Ostrich politics

Four months after the Malta Labour Party leader announced his party will make its position on pension reform known within two months, Alfred Sant addressed a press conference in which he presented a four-page note in which the MLP proposes to freeze all talk about pension reform and postpone the discussion to some date after the next general election, with a definite decision to be adopted after a national congress agrees how to implement this reform as of 2011.

This mind-boggling u-turn is purportedly the result of the MLP's conclusion that there appears to be no risk of a pensions crisis before 2025 at the earliest. In fact, it is a classic example of Alfred Sant's ostrich politics.

It is ironic that while the MLP propaganda machine continues to insist that the present Government is burying its head in the sand, believing that our economy is on the mend when it is not, Dr Sant decides to adopt a head-in-the-sand view by asserting that the pensions problem could be postponed for another eight years!

Even more ironic is the fact that, by adopting this position, the MLP has undermined its efforts to try to build an image of a party ready to take over the reins of government with well-prepared, studied plans.

While most of the published MLP 'plans' for different sectors of the Maltese economic and social scene were more wishy washy than detailed, they contained platitudes with which one could not disagree. In the case of the four-page note on pension reform, there is no redeeming feature at all. It is laughable even by MLP standards!

In one fell swoop, Dr Sant has thrown on the rubbish heap all the work made in a decade of discussions in which we had a report by a team of World Bank consultants on the future long-term sustainability (or lack of it) of the Maltese pensions system, discussions in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) and a report made by a Government-appointed 'Pensions Working Group' that finalised its recommendations after a process of nationwide consultations.

While Dr Sant is now insisting that reforms in the pensions system should be the result of "the widest possible political and social consensus", he ignores the fact that the MLP has constantly refused to participate in any discussions or consultations on this issue for the past eight years or so.

This decision is the result of typical Alfred Sant logic that was based on the perceived short-term advantage of his party's electoral chances rather than on the long-term national interest. Dr Sant knows that Government's proposal to extend the retirement age only exempts those who are over 55 years old at present. This means that there is a band of the population that are now between 45 and 55 years old and who will be hit adversely by this proposal.

Declaring that the MLP is against doing anything at the moment and postponing the decision by another eight years is simply a vote-catching measure aimed at this band of people, as Dr Sant's criticism of Government's proposals amply shows.

Dr Sant must reckon that the fact that such a postponement will mean even harsher measures when the pension reform is at last decided on is of no interest to these people, while the younger citizens - who would in the end have to pay more than they should - are too young to let any dismal pension prospects bother them unduly!

This is the type of cool, calculating logic that has already led Dr Sant into tight corners and cul-de-sacs on several occasions in the past - but typically he repeats his mistakes that are based simply on logical calculations and injudiciously ignores the emotional aspect of any issue.

I believe that in the pensions issue there is an emotional input that Dr Sant apparently cannot fathom, just as he obviously did not comprehend the emotional input in the EU membership issue - something that was more than obvious when he made that Freudian slip, that big clanger of a comment, to the effect that it seemed to him that it was the more dark-skinned Maltese that were in favour of joining Europe!

This time he has probably gone far beyond the limit of the nation's gullibility. Leading economist Professor Edward Scicluna - who is not known for adopting stances in favour of the current PN government - was quoted by Business Today (July 12) as having reacted to the MLP's decision by commenting:

"The government has spent 10 years preparing for this reform. The international credibility of the government and the economy is at stake; it is unthinkable that this would be postponed further."

No member of the country's civil society has supported the MLP's position on the pensions issue. The Union Haddiema Maghqudin, the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise - GRTU, the Malta Employers Association and the Federation of Industry have all come out openly against any postponement of the pensions system reform.

Even the General Workers' Union has not toed the MLP line on this one - Tony Zarb told In-Nazzjon (July 12) that Government and Opposition should find a way to discuss the pensions issue and arrive at a solution, and that the consultations that have already taken place cannot be ignored.

Such a unanimous disagreement with an MLP proposal was unthinkable just a week ago. Yet Dr Sant has suddenly managed to unite everybody against him with his preposterous proposal to postpone pensions reform.

The wheel has indeed suddenly turned full circle. A week ago we were being told that it was Government that was going on ahead taking decisions and implementing them while ignoring whatever the man in the street, unions, and employers' associations and NGOs were saying and insisting for.

Now Dr Sant has snatched that 'prize' from Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's hand and can effortlessly claim it for himself!

micfal@maltanet.net