My family has been exiled out of our home. I am writing this at the height of an extended power outage. It is now 34 hours since my home has not had the ‘luxury’ of being supplied with electricity. Before that, we also had a couple of power outages. We just woke up from a third sleepless night. You can imagine our anger and frustration. Like many other people, we have been put through endless inconvenience and hardship all because of the incompetence of the Labour government. In the area where I live there is a disabled person and his carer who rely on electrically operated equipment for various needs. There are elderly who do not have the support of an extended family. I dread to think how they are coping.
We are now having breakfast at a restaurant because making a decent breakfast in our own home is impossible. This is the second day that we have to spend money to eat out. Later today I will be throwing food away before the stench in the fridge-freezer becomes unbearable. This week I was planning to catch up on some of my work but all that has been disrupted because of the blackouts. We are not sure where we will sleep tonight. It is a nightmare (pun intended) trying to sleep without a fan or an air conditioner during a heat wave.
It is incredible – and unacceptable – that in 2023 Malta is subjected to these extensive power outages. This is almost twenty years after we joined the EU and ten years after Joseph Muscat promised us a magic wand that would solve all our energy problems. But that was just another of Muscat’s many lies.
Minister Miriam Dalli can come up with all sorts of silly excuses. We believe none of it. The reason for this catastrophe is lack of planning and foresight. Over a relatively short period, the number of foreign workers increased significantly and the tourist numbers have doubled. It was obvious that demand for energy would grow significantly. Not enough was invested in the distribution system. The Minister claims that we have enough energy production capacity. I do not believe that either. A much needed second interconnector is nowhere in sight because Labour was too busy trying to defend its corrupt power station deal.
So the inconvenience and hardships that many thousands have had to endure is the Labour government’s fault. I do not want an apology or compensation. I want political accountability. I pay my taxes like everybody else and the Minister and her advisors are paid from our taxes. If Labour had any shred of decency and respect for people, the Minister would resign or be booted out.
I am not holding my breath. This is Malta. In our governance, there is no decency, no respect and no integrity.
PS: Electricity was eventually restored to our home after a full 36 hours of blackout.