Nothing in this life is free

No one will quarrel with the Forum’s New Year’s message that “workers and generating jobs should remain the government’s focus”.

Neither should there be any disagreement with the unions’ argument that “employees should enjoy sound working conditions” and that “reducing deficit levels, consolidating finances, generating new jobs, curbing public spending and investing in tourism should be given top priority”.

... we tend to take for granted all the ‘goodies’ we receive from the government- Berta Sullivan

After all, the government has been doing just that and will continue to do so.

There are, unfortunately, baffling contradictions in the unions’ message. On the one hand they say that 2012 will be a difficult one and full of “great challenges” and, on the other, they declare that they will continue to say “no to any type of austerity measures” deeming them unfair and contradictory.

“Austerity measures” are not capriciously introduced. They are not suddenly concocted by a government just for kicks. They are introduced because circumstances demand it.

If our deficit is not kept in check, if our national debt is not reduced then, yes, the government has to perforce take dire measures to keep the books in check and the country in line with European Union directives. Should the government fail to take any unpopular yet necessary measures our country too will inevitably face bankruptcy.

Even Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat, in his end-of-year message, stressed the need for prudence in decisions to be taken in 2012. He also repeated the appeal for “prudence” when he said that his party was “in no hurry for election” (timesofmalta.com, January 9).

So, it would seem that the Leader of the Opposition has finally admitted that all is not hunky dory on the western front and has proven the Prime Minister correct when he repeats that we have to be extremely cautious!

The unions’ message declared that “while employees in other countries were losing their jobs, Maltese workers were being forced to fork out money for utility bills and expensive fuels”. Considering the delicate balancing act the government is performing to make ends meet, is it being suggested that the government should step in and fork out money to pay our utility bills and pay for the expensive fuels we consume?

Firstly, we must thank our lucky stars or, better still, the Nationalist government, that in Malta jobs are not being lost. Quite the contrary, employment is steadily on the rise. In fact, we registered the second highest increase in employment since 2008 in Europe.

Job retention and generation have been given top priority by this Administration and when, in 2008, the recession hit the world, the government immediately helped several export-oriented companies to ride the storm. Secondly, we are being “forced to fork out money for utility bills and expensive fuels” because we are consuming it and, thus, we have to foot the bill. Nothing in this world comes free!

If “being forced to fork our money for utility bills and expensive fuels” is an austerity measure, so be it. At least we only have to put up with one “austerity measure”, unlike the rest of Europe.

Does anyone sincerely believe that that government should subsidise everybody’s water and electricity consumption irrespective of whether the country can afford it or not?

It is a known fact that the government is already assisting over 25,000 families through our taxes! I fully concur with the government’s sense of solidarity and I would be the first to insist on helping those who are less fortunate and are indeed in dire straits but I definitely do not want my hard-earned cash to finance anyone’s extravagant water and electricity consumption!

Anyway, if the government does reintroduce subsidies, what happens to our deficit level? Surely it will go zooming up, right? Not according to the Leader of the Opposition.

Last November, he said that one of the first measures he will take as Prime Minister would be “to reduce water and electricity rates in a sustainable, realistic and credible way”. When asked what he would do if the oil prices remain unchanged, Dr Muscat said that “with the current outlook it’s sustainable to keep promising a cut in water and electricity rates”.

He insisted that “we have clear plans” and “there are realistic alternatives”. Without divulging what these plans were, he assured us that he was “equipped with the latest calculations” (The Sunday Times, November 6). Sometimes I really think that some of us live in cuckoo land. Moreover, we tend to take for granted all the “goodies” we receive from the government. We seem to forget that we are one of the fewest peoples in the world who still enjoy free education and free health services for all.

Perhaps the above-mentioned New Year’s message should have wisely included a word of thanks to all workers in the education and medical fields for their enduring dedication and altruistic hard work.

I will repeat for the umpteenth time that our taxes finance an astronomical investment of over €6 million per day in education, health and social benefits. If the government ever removes or reduces that investment or starts downsizing the public sector or introduces drastic reductions in salaries, bonuses, social benefits and pensions or increases income tax and VAT and taxes in general, then we can start talking about austerity measures.

So far, none of this has happened in Malta. Fingers crossed that it will never come to be, unless, of course, Dr Muscat becomes Prime Minister. Then the inevitable will happen. The present healthy scenario will seem like a beautiful distant dream as there will be a price to pay for Dr Muscat’s irresponsible vote-catching gimmicks.

Mark my words, promising everything to everyone will definitely come at a mega cost!