Il-maħfra Presidenzjali: min qed jistaħba wara l-vulnerabbli?

Il-Kamra tal-Kummerċ tagħmel l-argument li l-maħfra Presidenzjali approvata mill-Kabinett fl-aħħar jiem issaħħaħ il-kultura tal-impunità fil-pajjiż. Il-Kamra tal-Kummerċ għandha biċċa raġun.

Għalkemm il-maħfra hi kwalità nobbli, din il-maħfra Presidenzjali għandha riħa tinten ta’ kalkulu u opportuniżmu politiku.

Minn dak li qalu kelliema għall-Gvern, dawk li ibbenefikaw minn dan l-abbuż tas-servizz soċjali (prinċipalment pensjoni għall-epilettiċi) huma vittmi f’din l-istorja: huma persuni vulnerabbli, għaddejjin minn tbatija kbira. Ma nafx kemm dan jgħodd għal kulħadd, imma mill-istejjer li smajna ċertament li hemm persuni li batew u li għadhom qed ibatu u li għal dawn il-pensjoni abbużiva kienet salvauomo li setgħet ittaffi ftit mit-tbatija tagħhom.

Is-suppost maħfra, issa qed tpoġġi lill-vulnerabbli fuq quddiem biex warajhom jistaħbew dawk li sabu opportunità oħra biex imaxtru u jibbenefikaw minn miljuni ta’ euro.

Il-mistoqsija li s’issa għad ma ġietx imwieġba hi dwar x’kienet qed tagħmel it-tmexxija tal-Ministeru għall-Politika Soċjali. Is-Segretarju Permanenti fil-Ministeru u l-Ministru innifsu, quddiem dan kollu, baqgħu ċassi. Qed jgħidu li ma kienu jafu b’xejn, ma ndunaw b’xejn.

Ifisser dan li qegħdin hemm għalxejn? Li l-istrutturi ta’ kontroll fil-Ministeru ma’ ħadmux? Jew li kien hemm kompliċità tant mifruxa li irnexxielha tostor kollox għal ħin twil?

Fid-dawl tal-allegazzjonijiet li persuna tal-fiduċja politika fl-istess Ministeru kien qed jidderieġi dan l-eżerċiżżju ta’ ħmieġ li bih sar abbuż sfaċċjat tal-vulnerabbli, kemm il-Ministru kif ukoll is-Segretarju Permanenti fil-Ministeru għall-Politika Soċjali għandhom jerfgħu r-resposnabbiltà għal dak li ġara u jirreżenjaw bla iktar dewmien.

Wara kollox, ma ndunaw b’xejn, ma kienu jafu b’xejn! Xi ħtieġa hemm li jibqgħu mas-saqajn? Bihom u mingħajrhom xorta! Ikunu aħjar li jwarbu it-tnejn!

Unbridled Development: on whose side is the state?

After years of supporting unbridled development the Labour Party in government is trying to signal that, after all, it is on the side of the vulnerable, those who are continuously trampled by developers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As a result of the Sofia inquiry report, the BCA (Building and Construction Authority), on government’s instructions, issued a call for architects (and lawyers) to offer their services to assist those third parties impacted by development.

The current initiative is a positive step forward but, in my opinion, it is insufficient as it subjects the available assistance to instructions from the BCA. It is the BCA which decides whether and to what extent professional assistance is required.

A 13-page document was issued by the BCA on March 9, entitled “Expression of Interest. Invitation for the Provision of Periti to provide professional assistance to third parties”.

The service to be provided and paid for by BCA shall presumably cover advice relative to a description of the development, as well as the method statements submitted by the developer’s advisors. It will also cover inspections and the required estimates in the eventuality of damage sustained as a result of the development under consideration.

It is however not clear whether taking the BCA itself to task is covered by the said expression of interest. I am saying this because the professional service to be provided is subject to “the specific administrative instructions of the authority” as per paragraph 1.4 of the BCA expression of interest document.  This signifies that the BCA itself must authorize, for example, the seeking of advice to contest the way in which the BCA itself operates as well as to how it decides on specific cases.

