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Opinion • July 25 2004

 

Frère Jacques

Y a d’la joie. There is some joy. That’s how French people sometimes react to an uplifting situation. The expression originated as verse in a song by my young days’ favourite chansonnier Charles Trenet. Today, to an elderly economist it features more meaningful in Malta’s political environment.
Oh! Mon Dieu. I must have got carried away. Same as I did the other week when watching the famous ‘Marseillaise’ scene from Bogard’s film ‘Casablanca.’ This time, however, it was for real, because there he was, our premier, chatting merrily away with President Chirac, both sporting the cat’s whiskers for the cameras if, for none else, just to show the British public that nothing offensive was ever uttered during that inauspicious dinner for the EU members’ leaders when a British media reporter overhead ‘moral cowardice’ flying from the French corner in the direction of our Prime Minister. Needless to say, the media lost not an iota of time in printing the allegation nationwide.
Somehow, I must have dozed off for a while because suddenly I became privy to a tete-a-tete between messieurs Chirac and Gonzi.
Mon cher Laurent, what a pleasure to meet you again so soon. How kind of you to deny categorically that such a silly accusation was ever levelled against Malta or, for that matter, against any of the new small nation states recently joining our ‘club des amis.’ Sadly, people who hardly understand our exquisite langue often mistake our forthrightness for impertinence, even arrogance. Yet, surprisingly, accept stoically the patronising attitude of the Brits. Quelle aubaine!
I know, cher Jacques, I know too well. Your previous ambassador to my country was such a casualty. He helped us a lot in our bid to win the EU membership referendum last year, but of course the sceptics accused him as going well beyond the norms and limits of diplomacy. He was censured. But not by you, Jacques. Moral courage in the mould of that previously demonstrated when you opposed the Bush-Blair invasion of Iraq. Incidentally, my own moral courage has been manifest at least on three occasions since I assumed the country’s leadership barely three months ago. I had to sack a minister and two authorities’ chairmen. More is in the offing, if I want to keep my word to change our political physiognomy. Miracle? Oui, peut-etre. You confront an annual budget deficit three times the allowed benchmark. Each year we have been seriously reprimanded and warned that sanctions and penalties would be imposed if….But, together, France and Germany are invincible. And all the fuss about only a fraction of one percentage point above the 3percent-on-GDP ceiling. Come to think of it, you do need to perform a miracle. Sans doute. Honestly, I do not envy you, Laurent. Nevertheless, your countrymen must be made to appreciate the extreme importance of the Convergence Programmes which have been prepared by the respective sinning member states in their genuine endeavours to consolidate their public finances over the next three years until 2007. No later, pas plus tard.
But, mon ami, I will have to face the electorate again around that time. I don’t have the luck you had with the likes of Le Pen who drove the socialist opposition in your direction. At home we only have a new miniscule extreme rightist party, which could only manage a one percent or so of votes at last month’s election. I face an opposition which is already lambasting me for introducing an eco-contribution sort-of-tax with hardly more than a half of a percentage point impact on the inflation index. Just imagine the barrage of condemnations and unfounded predictions consequent upon the imminent publication of a White Paper on welfare reform, pensions in particular.
My current ambassador to your country, cher Laurent, who speaks fluent Maltese tells me you are a man with guts and courage. To gauge the extent of your task, the ambassador drew comparisons with Berlusconi who also ousted Tremonti, his economy minister, and managed to avoid humiliation from the Council by promising to slash his budget expenditure by Euro 7,500 million to curb his c fiscal deficit. On a per capita basis, such a drastic reduction in expenditure would amount to some Lm 30 million in your case. But yours needs to be much more. Am I right?
Absolutely, Jacques. That’s why I need to increase taxation. But the people won’t have it. Even in my own party. They argue that tax evaders will continue getting away scot-free, as usual. So there is only one road left open for me to pursue real growth from new foreign investment. No longer growth from my government’s excessive spending from borrowings as has characterised our last 17 years. Today we are reaping the whirlwind. The unpleasant task falls on my shoulders.
Ah! Enfin. What a relief. At last you said it. Of course you can. And how!
Well? Come on. Tell me, Laurent. I am intrigued.
OK. A little story first. Thirty years ago one of my predecessors, Prime Minister Mintoff, employing his oft-quoted ‘political twist,’ managed to solve an embarrassing episode with France by insisting, successfully, for a reputable French manufacturing outfit to be set up in Malta, employing local workers. Dubernard was the answer. Today it is still one of our best exporting units, particularly after it was taken over by the American group, Baxter’s. Can you possibly repeat the deal with me?
Before President Chirac could reply, I must have woken up from my nap.

 

 

 





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