I find it remarkable how so many people fail to understand the very basis of the workings of economics. More remarkably, the people of Malta and Gozo have a reputation of being canny and careful with their finances, making quick computations and almost always balancing their books.

...as an individual I expect to get the best return for what I spend...- Joe Farrugia

By economics I do not mean dealing with the national debt, the balance of payments, the GDP and the GNP. That should be left to graduate economists, accountants and financiers.

What about the very basic utility of choice where I earn my money and, consequently, dispose of it to the best of my advantage by taking care of my basic necessities and apportioning my finances to meet my needs, requirements and, if possible, desires and luxuries?

Without any shadow of doubt, as an individual I expect to get the best return for what I spend, according to my level of choice within the budget I can afford. In other words, I expect the goods I buy at a supermarket, according to my choice, to be of the best quality and I would not expect anything less.

What about in the public sector? What return am I getting for forced “contributions” over which I have no choice at all except to post my voting slip into the ballot box in national and local elections?

My “contributions” are propping up a whole plethora of administrators and hangers-on, including my elected parliamentarians, mayors and local councillors, a whole legion of civil servants and a jungle of committees, boards, functionaries and flunkies.

Am I being served or am I simply being servile and accepting everything dished out to me? Because I have no choice over the fare that is served to me, am I automatically being servile?

While I struggle to make ends meet with the miserable weekly €1 something or other “awarded” to us as a cost-of-living adjustment, a group of parliamentarians voted themselves a massive annual rise of thousands of euros. Was this based on achievement, performance or, maybe, improvements? Hardly!

The recently-released attendance figures of some of the elected parliamentarians were surprising, for want of a better word, as was the publication of the pay packages enjoyed by many CEOs and members of government-appointed boards.

Previous to this, my already stretched budget had been further pulverised by an astronomic rise in utility bills. I had to carry the can for many years of inept administration combined with the internationally volatile price of fuel.

There are so many other examples but let me take a simple one: cable television. Years of successive Nationalist administrations have been busily privatising everything, including, imminently, our very underpants.

Competition yields the best service is the philosophy. Yes, it does, but within regulated parameters. Football lies at the very heart of many Maltese and Gozitans and, hence, the ideal tool with which to blackmail the public. So, a choice was laid at our door: you either opt for one provider or you lump it. Hobson’s choice. That is not my definition of competition. In my book, that is a closed market situation; a closed shop.

Gas was privatised. Did the public receive a good service in return? The squabbles and nastiness between the two operators are ongoing with legal arguments over cylinders, distributors and what have you.

The use of mobile telephony throughout Malta and Gozo is among the most expensive in the EU area despite a wealth of providers tripping over each other in their copious numbers.

White goods and automobiles are classed to be among the most expensive in Europe. Clothing and footwear are equally classed to be the most expensive in Europe.

In contrast, wages and salaries rank among the lowest in Europe and, yet, together with all the other items mentioned above, the cost of living in Malta in June was recorded by Eurostat to be the highest in the eurozone!

As for other day-to-day services, well, let’s not mention public transport where what should have been a simple and straightforward transition resulted in an exercise of total domestic and economic chaos.

Street cleanliness is deplorable. Roads are chock-a-block with congested rubbish; my local rubbish collectors strew rubbish all over the street. A week ago I contacted the local council to collect a defunct washing machine. A week later it is still waiting to be collected.

How about the forces of law and order? I will not go into this Pandora’s Box of tangled confusion. Suffice to say that public perception of the law courts and the police has never been as bad while traffic wardens must surely be the most hated people on the island.

Hundreds of millions of euros were spent on Mater Dei Hospital. It’s a great and modern hospital indeed. Having said that, the service at the Emergency Department is still shocking with people having to wait for many long hours to be treated and longer still for a bed to be found for them.

Years of privatisation and competition policies have seen a lot of our family solver being sold to foreign owners and Air Malta too is on the rocks as foreign low-fare airlines are receiving substantial subsidies from the government to better their profits.

But, surely, there must be some plus factors.

Yes, there are some although one would have to look assiduously to find them. Then again, if some things are being done the right way that is as it should be because that is what I – as a taxpayer – deserve. When I shop at my supermarket I do not congratulate the manager every time because my purchased goods are up to quality. That is how I expect them to be and that is how they should be.

joefarrugiafarell@gmail.com

The author is a Labour Party electoral candidate.