This is just one aspect of the problems to be faced. The issues that should have been addressed are much wider and deeper than what is being acknowledged by the conditions of the expression of interest document.

Consider, for example, ground floor properties forming part of a two-storey development originally approved many years ago. When the existing development at first floor (and the overlying airspace) is purchased by developers with the intent to redevelop as a block of flats, it is hell for the ground floor residents. All sorts of pressures are resorted to in order to ensure that, as far as possible, residents acquiesce and shut up.

In such cases the ground/foundation condition reports being submitted leave much to be desired. It is logical that residents in ground-floor properties are reluctant to have their properties subjected to tests and sample boreholes in order that the prevalent geological conditions are identified. In the absence of this information, developers and their advisors are taking short cuts and making several. at times, incorrect assumptions as to the prevalent geological conditions on site. This is being done in order to give a clean bill of health to the proposed development.

Faced with such a situation some succumb to pressure from developers and consider moving out of their homes as a result, providing the desired carte blanche for the developers.

Is this fair? Yet this is what will eventually happen in a number of cases. In fact, it is already happening.

This is not a matter which can be adequately dealt with by the BCA after the development permit has been issued by the Planning Authority. It must be dealt with before the planning application is even submitted. Only then can one safely say that the legislator and the relative authorities are on the side of the downtrodden.

In simple words, it is much better to avoid the creation of a mess then having to deal with the not so pleasant consequences. This is how the vulnerable can be served.

Published in Times of Malta: Sunday 17 March 2024

Institutional fragmentation obstructs good governance

Some seek to deceive themselves and others when they proclaim their conviction that there is no conflict between the economy and the environment. The current state of affairs in all areas of environmental importance is precisely the result of this conflict.

This conflict is continuously manifested through various natural phenomena: nature’s retaliatory actions to the mismanagement of the earth’s resources. Currently climate change tops the list of nature’s defensive actions in the ongoing conflicts resulting from the impacts of the economy on the environment.

The impacts of climate change effect all of us, but most of all they effect the vulnerable among us. Whether it is floods or drought, extremes of temperatures or rising sea levels, at the end of the day it is the vulnerable and the poor who shoulder most of the burden which results when the earth cries. “Cry of the earth, cry of the poor”, we were told many years ago by Brazilian Franciscan liberation theologian Leonardo Boff. Environmental degradation and social injustice are intertwined.

Emissions to air, sea or land: all of them have an impact, generally a cumulative one, which contaminate in various ways the air we breathe, the sea and its resources and all sorts of natural resources all around us. These impacts generally take time to leave their mark and as a result of this time lag, generally, they are ignored until it is almost too late to act.

Parliament is currently debating the setting up of a Climate Change Authority. Concluding the debate at second reading stage, Environment Minister Miriam Dalli emphasized that climate action requires everyone’s contribution. Yes Minister, that is correct: however, it also requires consistency on the part of the executive. One cannot advocate addressing climate change at the same time as dishing out fossil fuel subsidies, as government has been doing for quite some time.

To address climate change we require a behavioral change. Having public transport available at no cost was a courageous step which seeks to address this behavioral change through encouraging a modal shift in our mobility requirements. On its own, however, this is definitely not enough.

In order to facilitate this modal shift to take place, it is essential that, simultaneously with free public transport one should discourage the use of private transport. Removing the fossil fuel subsidies the soonest would be a step in this direction.

Likewise, the heavy investment in road infrastructure aiming to facilitate traffic management also encourages more traffic on the road. It has been proven by studies carried out in a multitude of other countries that infrastructural interventions in the road network will, in the end, increase traffic congestion because they end up generating more traffic. This is actually happening around us too!

A stronger push towards a behavioral change would address both our deficits: our fiscal deficit as well as our environmental deficit.

The electrification of transport would definitely help in reducing climate change impacts. It will not however contribute to the modal shift in addressing our mobility requirements.

