Learning to use chopsticks

We have been told that it is most worrying that China could acquire a share in our energy corporation. It is worrying, we are told, due to the strategic importance of the sector.

We tend to forget that Malta has plenty of foreign investments in other strategic sectors. Another one wouldn’t change much would it?

Our only airport is run by Austrians.

Gambling has been left to  Greek Intralot.  Banking is heavily influenced by global HSBC ironically originating from Hong Kong, the tip of the Chinese mainland.

The public  transport fiasco has an Anglo-German fingerprint through Arriva.

LPG Gas is controlled by Italians through GASCO.

The Freeport is controlled by a Franco-Turkish alliance for the next 65 years. (CMA-CGM and Yildirim Group)

When its Austria, Greece, Anglo-German interests, Italian investments, Franco -Turkish controls, or global HSBC then its globalisation.

The Chinese interest is part of the same process.

Obviously the details of the memorandum of understanding signed earlier this week are not yet known. Hence a proper discussion would have to wait until such details are known. There will surely be positive and negative impacts. China stands to gain. Whether Malta’s potential gains are adequate is still to be seen as we have only been fed titbits of information.

China obviously stands to gain through establishing a stronger foothold in Malta and within the EU.  Whether it will be similarly positive for Malta is still to be seen.

Some Chinese companies are world class. They provide stiff competition to international firms such as Lahmeyer International the one time consultants to the Malta Resources Authority and to Enemalta Corporation. Some of these Chinese companies have reached the same grade in World Bank blacklists !

We have been there before.

It may turn out not to be so difficult to learn to use chopsticks after all !

Il-gass għal Delimara

Il-gazzetti tal-lum, kif ukoll is-siti tal-aħbarijiet online jitkellmu dwar ir-respons internazzjonali għas-sejħa ta’ interess li għamel il-Gvern biex jibni power station li taħdem bil-gass kif ukoll biex eventwalment jaqleb għall-gass ukoll l-impjant tal-BWSC.

L-issues illum għadhom l-istess kif kienu waqt il-kampanja elettorali b’xi differenzi żgħar imma importanti.

L-ewwel punt importanti dejjem kien u għadu li l-gass iħammeġ inqas mill-heavy fuel oil li qed jintuża illum. Indubjament dan iwassal biex titjib il-kwalita’ tal-arja fl-inħawi madwar Delimara. Kemm ser jiswa’ l-gass u x’garanzija ta’ prezzijiet jista’ jkun hemm? X’joffri is-suq?

Waqt il-kampanja elettorali il-Partit Laburista kien qalilna li is-suq joffri garanzija ta’ provista’ ta’ għaxar snin liema garanzija tfisser prezz fiss għal għaxar snin. Imma fis-sejħa li ħarġet dawn l-għaxar snin jidher li diġa niżlu għal ħames snin. Jiġifieri diġa hu ċar li ma jistax ikun hemm garanzija ta’ prezz u ta’ provista għal 10 snin. Jekk il-proposti sottomessi l-bierah jindirizzawx din l-issue jew le għad irridu naraw. Waqt il-kampanja elettorali, xahrejn ilu, diġa kien jidher li kien ser ikun diffiċli li jkun hemm garanzija ta’ prezz u provista għal iktar minn tlett snin.

Forsi tgħiduli li fin-negozju kollox possibli sakemm tħallas! Huwa veru, imma għad irridu naraw kif dan kollu ser ikun rifless fin-nefqa u fl-aħħar fil-prezzijiet. Għax il-problema qatt ma kienet dwar jekk hux possibli li jkun hemm impjant li jaħdem bil-gass imma kif dan ser ikun rifless fil-prezzijiet tal-elettriku ġġenerat.

Waqt il-kampanja, għan-nom ta’ Alternattiva Demorkatika bl-iktar mod ċar kemm jiena kif ukoll kelliema oħra, għidna li l-proposta Laburista għall-power station li taħdem bil-gass tista’ tkun proposta tajba. Iżda l-informazzjoni dakinnhar biex issostni l-proposta Laburista kienet fjakka. Għadha fjakka sal-lum.

Kien hemm u għad hemm xi oqsma li ma kienux ċari.

L-ewwel: kemm hu possibli li proġett ta’ din l-entita’ jitlesta f’sentejn? It-tieni: bl-ispejjes meħtieġa kemm hu fattibbli dak li qed jgħid il-Labour Party li jorħsu l-kontijiet?  It-tielet: x’ispejjes ittieħdu in konsiderazzjoni biex il-Labour Party wasal għall-konklużjonijiet tiegħu?

Il-Labour Party waqt il-kampanja elettorali qal li kellu studji dettaljati lesti. Kellu ukoll konsulenti, mingħalija Daniżi, li qalu illi tali studji kienu jeżistu u li l-proposti kienu fattibbli.

Imma dokumenti li jissostanzjaw dak li qal il-Labour Party qatt ma ġew ippubblikati. L-iskuża dejjem kienet waħda ta’ sensittivita’ kummerċjali. Li il-PL ma riedx jikxef idejh. It-trasparenza a jidhirx li hi l-forte tal-Labour!

Ħlief ismijiet ta’ ditti rinomati s’issa m’għandniex. Dawn l-ismijiet ifissru li dawn id-ditti bħax-Shell, Gazprom, Daewoo, Edison …………… huma interessati għax f’dan l-istadju jaħsbu li hi proposta li minnha jistgħu jagħmlu biċċa business tajba. Issa jekk dan hux fl-interess ta’ Malta ukoll għad irridu naraw.