Last Monday’s Budget has confirmed Joseph Muscat’s persistence in keeping aloof from ideologically-inspired left-wing policies in order to attain economic success and remain popular among the swathe of voters who deserted the Nationalist Party in the March 2013 elections.
Much has recently been made of a letter reportedly sent to the Prime Minister by 26 left-wingers, who include former MLP leader Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Sammy Meilaq and a couple of other names who are well-known for their leftist views.
After the Budget, I do not foresee any meaningful dialogue between them and Muscat.
The possibility of a reply from the Prime Minister has been rendered superfluous by the thinking behind the Budget: it is a brusque rebuff of all that the 26 signatories of the letter have indignantly requested.
The pre-announced measures to ensure that social benefits do not keep on increasing unchecked despite the country’s economic well-being are the result of what the Minister for Finance calls ‘weaning’ the young off benefits.
Although unstated, it is also obvious that the government is making serious efforts to lurepeople away from the undeclared clandestine economy.
However, with people who consciously choose to be officially unemployed but otherwise making more than ends meet, there is a culture problem that cannot be easily overcome.
As expected, these measures are intended to coax young people on benefits into training or employment. They will stop receiving unemployment benefit unless they join a ‘Youth Guarantee’ programme aimed at improving their job prospects.
Even single parents, whose children are one year and older, will lose their non-contributory allowance of some €100 a week, unless they join the training initiative.
That being a single mother is ‘not a profession’ was perhaps the only piece of wit in what was actually a very drab speech. Otherwise, the cheap snide comments about the ‘preceding government’ fell flat.
The minister depicted the controversial so-called ‘Individual Investment Programme’ as an un-quantified success and announced a new scheme to attract UN pensioners to retire in Malta.
The Opposition has been left with no option about this source of income – opposing it is no longer tenable. Selling citizenship to the rich of the world is also anathema to genuine left-wingers, probably as much as lowering direct taxes for the well-to-do and pushing the needy to work rather than live on handouts.
For the 26 signatories, most of the measures announced last Monday and the general ideological direction of the government’s policies – as exposed by the Finance Minister in his longwinded speech – indicate that Labour has abandoned its roots and fundamental values; with social justice and the protection of the most vulnerable in society being given much less priority than one expects from a Labour government.
They must also feel mortified with the solutions that have been proposed to solve the problems in the health sector and in so many other areas. Muscat’s government has decided to resort to the private sector in order to cut hospital waiting lists, do something about the site of the former St Luke’s Hospital as well as about such projects as a breakwater in Marsamxett harbour, road maintenance, a motorsport track, film studios, sandy beaches, recycling and what have you.
Labour has abandoned its roots and fundamental values
It seems this administration believes success is only possible when the profit motive spurs its agenda. Involving the private sector as a means of controlling waste and improving efficiency is a Thatcherite tenet that gives left-wingers the jitters. All this is, however, sweet music to the ears of many voters who abandoned the PN in March 2013.
Where does this leave the PN? It can hardly oppose policies with which its core voters agree. Who can disagree with the Prime Minister when he insists that taxes paid by hard-working citizens should not end up in the pockets of the lazy who depend on social benefit abuse? Muscat is well and truly occupying the political centre. The PN can hardly turn left and follow the 26 signatories, complaining about social injustice and promising some unattainable socialist paradise.
Neither can it turn right and permanently lose the so-called switchers, resigning itself to a minority share of the electorate. Nor should it follow some NGOs who are crying over milk that they suspect might soon be spilt. This is the quandary in which Simon Busuttil finds himself.
On the other hand, the PN would do well if it were to take the government on its word and expose any cases where the results do not match the promises. After all, between the promise of delivery and the actual thing, Muscat will find many of his grand plans falling into unforeseen pitfalls.
• I feel that a belated, but sincere, salute to Lino Spiteri is due on my part. Over the years, during our adventures and misadventures in politics, there were several instances when Lino and I crossed swords.
With the mellowing that comes with age, we subsequently realised the wisdom of heeding the Biblical advice to beat our swords into ploughshares.
I take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt condolences to his family.
micfal@maltanet.net