Berta Sullivan
Silence is not always golden
Various international credit organisations, including the International Monetary Fund, Moody's and the European Commission, have repeatedly confirmed that Malta's economy is on sound footing and that Malta stands out for its positive performance during the recent global recession. But while the rest of the world is piling praise on Malta's performance, the opposition continues injecting a doom and gloom overdose into the political scenario.
It is true that not all is yet perfect on this fair isle of ours but this government has achieved much and will continue to do so with or without Labour's cooperation.
During the recent difficult times Malta experienced, Labour's support has been conspicuous by its absence and its silence on crucial issues deafening. Others allege that Labour's sole strategy is to put spokes in the government's wheels. The only noise we have heard from the Labour camp concerns the increase in utility tariffs and, yet, in spite of the entire hullabaloo, the Labour leader will not give a guarantee that, as Prime Minister, he would subsidise the bulk of our consumption and reduce our utility tariffs at least by half.
On other matters Labour's silence speaks volumes and we are in the dark as far as Labour's policies go. A sterling example of the opposition's indifference is its deafening silence over the Mepa reform. Although, in August 2008, Labour committed itself to give its fullest contribution and even commissioned a report to analyse the reform, Labour's proposals never saw the light of day. Then, during a parliamentary debate, when it finally came out with its three proposals, it transpired that the issues had already been discussed and consolidated in the Bill.
During these last two years, the government has introduced several other major reforms, on the environment, education, health, public transport etc., and, yet, the opposition chose to sit pretty on the fence in its typical non-committal pose. Even on other crucial issues of national importance such as immigration, the drydocks privatisation, the removal of subsidies etc., the opposition, all guns blaring, refused to offer any solutions whatsoever. To be fair, though, it has uttered a whimper or two as far as its proposals go.
It has suggested that the government should import goods itself; that it will give its MPs a free vote on divorce and it will open a second University. It is all well and good to squirt underdeveloped proposals but Labour would be a tad credible if it explains what will happen to our free choice as consumers' and to importers' livelihood if the government starts importing goods itself? If Labour really wants divorce why will it not include this pledge in its electoral manifesto? If it is really serious about opening another University to compete with the one we already have, will education remain free? Who will attend once there are no waiting lists? Will students receive stipends and, if so, who is going to finance the costs? Labour and education really don't go hand in hand, do they? What with its "repeater's" class proposal; the removal of student stipends; the numerus clausus imposed at the University and the closure of Mcast, just to mention a few major Labour-misguided policies.
The "progressive" Labour movement has promised to start a new political season. Well, apart from refusing to cooperate with the government, not committing itself on major issues and flinging half-baked proposals, here go another few examples on Labour's new way of doing politics.
Its leader turned up half an hour late for the state television debate during the 2009 MEP June electoral campaign. He declined an invitation to a state dinner because he prefers eating hamburgers. He kept Juan Carlos, King of Spain, waiting for a meeting he had with a Labour Party delegation. He failed to follow protocol and walked into the state dinner held for the king under the patronage of the President of Malta after the Prime Minister instead of before him. He did not participate in the official commemoration of Remembrance Day, better known as Poppy Day. He failed to attend the official ceremony at the foot of the monument on Independence Day last September but chose to place his wreath later on and failed to turn up for the official opening of the EU-Arab League Secretariat aimed at fostering dialogue between the EU and Arab states. He even forfeited his parliamentary right to rebut the Prime Minister's Budget 2010 speech last November.
How progressive is all that!
The role of the Leader of the Opposition carries responsibilities and should be fulfilled in the proper manner. Moreover, as leader of a political party, he should never tolerate any misconduct from his sidekicks and should have been the first to rebuke them for waving an English daily in Parliament in an attempt to hijack the last Budget speech. He should have censured the "groups of friends" who set up "hatred" sites against the Prime Minister and the Nationalist Party and he should have condemned the tasteless and verbal violence spewed forth by Labour supporters during the protest march last month. Breaking silence then could have gained Labour a couple of brownie points.
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J Martinelli
Apr 9th 2010, 21:50
@ d.attard
In this case the truth lies somewhere in between, does it not?
You also conveniently forgot to take into account, the millions in subsidies (until now) to your utility bills, the 300 million written off the shipyards debts, the 40+ million a year in subsidies to the shipyard, which accounts to over a billion euro worth, the golden handshakes to former employees and the list goes on and on. Who is Malta in debt with? Foreign countries, or its own citizens? Why does Moody consistently rate Malta as A1 and A1+?
Why did Labour governments not do the same? You know the answer. Labour was always happy with just getting by, had no vision and worse, had no faith in the Maltese worker. And this is/was the Party which was supposed to look after the worker!
d.attard
Apr 9th 2010, 20:36
Dear Mr Martinelli,
Allow me to apply some technical rigour to your haphazard list of Government Expenditure that you give, which comes across to me as an uninformed attept to justifying Malta's exhorbitant national debt.