The fact that in most cases travelling distances in Malta are small should facilitate the effort. As emphasized by the National Transport Masterplan we ought to realise that fifty per cent of trips with private cars in the Maltese islands are for distances having a duration of less than 15 minutes. Further, these trips cover an average distance of 5.5 kilometers. This signifies that half of the trips with private cars cover mobility needs within areas which are within easy reach of either local public transport or else can be covered by walking or cycling. Addressing adequately just this statistic could reduce substantially cars from our roads without in any way impacting our mobility needs. In addition, substantial emissions contributing to climate change would also be reduced.

This is what we call a low-lying fruit in the management and implementation of environmental policy. It is an objective which is not so difficult to attain. Yet it is unfortunately ignored.

A positive step taken by the Robert Abela led administration is the apparent shelving of the proposed undersea tunnel between Malta and Gozo. Studies carried out have clearly shown that the economic viability of the tunnel was dependent on increasing by about three times the car movements between Malta and Gozo. As a result, additional environmental impacts would have been created!

I speak of an “apparent shelving” as the matter is not yet clear. Government has not made any statement on its intentions even though it is clear that it has had second thoughts on the whole matter, as it is no longer “a priority”.

The fragmentation of the institutions intended for environmental governance does not lead to good governance. It rather obstructs it. It would have been more appropriate if the functions assigned to the proposed Climate Change Authority had been assigned to the Environment and Resources Authority. The consolidation of environmental functions would be appropriate in view of the smallness of our territories. It would also be more effective.

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 25 February 2024

Personalising the welfare state

The Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation (MCCF) “………. is vital for us as oncologists in Malta. Without its assistance, many treatments would be off limits and the help we would be able to offer in some instances would therefore be seriously restricted.” This is a comment found on the last available MCCF annual report for the year 2020. It is attributed to Prof Nick Refalo, a consultant oncologist.

Generous help in cancer treatment has for a long time been at the forefront of the sterling work done by the MCCF. This help, generally, supplements the Health Ministry’s work. Over the years charity and voluntary work has been plugging in the gaps left wide open by the welfare state as a direct result of its one-size-fits-all approach.

The welfare state, as most other state initiatives, is generally a one-size-fits-all exercise, supplemented in specific circumstances. It is designed for the average person, for whom it may be just enough. But it is not sufficient, as practically no one fits the average person!  

On television, on the morrow of Christmas, we are shown one case after the other which had to rely on the funds collected in previous years in order to supplement the help from the health authorities or worse to fill in the gaps in the national health service. “Kif tista’ ma ċċempilx?”

The objective is laudable. The way to go about it, however, leaves much to be desired. At times, unethically parading on prime-time television the pain of those who, having suffered the failures of the welfare state had to revert to MCCF, is not on. Their pain is being unethically used to cash the generated pity through the collection of more funds. The methods used to generate funds should not undermine the basic objective of restoring human dignity through personalized care and attention. Even when consent is forthcoming, the methods used by l-Istrina are downright debasing.

Later, during the year, various other worthy initiatives will be spot-lighted. Millions of euro will be collected to support these other initiatives. They are no less deserving.

Perusal of the audited accounts of the MCCF for the year 2021, at the time of writing the latest data available on the MCCF website, reveals, that for the 2021 financial year, Government contributed an additional €13 million directly towards financing the commitments made. A substantial input without which the operations of the foundation would not be possible.

The politics of social solidarity is clearly an area where the state cannot do it alone. Beyond the indispensable financial contributions collected throughout the year, however, at the end of the day it is the personalization of welfare which makes the substantial difference.

The MCCF, throughout the year also distributes food vouchers to the tune of €20,000 monthly. Food banks and the Franciscan soup kitchen in Valletta tackle the same social issue most probably reaching out to areas which the formal social service network fails to link with.

The politics of social solidarity aims to restore human dignity by reaching out individually to each and every one of the downtrodden. This is done through supplementing the one-size-fits-all social services provided by the state though the personalized attention which the various NGO initiatives in hand make possible.

