Malta is a homogeneous society. In general, there is equality of opportunity for all. There currently exists an adequate social safety net. But there is growing evidence of a widening gap between rich and poor in society.

This can be seen not only from the signs of conspicuous consumption (the expensive cars on the road, the luxury consumer goods), but also more dispassionately from a succession of reports highlighting the real consequences for those in Maltese society who live in poverty or on the fringes, at risk of poverty.

According to the National Statistics Office, almost 64,000 people in Malta (over 15 per cent of the population), of whom almost 17,000 are children, are ‘at risk of poverty’.

Caritas, the excellent Church-run charity dealing with the social realities of poverty, sees daily evidence of what this phrase means in practice. It means “parents who skip paying the electricity bill to buy food for their children”. It means “children who only eat pasta and bread.” It means “people who queue for EU food handouts outside parish offices”.

In short, this is the daily grind of people who cannot make ends meet.

A report by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice two years ago highlighted the way poverty affected vulnerable groups such as single parents, those over 65 and people with addictive problems. A Caritas researcher was able earlier this year to pin-point the seven or so localities in Malta having the highest concentrations of deprivation.

This is a far cry from the affluent picture we have been led to believe of modern-day Malta with “two cars for every three people, places of entertainment and restaurants fully booked, thousands taking expensive holidays abroad, and mobiles and expensive electronic games in the hands of toddlers” as one correspondent imaginatively characterised it.

All this underlines the findings of a recent survey by The Sunday Times that identified cost of living and high utility bills as among the top three concerns of people.

Moreover, this latest NSO analysis reinforces the findings of a Caritas study published in March which argued persuasively that the minimum wage should be increased to €180 a week from the current €158 (soon to be raised to Euro 162 following the recent Budget – a figure still well short of the Caritas assessment).

Caritas and other charities dealing with the hidden face of poverty in Malta have long called attention to the increasing growth of social deprivation in some segments of our society – single mothers, the elderly, those suffering addiction problems, those on the minimum wage.

It has set out the minimal action to be taken to combat it. Increases in food prices and in the cost of energy have served to exacerbate the problem, but the prospects of any relief in the price of either of these commodities is bleak, with world prices forecast to continue rising.

The recent Budget has not addressed this issue and, indeed, it has increased the price of fuel.

Both political parties appear to be adhering to a policy of simply raising the minimum wage in line with the annual cost of living. All the evidence points, however, to the need for a more radical approach to combat increased poverty in society and the clear need for a more generous minimum wage.

Creeping poverty is a rebuke to our affluent society. The next Administration, whichever it may be, will have to summon up the political will to tackle the issue.

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