Editorial

Charles Mangion, the opposition's shadow finance minister, was right when he said that the pre-budget document is no book of revelation. Useful as it is, in that it carries a wealth of statistical information, it looks more like a Central Bank of Malta economic assessment than the kind of pre-budget document the people had come to expect as part of the government's consultation exercise before drawing up its financial estimates for the next financial year.

In fact, the government seems to be making a most significant departure from past practice in the presentation of the document. Instead of marshalling the situation and presenting its ideas, as it did, for instance in the pre-budget document for this year, this time it chose to restrict itself to presenting a series of analyses. They may have been drawn up by experts in their fields, but the way it is presented, the document is not going to reach the aim it was meant to, for it is far too heavy and technical. So, on this score, Mr Mangion and others who have made the same comments about the pre-budget document, are right.

Government documents of this nature are generally peppered with a generous dose of political and economic rhetoric, but the latest pre-budget document is, for the most part, too academic. Yes, there are pointers and indications of what the government is thinking on particular matters, but, generally speaking, the document leaves the average reader high and dry. In a very brief assessment of the document carried in this newspaper, Mr Mangion put a number of pertinent questions to which, he said, no answers had been given by the government. Again, he is right on this, but then Mr Mangion stops there. He would have been more convincing, as a politician, if after making his point, he went on to explain what his party's ideas were, at least on the very questions he raised. He does nothing of the sort.

Mr Mangion wanted to know, for example, whether or not the government planned to raise taxes, and whether or not it would be presenting a blueprint for social services reform, without giving the slightest indication there and then of what his party's views on these two very delicate subjects were. Just imagine Labour's reaction if the government were to raise taxes at a time when the cost of living has been breaking the back of so many families.

However, rather than putting all the emphasis on taxes, the stress ought to be laid on the need to raise growth, which would in turn help raise revenue for the government. A very good point is made in the pre-budget document over the need for more local investment in productive sectors of the economy and, quite correctly, it called for a stronger shift from a trading mentality to entrepreneurship.

As to the social services reform, what, exactly, is the Labour Party proposing in this regard? There is another delicate matter that ought to receive top priority in national discussion: the sustainability of the health service as it stands today.

The way the two main political parties tackled this just before the European Parliament election was absolutely shameful as, in the frantic drive to win votes, they made commitments which they may come to regret. The country badly needs a break from partisan politics so as to seriously and dispassionately go into matters that ought to receive national attention.