The need for social solidarity is not a seasonal one. It can be much helped through a judicious use of public resources. Adequately addressing the squandering of public resources throughout the rest of the year as pointed out by the Auditor General, could help considerably.

It is right to supplement the welfare state in the short term. However, in the longer term, the welfare state should be tweaked in order that its reach is extended to the neglected corners which are identified from time to time. The personalization of welfare, where this is possible, can also be taken up directly by the state in the services it provides. It will make a difference and is more effective than distributing cheques on the eve of elections or the so-called tax refunds.

The Christmas spirit of solidarity should not be limited to the day after Christmas. It should reign 365 days a year. 366 days in a leap year!

published in The Independent on Sunday : 31 December 2023

The dignity of human life is impacted by Climate Change

Everything is connected. The health of the planet is also reflected in our health.

Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, published last week, joined environmental activists in emphasising that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives of many.  

He addresses the social impact of climate change and states that this is intimately related to the dignity of human life. He quotes with approval the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops which had repeatedly emphasised that the impacts of climate change are borne by the most vulnerable. Likewise, he emphasises one of the conclusions of the Amazonia Synod which had underlined that “attacks on nature have consequences on peoples’ lives.”

Poverty and environmental degradation are inter-related. One inevitably leads to the other. This is also the underlying theme of Laudato Sí, the Pope’s eco-encyclical published eight years ago wherein he had described our common home as a suffering planet, urgently in need of being handled with care.

Plainly said, social and environmental policy are interlinked. A theme resonating Latin American liberation theology. Specifically, Leonardo Boff’s seminal work Cry of the Earth, cry of the poor comes to mind.

Leonardo Boff emphasises that the tears of the earth are reflected in the daily tribulations of the vulnerable and the poor. They are the most impacted by the reactions of the earth to the mistreatment that it is continuously being subjected to. It is the vulnerable and the poor who are bearing the brunt of droughts and floods, extreme temperatures, hurricanes and the rising sea level.

We are on the eve of another climate summit. Session 28 of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), commonly referred to as COP 28, is due to be held in Dubai shortly.

In preparation for COP 28, a synthesis report published last week by the UNFCCC has once more drawn attention that the targets agreed to at the Paris COP 21 in 2015, eight years ago, were still off track. We are still far off from ensuring that the temperature rise is restricted to within 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial temperature.

“The world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point”, Francis emphasised. Yet we go on and on in activities contributing considerably to climate change.

A case in point is Malta’s transport policy. It is a known fact that transport is a major contributory factor to carbon emissions in the Maltese islands. Yet the state continuously encourages the use of more cars through an intensive development of the road infrastructure. This is done notwithstanding the existence of alternatives, the use of which is made substantially easier by our small size as a country. The fact that everywhere is close by is completely ignored in Malta’s transport policy.

Electrification of vehicular traffic will result in some improvement. It is however not enough. We need a modal shift. A shift from the use of cars to alternative means of sustainable mobility. A substantial reduction of cars on the road is essential.

Our smallness facilitates mobility through sustainable transport options. Public transport is nowadays free but its use is not sufficiently encouraged. It needs to be more efficient and reliable. Only then will it be used more. This must however be linked to an immediate decrease of cars from our roads.

Land use planning can also contribute substantially in this respect. The 15-minute city concept which I have written about earlier this year (TMIS 29 January 2023: Open spaces and the 15-minute city) is a case in point. With appropriate urban planning, which we lack, we can have access to most of our needs within walking distance. That on its own could contribute substantially to achieving the behavioural change required in our roads.

Such a behavioural change on our part could do wonders. It would be a significant local change contributing to a global impact. Reducing the impacts of climate change will contribute to the upholding of human dignity, in particular through protecting those most vulnerable, not just locally.

published in The Malta Independent on Sunday: 15 October 2023

L-aħħar skandlu

L-aħħar skandlu tal-Labour hu abbuż mill-vulnerabbli. L-iskandlu ta’ Silvio Grixti. Abbuż minn dawk li kienu jeħtieġu l-għajnuna.

