Editorial • February 29 2004

Time to risk
The eventual winner of the Nationalist leadership race would be well advised to take stock of all the political proposals made during the campaign including those of the other two contestants. Throughout the campaign all three contestants put across a number of proposals which they promised to implement if elected leader of the party.
The proposals broadly speaking could be categorised accordingly: reconciliation, consensus, quotas for women, and Gozo representation
Louis Galea’s pledge to reconcile with the traditional adversaries of his party ran a chord with the popular sentiment. He was bold and indeed deserves much praise for making this pledge to the hardest core Nationalist group of representatives. It reflects his leader’s long term dream and is in accordance with popular sentiment. It received much praise last week from the GWU. We firmly believe that making reconciliation as the cornerstone of Government policy would go a long way to making the atmosphere in the country more serene and will also be conducive to attracting foreign investment and economic growth.
Throughout the campaign both Lawrence Gonzi and John Dalli affirmed their belief in the power of running Government by consensus. Both referred to many an agreement reached by either of them with the social partners. These agreements relating to the incomes policy and the dockyard all contributed greatly to both industrial peace and a sense of common social policy within the community. This sense of consensus now needs to be crystallised in a social pact amongst all the social partners. This pact if and when implemented would have immediate positive effects in the country as it would represent a new way of getting business done. All the social partners would feel that they have an input in the planning and implementation stage of all legislation relating to matters that concern them and most especially their members closely. Government can no longer ‘just go along alone.’ It needs both the input and most especially the experience of all the social partners. This will avoid all further accusations of lack of consultation and transparency and of legislation being forced down anyone’s throat. It really will be democracy in action.
The proposal made by John Dalli to implement quotas for women is extremely bold especially as it has traditionally received; we believe incorrectly, a lukewarm response within the present leadership of the Nationalist Party. Many a Government overseas has found that positive discrimination in favour of women does expedite the process of equality between the sexes. It results in women reaching goals of representation that had previously been thought beyond their immediate reach.
Giving Gozo a wider representation on MCED is definitely positive and the recognition that the island should enjoy the status of a region with its own particular needs would be warmly welcomed.
It should result in the standard of living in Gozo reaching similar levels as Malta and can go a far way to further encouraging foreign investment and growth in Gozo.
Many of the suggestions that have been made are extremely positive and will serve to fine tune and galvanise the present Government’s programme. It is abundantly clear that it is time to risk and put into practice many a policy that really are deeply ingrained in a one-nation consensus political policy. Our country has been divided for far too long. Economic progress is also essentially related to a serene political climate in the country. A new leader will always be given a fresh chance and a honeymoon period in his first hundred days to implement, not only his new style of operating, but most especially his new policies. Many of the proposals do make good economic and social sense.
We augur that the person elected will not only implement his proposals but will be graceful and magnanimous enough to take on board the positive proposals of the other two contestants. It is clearly time be bold, risk, think the unthinkable, and move towards clearly defined targets agreed by policy makers and the social partners.