The latest volleys from Mark Anthony Sammut and the PN over the billing system run by ARMS Limited are political theatre rather than a substantive challenge. There were isolated instances in which ARMS issued incorrect bills. Those errors have been corrected, affected customers notified, and ARMS has given assurances that the matter has been resolved.

The PN continues to present this settled administrative issue as evidence of systemic failure. This is not the first time the PN has taken a stand on utility bills while lacking recent credibility on the issue it seeks to exploit. Memories remain of the Gonzi administration’s approach to water and electricity charges, when bills became a heavy burden for many Maltese families. The former prime minister’s refusal in parliament to support measures to reduce utility costs is still recalled by households that struggled under those policies.

By contrast, the current government’s record is clear: a consistent policy aimed at stabilising energy prices and lowering costs for households since 2013. That record, not opportunistic attacks, explains why water and electricity bills today are lower and more predictable for families across Malta. Turning a resolved billing error into a broader indictment of public services ignores that context.

Minister Miriam Dalli has replied on the matter and requested an audit of operations to ensure transparency and prevent any recurrence. That is the responsible administrative course: investigate, correct, and communicate. It is what citizens are entitled to expect, and it is what has happened in this case.

The PN’s continued campaign looks less like oversight and more like a search for a headline. One must remind everyone that Labour’s promise to lower the exorbitant water and electricity bills imposed by the PN government was described as Alice in Wonderland. The Maltese public has consistently benefitted from the stable low water and electricity bills that have been issued for nearly 13 years. PN is simply kicking a futile fuss.