Should there be less bureaucracy?

With 60 votes in favour and 39 votes against, the American Senate yesterday approved the new law which regulates the financial sector. The approval of the Senate for the Dodd-Frank (the names of the two authors of the Bill) followed on the approval of the House of Representatives. This was an important victory for Barack Obama who also persuaded three Republican Senators to cast their votes with the Democrats.

The new law, all 2,300 pages of it, covers the financial market sector in its entirety.

It will strengthen regulation on the way consumers obtain loans and credit cards and will establish the procedure through which the government may take over the ownership of financial institutions which are at risk of bankruptcy. The Bill also caters for a stricter monitoring of the economy and its potential pitfalls.

The lack of regulation, or the laidback attitude to such regulation, from the Reagan period to the present, including the period during Bill Clinton's Presidency, placed the US economy dangerously close to collapse.

Many analysts claim that it was a historical error for exponents of liberal policies to reduce regulation to the extent that took place. The freedom of the market is, I believe, as important as having a strong regulatory framework which oversees the workings of the market and not only curbs its excesses but ensures a level playing field for one and all.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was correct in his reply to a question this week on whether our country should downsize its bureaucracy. He stated, and I quote: "It's a very delicate balance. Let us not simplify because we will be making a very big mistake. If by removing bureaucracy we mean removing the regulatory part it would be a disaster. We will lose our environment and our attractiveness. But our regulation must be fast, transparent and objective" - July 16.

Reaching for lower carbon emissions

Established car manufacturers are announcing that they will soon introduce electric cars on the market. Established companies such as Renault/Nissan, Toyota, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, Chrysler/Fiat have announced that, towards the end of this year or during next year, they will be launching electric cars, which can compete with cars consuming fossil fuels. Rather than watching these developments pass by, I set up an inter-ministerial committee tasked with analysing what type of infrastructure and incentives are needed in our country in order to incentivise more people to buy such cars in our country.

It is worth recalling that 16 per cent of all emissions in Malta are caused by car exhaust fumes. Studies have shown that electric cars do not produce any exhaust emissions and they contribute one third of the carbon dioxide produced by conventional cars. During the inaugural meeting of the committee, I explained that the committee ought to draft its recommendations on the basis of ideas expressed locally through consulting all stakeholders as well as through obtaining good practice from overseas which is relevant to Malta's reality.

I fail to understand why cer-tain people manage to find fault with initiatives which are evidently positive. We are not reinventing the wheel! We are trying to follow in the footsteps of other countries, among which Portugal, which is at the forefront in the promotion of electric cars.

Prime Minister José Socrates is trying to make Portugal "a European trendsetter in green transport". In June 2009, the Portuguese government set up a programme to install a network of recharging stations which provide the possibility for electric cars to be driven at long distances on Portugal's highways. The first public electric car charging station was inaugurated just a few days ago, on June 30. Portugal is planning to have 320 charging stations by the end of this year and 1,200 by the end of 2011.

As a spin-off of this policy of the Portuguese government, Renault Nissan has decided to use Portugal to launch its brand of electric cars next year.

The Portuguese ambition in the field of electric vehicles is not a stand-alone initiative. It forms part of a green energy programme with substantial investment in wind farms, solar panels and other schemes for clean energy. Do we not do well to emulate those that have succeeded? - July 14.

A €2 million investment

The works on the promenade of Qui-si-Sana are nearing completion. The promenade has been designed with a colonnade which is proving to be popular with people who use these areas for swimming as they can shelter from the scor-ching sun in their shade. Under the promenade, in addition to building sanitary facilities, we narrowed the ramp which linked the old promenade to the rocks. We did so in order to ensure that while the ramp offers access to everyone it does not allow access to the sea shore for cars. It was shameful to see the space which could be enjoyed by people sunbathing littered with cars. The trench for the services at the side of the road remains to be completed. Its construction would allow us to avoid digging up the road should repairs be necessary.

The new garden in Qui-si-Sana is also beginning to take shape, which, as I announced recently, will be named after former-Minister George Bonello Dupuis. It is fitting that George's memory is commemorated in Sliema. We aim to complete the garden by October and it will cover an area much larger than the previous one. It will boast an innovative design, being built in the shape of a cradle so as to provide shelter from the heavy winds which afflict the area.

The construction of three water reservoirs would, on the other hand, see to the watering of the garden from harvested water. Turf will make up the entirety of the area which will include play equipment for different age-groups. In the same vein of the past two years in which fountains featured prominently, we're planning a number of water features to enliven the place. The Sliema promenade is an exercise area for many and, with this in mind, we will also install equipment for physical exercise. This is yet another project, to the tune of €2 million, in which we are striving to invest in our families, our country and our tourism sector - July 8.

Addiction

The term "slaves of technology" is often used, however the case recently reported to have taken place in Italy really takes this phenomenon to a new dimension. The Italian media reported the case of a 16-year-old who had to be admitted to the psychiatric ward of a hospital close to Genoa due to what is being termed as total addiction to a computer.

This young man had been observed with rather worrying symptoms and it has now been established that they are the consequence of excessive time spent stuck to the computer immersed in computer games. Unbelievably, the armed forces had to be called in to physically remove the boy from his "toy" after repeated attempts from his relatives, a psychiatrist and the police failed.

No doubt, this is an extreme case but one which should trigger some apprehension. Giving due consideration to the anomaly of the case, we recognise a worrying trend among young people. More and more children and young people opt for the solitude of their rooms, immersed for hours on end in computer games, rather than enjoying the outdoors and the physical company of their friends.

The progress and developments of technology are necessary and we should welcome them with an open mind. However, as in all situations, excess unfailingly leads to shocking situations and all efforts should be directed towards a healthy balance - July 1.

The author is Minister of Resources and Rural Affairs.

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