The electoral polls continue to sway in favour of the Labour party, with it continuing to build on the already substantial lead it holds over the Nationalist party. Considering the polls and research surveys, one would get the impression that the Labour party is performing exceptionally well in government.
To be quite frank, the current government has its fair share of successes to boast about. In this article however, we will discuss some of the failures of the Labour party which tend to be overshadowed with its successes. Here we go:
No new business industries
Whilst the Labour party has branded itself as a pro-business government, many of the industries which have thrived under its administration were already well-established in previous regimes. The gaming, financial services, tourism and property sectors were already doing well before the current Labour party was elected.
One of the new income streams that the Labour party has brought about is through the sale of passports, which was met with significant scepticism and scrutiny. Aside from that, there is no new industry which has been established by the Labour party’s influence. There was a lot of promotion in relation to the blockchain and cryptocurrency sectors, however the tangible value that these industries bring about, if any, is yet to be properly measured and analysed.
Reputation of corruption
Let’s face it, the perception of corruption in politics has been around before Labour got elected and will never go away. With that said, this government has not effectively managed to reduce the perception of corruption, not only that, but it seems to have increased over the past few years. Recent allegations involving key Ministers and the Prime Minister himself definitely do not help, especially as other European Union Member States and foreign media have their gaze fixed upon us.
American University of Malta
Whatever happened here? The American University of Malta had to be a leading educational institution, as promoted a few years ago. It also had to alleviate the geographical area and increase activity. We barely hear anything about it anymore. Are people even applying? Safe to say that this project flopped.
New lines of poverty
The economic growth registered under the Labour party has been welcomed by most segments of the population, except those who did not stand to gain. Ten years ago, somebody earning a salary of eight hundred Euro could manage to make ends meet. Most people still earn this salary, years later following an incredible increase in the cost of living. This also includes pensioners. Very little has been done by the government which can impact such people positively. To top it all off, we have seen no housing projects by the Labour party. Such projects used to provide people with low-income decent accommodation, where they can raise a family.
What are your views on these arguments? Do you perceive them as failures and what can the government do to address these shortcomings?
