Copyright maltatoday
Alex Borg will on Monday evening stand up in parliament 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 Nationalist Party’s vision and why it should be trusted by voters to run the country at the next general election. 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 election 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 administration. 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 increases. Instead, Borg must use Monday’s speech to deliver 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 pockets and found a Labour government willing to create 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 income 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 threaten these gains—there is no pertinent and immediate economic reason to radically overhaul this model. 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 government’s proposed planning reform on budget day was a sign that people have other needs and concerns, 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 accessible. 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 pavements and promenades are not usurped by commercial 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. People 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 contradictory; 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 gravitas 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.
