closeness should surely begin with those sus- taining your own organisation. Alex Borg became PN leader in September 2025. He entered the leadership with consid- erable confidence, saying he believed the party could make major electoral inroads even within a month and could win an election in less than a year. The general election came in May 2026. The PN did not win. Labour was returned to gov- ernment for a fourth consec- utive term with a majority of 21,721 votes. That verdict does not mean an Opposition should stop aspiring to govern. Quite the contrary. But more than a year after Borg became leader, and after fighting a general elec- tion, the question must now be about substance. Moving from Pietà to Valletta may generate headlines and photographs. But it does not answer the fundamental question: What would you actually do if you got there? It's not a question of where an Opposition leader's office is situated, but what policies come out of it. Not whether he can see Castille from the square, but whether he can convince citizens that his party is ready to exercise the respon- sibilities inside it. Meanwhile, the new govern- ment has completed its first 100 days. Measures during that period included adding disabil- ity as a protected characteristic in the Constitution; widen- ing access to IVF; progressing planning reforms, including changes concerning devel- opment during appeals; and doubling first-time buyer as- sistance to €20,000 for eligible persons with disabilities. There is much more to do. There al- ways is. Government must continue scrutinising itself, correcting what needs correcting and de- livering what citizens elected it to deliver. No electoral victory gives any administration a li- cence for complacency. Malta does not need cosmet- ics. It needs serious scrutiny, serious alternatives and se- rious ideas. Because Castille is reached only through the trust of the people. And trust is earned through work, cred- ibility and results, not through a change of address. 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 OPINION Ramona Attard Every village square is close to the people, not an office in Valletta Labour MP Malta does not need cosmetics. It needs serious scrutiny, serious alternatives and serious ideas