Il-Labour qegħdin fil-Gvern u ma kienux kapaċi jgħinuhom ħlief bil-qerq. B’dikjarazzjonijiet foloz. B’ċertifikati foloz.

Abbużaw mill-vulnerabilità tagħhom u għaddewhom minn tbatija ikbar. Ġiebuhom kompliċi f’serq u frodi. Għaddewhom proċess kriminali u dak li taparsi għaddewlhom b’għajnuna  ġielhom iħallsuħ lura.

Araw f’liema stat ġiebu lil dan il-pajjiż.

Nistennew li min hu l-moħħ wara din it-tbatija doppja jieħu dak li ħaqqu. Illum qabel għada.

Tears of the Earth

As a result of mistreating the earth, we are damaging our own home: our common home. We are inflicting self-damage.

In the words of Leonardo Boff, the Franciscan Liberation Theologist, as a result of this mistreatment, the earth is in tears. In his 1995 seminal publication, Cry of the earth, cry of the poor, Boff emphasises that the tears of the earth are reflected in the daily tribulations of the vulnerable and the poor. They are the most impacted by the reactions of the earth to the mistreatment that it is continuously subjected to. It is the vulnerable and the poor who are bearing the brunt of droughts and floods, extreme temperatures, hurricanes and the rising sea level.

The basic clear message is that environmental policy and social policy are intertwined. Opposing and obstructing action to address environmental issues, at the end of the day, has a direct impact on the those most vulnerable amongst us.

Environmental degradation is one of the causes of social injustice. Consequently, enhancing the protection of the environment is also essential to address and reduce social injustice. The Earth is our common home. We share a common future: all the damage we cause to the earth boomerangs back to us. The ecology does not just add colour to our landscape: it is the very foundation of life itself. Nature is not just a desirable decoration to be captured on photographs, videos or paintings. Nature provides essential services without which, life, on this planet is not possible.

Unfortunately, we live in a world which tends to ignore non-monetary value. We tend to reduce everything to its equivalent in euro, pound, dollar or yen. It is the only value considered of relevance. This is the underlying reason for the general failure to appreciate the importance of the ecology in our daily lives. In fact, to some of us it is incomprehensible that we live in an eco-system. They believe that we live in an economy!

We need to understand that life itself is dependent on the eco-system services that are freely provided by nature. These services include water, fertile soil and clean air – all of which are being systematically ruined as a result of the so-called “development”.

Trees are being continuously chopped down and agricultural land gobbled up in order to make way for a never-ending building spree, including the large-scale road infrastructural projects.

Trees are a gift of nature. In addition to their various fruits, they supply us with oxygen, without which we cannot breathe. They produce this oxygen by absorbing carbon dioxide, retaining the carbon and releasing the oxygen in the process. As a result, trees provide us with two essential services free of charge: oxygen to breathe and a natural deposit for carbon – what we refer to as a “carbon sink”. Trees are the natural alternative to carbon capture technology. Carbon capture technology – used as part of the technological response to climate change – costs millions to produce and operate. Yet we have a natural alternative which we continuously discard. It is a free service and hence it is not appreciated. Large-scale deforestation, accumulated over many years, is one of the contributors to climate change.

We are significantly more dependent on nature than on the size of our country’s GDP and yet while we worry with the fiscal deficit, many ignore the ever-increasing environmental deficit. Seriously addressing this environmental deficit is essential before it is too late. No bale-out procedures are available to address this environmental deficit.

The signs of the ever-increasing environmental deficit are here for all to see. We need to act the soonest, in order to be in a position to reduce the impacts. It will get substantially worse than it already is. We are already running late.

published in the Malta Independent on Sunday: 27 August 2023

A ticking time bomb

The proposal to set up an authority to deal with climate change regulation, mitigation and adaptation, announced by Prime Minister Robert Abela during an MCESD meeting last week, though well-intentioned, is uncalled for. It essentially means more fragmentation in matters related to environmental governance.

