Sharp social contradictions are getting lost in the crossfire of party politics. Just consider this, for example. Reacting to a report by the European Commission, the government maximised the opportunity to say how well the country is doing: “Maltese families are among the few that are claiming their financial situation has improved when compared with previous years, and that are optimistic this will be the case in the upcoming years.”

Yet, figures just released by the EU show an aspect of the country’s social dimension that contrasts sharply with the picture of a country that is doing so well. They show that Malta has an abnormally high rate of elderly people at risk of poverty when compared with the situation in other EU countries.

So, how can the government be so satisfied with itself and complacent about the progress being made when such an important segment of the population is struggling to live decently?

Wealth is not trickling down to all strata of the community and the feeling of well-being so assiduously projected by the government is limited to particular segments. Thirty-four per cent of over-65s are now at risk of poverty in Malta, compared with the 26.5 per cent EU average.

If this is correct, the country has on its hands a problem of significant proportion. More than patchwork schemes that go by fancy names, correction of the situation will first require full national recognition of the problem.

Doing all that can be done to help in the creation of jobs, training those depending on social benefits to move out of such dependency, and encouraging more women to join the labour market may well be considered as priorities. But this should not be done at the exclusion, or expense, of the elderly.

Sociologist Mario Vassallo was spot on when, commenting on the EU figures, he raised the issue over the inadequacy of the State pension. Malta, he said, has a very serious problem as pensions are far too low; even those who used to earn up to €3,000 a month are now earning €928 a month. People on the national minimum pension are earning between €472 and €552 a month.

The proverbial safety net is not safe after all. A festering sore is that there are two classes of people, those whose two-thirds pension is uncapped (like politicians who make the law) and those whose pension is capped.

This discriminatory situation ought to have been eliminated when it was first raised in Parliament some years ago.

While parliamentarians ought to get a fair honorarium, they should not be privileged in terms of the State pension. Politicians should not seek to get into politics to get any privileges but to give a service to their community.

Today a State pension is never likely to be enough for anyone unless it is supplemented by earnings from savings or other revenue sources. But this should not mean that the rate ought to remain so low or, worse, for the country to have privileged classes.

The social justice the Prime Minister keeps talking about ought therefore to focus on the development of a financially sustainable system that will enable the State to provide a decent, adequate pension, while at the same time encouraging people to think of saving, or subscribing to an additional pension, to provide additional financial means for their retirement.

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