On every continent in the world, including other European Union member states like Spain, France, Greece and the United Kingdom, people are out on the streets protesting against the failure of governments to address the painful impact of the increases in food and energy prices. But in Malta and Gozo, hardworking families suffer in silence and behind closed doors. We have allowed the PN to make street protests and demonstrations political taboos in Malta. We should not accept this anti-democratic attitude any longer.
Democratic politics must not be restricted to institutionalised politics in parliament, the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development and the media. Institutionalising politics is one way of disconnecting citizens from the political process. The challenges for all modern democracies is how to make citizens feel that they are involved in the policy making process. It is not enough that we ask citizens to vote every five years and then to leave policy making to the policy makers.
We know that the policy process is influenced by big businessmen, lobbyists and interest groups. These do not have to take to the streets to make their voices heard and their presence felt. They have easy access not just to the corridors of power but also right at the core of where decisions are made.
So we also need to ensure that the voice of the citizen is heard as much as that of the lobbyist and the voices of those who seem to have readier and easier access to the policy makers. One way of making the voice of citizens heard is to organize activities, including protests and street demonstrations, where we involve citizens directly.
Before the March elections the PN said that Malta was facing a formidable challenge because of the increases in the price of oil and food. The PN also said that it would form a government capable of solving these problems and overcoming these challenges successfully. In the last three months, since it was re-elected, the PN has done nothing to solve these problems except allowing prices to rise and rise. Families and individuals promised tax cuts before the elections are now being told that because of the difficult global economic situation, tax cuts cannot take place in the coming months.
To make it worse prices in Malta are rising higher than in the rest of the EU. Food prices in Malta rose by 9.7 per cent in the 12-month period to last April, compared to a 6.2 per cent increase in the Euro zone. This is making life more difficult for working class and middle class families who already have to try and cope with mortgage payments, energy costs and costs related to education and health care. Inequalities and social exclusion are spreading again. Government is doing nothing to tackle the cost of living.
I agree with ‘Zminijietna’ – the Voice of the Left that: “Steps such as the strengthening of the office of fair trading and action against cartels and abusive practices should be carried out. An active wage policy based on good working conditions, productivity increase, compensation for inflation, wage increases (including the minimum wage) as well as a redistributive element should be introduced. Subsidies on basic goods such as foodstuffs and energy should be kept in place, and where required, increased or re-introduced. This can be financed through increased productivity, windfall taxes on big business and Government’s retreat from favouring high income earners in its fiscal policy”.
Oh, not another study!
I could not believe it when I read that government is carrying out another study to find out about obesity among our adolescents. It is like carrying out a survey to confirm that Malta and Gozo are islands. We know that our children and teenagers are among the most obese in the world.
We do not need any more statistics. We need an action plan on how to increase sports in schools, change tuck shops into health food outlets and educate our students towards a healthy life style.
It is simply pathetic to exhort students to participate in sports and eat healthy food when their own schools provide them with junk food and sports is practically absent and considered a waste of time by teachers and parents alike.
It is absurd to waste more money collecting more statistics when we know that in the last six years the number of overweight and obese children and adolescents has doubled.