We have been there before during the debate on land use planning and the environment with the resulting merger and subsequent demerger.

The actual results achieved as a consequence of the planned fragmentation have increased the existing environmental mess exponentially.

Environmental governance requires consolidation and not fragmentation in order to be effective.

The effective coordination of policy formulation, regulation and implementation in all environmental issues can be achieved. However, for this to happen we ought to realise that the smallness of our country is an asset which is currently ignored but which we can put to good use.

Rather than have a separate authority dealing with climate change it would be more appropriate to beef up the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and ensure that it is run appropriately.

Climate change is a ticking time bomb that is confirmed as being progressively worse with every scientific report that is published. The current heat-wave and the flooding that we have witnessed in the past winter are clear indications of what lies in store for all of us in the immediate future.

We are no exceptions. Nature does not discriminate; it treats us all equally. It just rolls over all of us as it did elsewhere with floods, fires and other extremes of weather.

In these circumstances the realistic way forward is not to set up more authorities but, rather, to seek the way in which we can maximise our existing efforts through proper coordination and, where possible, the consolidation of existing official bodies and authorities. This could lead to the optimisation of results and better value reflecting the resources put to use. We cannot, as a nation, afford to do otherwise.

It must be a carefully studied political decision but not a partisan one. Ideally, the government should try and rope in the best local minds to carefully plot the way forward. It should search beyond the political divide. This is possible if there is the political will.

There is so much we can do. It can, however, be painful, as it would require unavoidable changes to our lifestyle. We must continuously remember that there is no gain without pain. With appropriate and timely action, the pain can, however, be minimised.

The longer we take to get our house in order, the greater the pain inflicted on all: it will be self-inflicted pain as we can avoid or reduce part of it if we act in good time. Even though time is running out, it is still possible to take meaningful action. All of us will be impacted, but the vulnerable will be impacted most of all.

The action required encompasses practically all that we do. It impacts land use and urban planning, agriculture, tourism, transport, energy consumption and generation, air quality, water management, nature protection and restoration – practically everything around us. Consequently, it will also have a considerable impact on our economic activity.

The month of July that just ended has been the hottest on record. We are still reeling from its impacts on the energy distribution network. There are other impacts that we will have to address, shortly. We have to (and can) anticipate all this through foresight and appropriate planning.

All the required information to help us plan a better future that factors in climate change is already available. This information has been available for a considerable number of years but it has been conveniently ignored as the political establishment has always sought to paint a future landscape which is out of tune with reality.

This is the real challenge we face: to plan our future realistically. The longer we take to get our feet on the ground the more difficult it will be to achieve the required results. We owe it to future generations to ensure that when we pass on the baton, these islands are still liveable. So far, this is most clearly not achievable.

published in Times of Malta: 3 August 2023

Ftit ħsibijiet dwar il-baġit li jmiss

F’dawn il-ġranet, fil-Ministeru tal-Finanzi jkun qed isir ix-xogħol preparattiv dwar il-baġit li normalment ikunu imħabbar matul ix-xahar ta’ Ottubru.

Il-Ministru tal-Finanzi, mid-dehra diġa ddeċieda li jagħti l-aħħar irtokki biex ikompli jiffinanzja l-klijenteliżmu fl-Air Malta.  Dan hu proġett fit-tul li l-ħidma dwaru ilha għaddejja fuqu mill-predeċessuri tiegħu. Proġett li jinvolvi iktar miljuni ta’ euro ġejjin mit-taxxi tagħna li ser ikunu moħlija biex jonoraw wegħdiet politiċi li saru matul il-kampanja elettorali tal-elezzjoni ġenerali li għada kif għaddiet. Din hi irregolarità oħra bħat-tqassim tac-ċekkijiet bieb bieb waqt il-kampanja elettorali. Monument “xieraq” għall-klijenteliżmu politiku.

