The last of the summer whines

The exceptionally hot weather that characterised this summer has certainly not helped most of us to look at the bright side of things. As the summer draws to an end, it may be worth looking at some of the things that have made us feel hot under the collar while we hope that our whines will soon be replaced with a broad smile on our faces.

Several power cuts in the last several weeks have resulted in lost business for many enterprises- John Cassar White

On the economic front we have seen a lull in the financial markets turmoil that has characterised this year. The euro continues to face a bleak future as no credible strategy has been defined on how to address its inherent weaknesses. EU political leaders continue to squabble and their tactics to resolve the euro crisis are dictated more by political convenience than true statesmanship. We can expect an autumn of more uncertainty in the markets and the very existence of the euro will once again be questioned.

On the local front we had to assist to the seemingly endless political saga that has seen our Parliament meeting very infrequently. Our honourable representatives have provided us with unusual lively debates that, however, have been sterile as they have not revealed how the government intends to address our structural economic challenges: pensions’ reform, the sustainability of our health and educational system, and the reduction of the mushrooming national debt.

More recently we have seen our inflation once again taking the unenviable top position in the eurozone inflation league. Endless squabbling on the real amount of jobs created in the last few years has done nothing to mitigate the effect of the real issue that matters in employment: the level of employment that remains one of the lowest in Europe. The next two decades will be among the toughest that our country would have had to face in the last half century as the scrutiny of the European Commission on our public finances is tightened.

Issues that have a more immediate effect on ordinary people include the continuing saga of the Arriva inadequate transport service. Even if some improvements have been registered in the last year, Arriva continues to disappoint most of its customers. I have struggled to cope with the bus delays experienced on a regular basis whenever I use this service, but so far I have experienced nothing but frustration with the present public transport system.

The thousands of people who work in the tourism industry continue to fret about their future. They often comment that not enough is being done to upgrade the services we provide to our guests who have such a wide choice when it comes to deciding where to spend their holidays. Some key tourist areas remain shabby and dirty even if improvements have been achieved in the last few years. Most popular beaches continue to have inadequate facilities like showers, toilets and first aid services that one should take for granted in a prime tourist destination as we often project ourselves to be.

This year tourists and locals trying to reach the northern beaches of our island needed a big reserve of patience to cope with the traffic mayhem that was mainly caused by major road works on two road arteries that seem to be taking ages to be completed. It is amazing how such works are not undertaken on a 24 hours basis to reduce the inconvenience to the thousands of road users who have no option but to suffer silently. If only the same level of commitment shown by the contractors of the new Parliament was evident in the major road works projects throughout the island.

Enemalta has not done much to endear itself with its customers. Several power cuts in the last several weeks have resulted in lost business for many enterprises as well as unnecessary hardship for thousands of families who were trying to cope with the scorching heat. If there is one public enterprise that needs a root and branch reform it is certainly Enemalta that seems to take full advantage of its monopolistic operations that leave consumers with no choice on where to get their energy services.

One hopes that as the summer heat abates our political and business leaders will come up with an agenda that has the right priorities for our country. The economic issues mentioned earlier remain the most urgent as they will determine our ability to deal with the formidable challenge of upgrading the quality of life of our people.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com