Opinion: A collective effort – PM Robert Abela

We are marking a year since the pandemic struck us – a challenge like no other that created hardships and heartbreak for so many. Not only did many families lose a loved one before their time, we were all required to stay physically separate from those around us.

Ayear later, we are still fighting the virus. Thanks to the vaccine, we can think more about the post-Covid strategy. But we still need to remain focused and follow health guidelines so that our health service can remain in control and the vaccination programme can progress. We need to make one last effort together to guarantee our future.

The pandemic easily could have divided us. Instead, facing a common enemy, we rediscovered the great strength of shared communities and helping others.

We came close to losing so much, and this made us appreciate again things we had taken for granted. We recognised the importance of having an education system that is accessible, the importance of having strong public finances to help all those in need and the importance of having a free and efficient health care.

During the pandemic we had to focus on preserving the achievements of the past, ensuring that the growth in employment, and in our productive capacity, was not lost. While other countries saw businesses close and unemployment spiking, we stemmed this damage to our society. We maintained the momentum of delivering on the 2017 manifesto, for instance the rebuilding of our road infrastructure and addressing inequalities. We were also able to enact governance reforms and we planned and presented overdue reforms such as the one tackling pre-1995 rent agreements.

While fully engaged in fighting the pandemic, we should not stop looking forward. This is why I announced the Government’s vision for the future. It is a bold vision based on five pillars: Governance, Quality-of-Life, Education, Infrastructure and the Environment. Some have tried to diminish this vision, stating that in the middle of this challenge we have to focus on the present.

I disagree. Our nation has been here before. We have experienced great struggle, pain and loss in the past. In the Second World War, our nation was bombed to pieces and reduced to near penury. Yet, when our grandfathers and grandmothers emerged from the ruins of war, they set themselves the task of building the welfare state. They established education for all and the basis of our national health system.

Let us make sure we emulate their example. We should not let the spirit of unity that characterised recent months die out. We should strive to redirect our post-covid society towards less individualism, less polarisation and greater solidarity. We should foster a greater appreciation of expertise and science, revive trust in the good that the public sector can do, recognise the importance of supporting our local products, arts and services and the centrality of safeguarding our environment.

When our economy starts to emerge from the global shock induced by Covid-19, we have to make sure that we rebuild activity so that it becomes even more resilient. We have to upskill our workforce so that we become more productive and better able to operate within a more digital economy. Training and life-long learning need to be more valued by both employers and employees. We have to diversify our economy as much as possible, but with a focus on bolstering local supply chains and niches.

The prudent way our economy built its war chest was central to our success. A strong public purse means that whenever crisis hits, we can help each other, and when opportunity presents itself the State can assist change. We have all understood that an economic crisis cannot be countered with austerity but requires investment in people and businesses.

Covid-19 confirmed the importance of having public sector entities that are prepared for any circumstance. An under-resourced national health service is a recipe for disaster. A public sector that does not invest in modern technology cannot function in an emergency. Therefore, it is time for us to boost public investment and build our nation through the best public institutions possible.

As a society, we need to invest more in technology and, more importantly, ensure that it benefits all. The digital divide has to be defeated, and not be allowed to be a cause for widening inequality.

The pandemic has shown us that we can rapidly change the way we manage most of our economic activity. Just as we changed our habits to fight Covid-19, we need to invest and change to meet our nation’s next challenge – becoming carbonneutral. Government will play a central role, but so will businesses and families.

The strength we showed during the pandemic gives me great hope. The coming years promise to be times of great work, but also times of great promise.

Together we can build a new prosperity.