L-għoli tal-ħajja spara l-fuq, bla kontroll. Probabbilment li l-COLA, ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja għall-pagi,salarji u pensjonijiet, li titħabbar bħala parti mill-baġit li jmiss, tkun madwar €10 fil-ġimgħa. Il-Ministru Clyde Caruana diġa qal li din kienet tkun sostanzjalment għola minn hekk kieku l-Gvern ma issussidjax il-petrol/dijsil u l-kontijiet tal-elettriku u l-ilma.

Hemm ħtieġa li niddiskutu ftit iktar dawn is-sussidji biex ikunu aħjar, iktar effettivi u li jilħqu lil min verament jeħtieġhom. Fiċ-ċirkustanzi attwali hi politika tajba li l-użu bażiku jkun issussidjat, imma mhux għaqli li fuq tul ta’ żmien dan jibqa’ sussidju sħiħ għall-konsum kollu. Għax is-sussidji mhux qed imorru għand il-vulnerabbli biss: min mhux vulnerabbli għandu bżonn inqas tas-sussidji tal-lum.  Is-sussidji jeħtieġ li jkunu ffukati jekk irridu li l-pajjiż ikun ta’ għajnuna utli għall-vulnerabbli. Għax ir-riżorsi tal-pajjiż ma jippermettux li nibqgħu sejrin kif aħna fit-tul.

Xi ġranet ilu, s-sussidju fuq il-fuel li jieħdu l-inġenji tal-baħar tneħħa. Dan hu sewwa u seta ġie evitat mill-bidu. Imma dan mhux biżżejjed.  It-tnaqqis gradwali tas-sussidji fuq il-petrol u d-dijżil mhux biss inaqqas il-karozzi mit-toroq u jtejjeb il-kwalità tal-arja, imma fuq kollox jagħmilha possibli li iktar finanzi jkunu allokati għal oqsma oħra li tant jeħtieġu l-attenzjoni.

Il-Kamra tal-Kummerċ għamlet tajjeb li tkellmet dwar ftit iktar ħsieb fuq kif ikunu issussidjati l-kontijiet tal-elettriku u l-ilma. Anke f’dan il-qasam hu l-użu bażiku li għandu jkun issussidjat. Sussidji iktar minn hekk ifisser li anke l-użu esaġerat tal-elettriku u l-ilma qed ikun issussidjat. Dan hu użu ħażin ta’ fondi pubbliċi lijista’ jkun indirizzat bla diffikultà.

Naqbel perfettament ma’ Josef Bugeja tal-GWU li iż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja għandha titħallas kollha lil min jaħdem (u lill-pensjonanti). Il-COLA mhiex, wara kollox, żieda fil-paga imma tipprova tagħmel tajjeb għall-impatt tal-inflazzjoni fuq il-paga, salarju jew pensjoni.

Imma tibqa’ l-ħtieġa ta’ bidla mill-qiegħ dwar il-politika li tikkonċerna l-pagi (incomes policy) biex din tkun dejjem iktar relevanti għaż-żmien li qed ngħixu fih.

Ilna ħafna nitkellmu dwar il-ħtieġa li l-baskett ta’ oġġetti u servizzi li jservu biex fuqhom tinħadem il-paga minima u l-COLA jkun revedut biex ikun assigurat li dan jirrifletti l-ħtiġijiet tal-lum. L-istudji li ippubblikat il-Caritas tul dawn l-aħħar snin jiffukaw eżattament fuq hekk. Minn dawn l-istudji joħroġ ċar li reviżjoni tal-baskett ta’ oġġetti u servizzi jwassal għal żieda inevitabbli ta’ 40 fil-mija fil-paga minima kurrenti. Li dan ikun indirizzat bla iktar dewmien hu essenzjali. Ifisser, skond dawn l-istudji tal-Caritas, li paga minima diċenti għandha tkun ta’ madwar l- €14,000 fis-sena.

L-inflazzjoni  sostanzjali ta’ din is-sena jfisser li l-vulnerabbli fostna għaddejjin minn żmien diffiċli. F’dawn iċ-ċirkustanzi ikun mill-iktar raġjonevoli li l-COLA titħallas darbtejn fis-sena: fl-1 ta’ Lulju u l-1 ta’ Jannar. Dan ma jżidx l-ammont li jitħallas imma billi dan jinqasam fi tnejn, u parti titħallas sitt xhur qabel, inaqqas ħafna l-piz fuq spallejn il-vulnerabbli.

