Unwanted controversies

It seems that on this tiny island, political controversy is never-ending. With EU membership now being case closed, the next controversy is going to be (or already is) whether or not we should adopt the euro.

Labour, although it agrees with the euro, has already made its position clear. Not here, not now.

The government's position differs, as does the opinion of leading economists (Alfred Mifsud and Karm Farrugia, to mention just two big names) who strongly believe that joining the eurozone will be beneficial for the economy and not least for the consumer.

So here we are again in the middle of another unwanted controversy. I say unwanted because the Maltese, in their absolute majority, are fed up with this ping-pong style of doing politics.

Yes, the euro will increase prices, but only if abuse is allowed. The "not now" camp cites Italy to substantiate its claims, but we all remember that in Italy the euro was victim to partisan politics involving an incoming government and outgoing one. Why don't we emulate the positive experience of the Dutch and the Irish? If both parties agree to adopting the European currency then why wait? We waited, and in the process wasted, over 10 years before we joined the EU, with all the consequences we had to suffer. Let's not waste more time on this "new" issue.

Our country deserves much better. The National Euro Changeover Committee is chaired by Joseph F. X. Zahra, who happens to be one of the leading economists. Together with Mr Zahra and other economists, both parties should work to make sure the euro is introduced in the best possible manner and that its impact will be beneficial to all. Postponing will yield us no fruit.

Which brings me to another controversy brewing up; the pensions reform. Now let's face it, few are excited with the idea of working till the age of 65, so this is surely not a popular reform. Yet, it is a reform which is crucial if we want to make sure that tomorrow's pensioners, that is us youths, will have a decent pension on reaching retirement age. The current system is no longer sustainable. Solutions that put off the problem for another five years are not acceptable. It is indeed a pity that Labour, having been in the opposition for quite a number of years, has been caught unprepared and is now commissioning a one-man study by one of its MPs, who, although capable, does not have the resources the government had when drawing up its report, resources which, among many others, included the World Bank.

Is it so difficult to make a joint effort and come up with a suitable reform? Or is pension reform (or rather its postponing) going to be used as a political tool to "win" votes come next general election? I hope not, although I won't be the least surprised if it is!

It is indeed unfortunate that in this country everything has to be shrouded in political controversy. A lot of time is wasted in useless political squabbles. Why can't we leave partisan politics out of issues that are crucial for this country's, that is, the people's, present and future? It seems the time we wasted discussing EU membership has taught us absolutely nothing, as here we are bickering once again. What a pity!