“Our way of governing was not just about the decisions we took but also how they were taken,” he said. “The default top down system was dismantled and replaced with a more decentralised one.”

“Stakeholders were given genuine responsibility and I expected them to carry it. We took office in a grey, depressing public service and a policy climate in which fear of taking the wrong decision bred widespread inaction in every sector.”

“At my first meeting with the Heads of the Public Service, I pledged to stand by them when they made mistakes as long as their decisions were well-intentioned.”

“This can-do attitude took the country by storm, energised people across society with a new found trust and purpose. People embraced social change because they saw a place for themselves in it. Electorally, we kept carrying the day because people felt that their tomorrow was going to be better than today.”

“This is precisely what those still aimlessly looking for answers in the past still don’t fathom and cannot grasp.”

Without naming names or cases, Muscat said the government “trusted certain people more than we should have” but blames this on “naivety” stemming from widespread enthusiasm for a better future.

“A number of great ideas were badly implemented while others were simply not good ones. But in the grand scheme of things, for all our faults, life for the up-and-coming middle class and those most in need became much, much better than in the previous decade of Nationalist rule. That’s what more and more people thought and felt in the last three elections,” he said.

Do you agree with Joseph Muscat’s assessment?