Għadna qed nistennew lill-Onorevoli Ministru tal-Finanzi biex iwettaq dak li wiegħed is-sena l-oħra bl-introduzzjoni ta’ mekkaniżmu speċjali li jipproteġi lill-vulnerabbli mill-impatti tal-għoli tal-ħajja. Għadna nistennew, imma l-Onorevoli Ministru jidher li hu iktar ippreokkupat biex jonora l-wegħdiet konnessi mal-klijenteliżmu politiku fl-Air Malta.

ippubblikat fuq : Illum: 21 t’Awwissu 2022

Some budgetary considerations

In the Finance Ministry this is the time when they gear up to prepare next year’s budget which is normally presented sometime in October.

The Hon Minister for Finance has apparently already decided to proceed with the finishing touches to further finance clientelism in Air Malta. This is a long-term project what they call “works in progress”. It involves more millions of euro in taxpayer’s money down the drain to honour political pledges made during the March 2022 general election. This is another corrupt practice together with the distribution of cheques to every household during the general election campaign. A “fitting” monument to political clientelism.

The cost-of-living is out of control. Most probably that the COLA, the cost-of-living adjustment to wages, salaries and pensions, announced during the budget speech will be around €10 per week. Minister Clyde Caruana states that it could be substantially more if government did not subsidise fuel and electricity bills.

The blanket subsidises of fuel and electricity bills need to be revisited in order that they are more effective in supporting the vulnerable. In the present circumstances it is good policy to subsidise basic use but it does not make sense for a prolonged blanket policy of subsidies. The current subsidies are not going into the pockets of the vulnerable alone. Those who are not amongst the vulnerable can do without most of the current subsidies. Subsidises need to be focused such that they are of help to the most vulnerable. The country does not have the resources to go on in this way for too long a time.

Some days ago, the fuel subsidisation policy was amended in order that the fuelling of pleasure seacraft was at last excluded from further benefitting from the use of subsidised fuel. This is however not enough. The gradual reduction of subsidies of petrol and diesel would not only ease traffic from our roads and improve the quality of our air: they would also make substantial finance available for other areas.

The Chamber of Commerce has also rightfully pointed out that subsidising water and electricity bills across the board needs to be revisited. Even in this area it is basic use which should be subsidised. Subsidising across the board signifies that excessive use is subsidised too. This is a misuse of public funds which we can easily do without.

Josef Bugeja (GWU) is spot on in insisting that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) should be paid out in full to all employees (and pensioners). It has to be underlined that COLA is not an increase in wages and salaries. It merely makes good for the impact of inflation on wages, salaries and pensions during the past year.

There is however need for a long overdue overhaul of the incomes policy to make it more relevant to this day and age.

It is about time that the basket of goods and services used to compute the minimum wage and the COLA is revised in order to ensure that it reflects todays needs. The Caritas studies throughout the years have made this basic contribution to the debate: revising the basket of goods and services would identify a 40 per cent shortfall in the current minimum wage. The sooner this is addressed the better. On the basis of the Caritas studies, currently a decent minimum wage should be around €14,000 per annum.

The substantial inflation throughout this year signifies that the vulnerable amongst us are passing though a very difficult patch. In such circumstances it would be reasonable to consider having COLA paid twice a year: 1^st July and 1^st January. This would not increase the amount due but by splitting it in two, and bringing forward part of its payment by six months, would reduce the burden shouldered by the most vulnerable amongst us.

We are still waiting for the Hon Minister of Finance to honour his commitment made this time last year to address the cost-of-living impacts on the vulnerable through some special mechanism. We are still waiting, unfortunately, as the Hon Minister is more preoccupied in servicing clientelism at Air Malta.

published on The Malta Independent on Sunday: 21 August 2022