1. Building of the Delimara station - was not the project financed by enemalta, relative loans are carried on their books and hence have not contributed to national debt but debt is over- and-above national debt?
2. the construction of a decent airport - Was not the first phase, namely the investent on the runway that handles the largest aircraft, made by a pre-KMB labour Government that was able to balance its budget year in year out?
Was not the excellent terminal built by a Nationalist Government, and the whole complex has since been succesfully privatised meaning thay the airport has actually generated cash for Goverment, in contrast to the impression you give?
3. installation of a modern communication system - ditto
So tell me Mr Martinelli, where does the truth lie, with what you say or with what I say?
victor caruana
Apr 9th 2010, 16:48
Bla, bla, bla. We even boast that average wage is very near to the minimum wage - how more crass can one be?
And our standard of living has fallen in relation to EU average - to below 75%.
Wenzu Vella
Apr 9th 2010, 15:22
Hi Berta,
Perhaps you should have told us who is this rest of the world, that is piling praise on Malta's performance, if you want us to believe you. I look at a few international news papers on line and never come across anything about Malta.
I have a friend of mine who has voted PN all his life and he tells me that he is disgusted with articles like yours and DCG, I hope he votes PL this time round.
Muscat. Pat
Apr 9th 2010, 15:03
Yes Berta and friends are right; the Maltese never had it so good! In fact having GonziPN repeating that we never had it so good is the real problem! Cause how can you fix a problem if you don't see the problem? In the next few months Dr GonziPNs, nudged by the Maltese during the MEP elections,will have to decide whether to come down to earth ( powercuts no problem, tariffs no problem!!)) or stick, like bertha is doing, to their arrogant, self-isolating myopic rhetoric. The demise of popular but unsustainable borrowing, spending and wasting ( hala) like there is no tomorrow, now seems inevitable. Biex jonfoq kulhadd bravu, biex tikkreja il-gid tridt tkun vera leader ta stoffa!
J Martinelli
Apr 9th 2010, 14:51
@ P. Schembri
Ignoring the fact that you are as biased as I am, though 180 degrees apart, just point out any untruths in Berta Sullivan's article. Not only true but she also may have inadvertently left out the ridiculous pose by Joseph at his meeting with China's vice-president Mr. Xi who was treated by an unobstructed view of Joseph's shoe staring at his face - a no-no in the Asian culture!
With regard to the Nationalist's soaring national debt, just be honest enough to tell all why the deficits and debts arose. Was it the Shipyard's subsidies? Was it the building of the Delimara station? Was it the construction of a decent airport? Was it the installation of a modern communication system enabling a customer to ask for and receive a telephone within a week instead of two years plus? Was it the replacement of water mains left to rot by shutting them off for days at a time? Was it the rebuilding of roads which had been built on soil and clay? Was it Mater Dei?
The only way the national debt could have been avoided was to do nothing like Labour did during its infamous despotic years!
P. Schembri
Apr 9th 2010, 21:02
J.Martinelli. To say that under the MLP nothing was done is a blatant lie. How about mention the housing project which made lots of Maltese people masters of their own home? How about mentioning the roads, which after nearly 30 years, are deeply in need of maintenance? How about the airport? Who started the rebuilding of the airport? The Freeport?
And by the way, The Delimara Power Station hasn't been paid yet. It is still a debt to be paid! The government is using the money to buy industrial peace and votes! But it's on crisis management and nothing planned!
Victor Ross
Apr 9th 2010, 13:38
Mr. Schembri.
In your comment I did not come across one iota that contradicts anything that Ms.Sullivan has stated. So I take it that you agree totally !!!!!!!!
P. Schembri
Apr 9th 2010, 17:21
Mr. Ross. I completely disagree with the tone of the article and its contents. Now let's see what happens when the shoe will be on the other foot! Then we can discuss later! But as things stand today, is it not better to see what the government's doing, and what's wrong about it, instead of pointing our guns to the opposition! It's the PN government which is ruling the country not the Opposition. And that's what interests me. How the government is going about its business, which to me, looks like a cock without a head!
P. Schembri
Apr 9th 2010, 11:50
What do you expect from PN (MCA Board Member paid from our taxes) contributors. The usual nitpicking and protocol. Eulogising the PN and ridiculing the PL. The same old story. Why not advise the government on how to minimise the suffering the people are going through because of the high cost-of-living enhanced and exacerbated by the hike in utility tariffs? How about advising the PN Government instead of hindsight, to use foresight for our energy requirements? How about advising the PN government, that after 20+ years we are sinking deeper and deeper due to the high deficit and National Debt? How about advising the PN Government to stop taking the people for a ride with banal excuses about the energy outages? How about advising the PN Government to stop treating us as third world citizens, especially when it comes to roads? Did it have to be the Pope's visit to repair and surface some of our disastrous roads? Do I need to go on, or you have the list prepared to pass it on to your Party in Government? Please Ms. Sullivan stop using our taxes to insult us!