This past year has been a really tough one for most families. Rising unemployment especially amongst young people, rising inflation, and few new job opportunities were among the elements that have raised the level of uncertainty for many people.
Even those who have secure jobs have had to run much faster just to remain in the same place. The recent announcement that water and electricity tariffs are going back to the 2008 levels is certainly not helping to dispel this uncertainty. When we make this factual analysis, we are often accused of being ‘downers’ and only interested in depressing the morale of our people.
But the recent Eurobarometer survey makes it clear that it is not just the Labour Party that is worried about the irregular economic pulse of the nation, but also the great majority of people who are feeling the effects of this downturn on their own skin. Most Maltese have an easy-going lifestyle built on an irrational conviction that in the end someone will save us from our own inability to make the best out of managing our country effectively. The findings of this survey show that most of us no longer feel easy about the future.
We need to shake off this sinking feeling by making an act of faith in our own ability to determine our future through hard work and honest governance. We need to acknowledge what we are doing wrong, and change our ways. We need to identify where our policies are not efficient enough, and take steps to rectify them. We need to come up with a new political agenda that is future-oriented.
My advice to the present government is to shed some of its arrogance and acknowledge that some of its present projects are moving on the wrong track. They need, for example, to take more seriously the Leader of the Opposition’s claim that the power station project is tainted with unacceptable practices that have been used to conclude a contract that is likely to cause more harm than good to our nation.
The government also needs to study the impact of the recent decision to raise water and electricity bills again before coming up with convincing studies that show how this is likely to impact household and businesses. While the realities of escalating energy prices cannot be brushed aside, it is also a reality that consumers have to pay for the inefficiencies of Enemalta and the incompetent management of our energy procuring system.
The cost of bad governance is evident in most public organisations, even if its cost has so far not been quantified. The government should start a new page in the way it manages its own finances. It is shameful that we still do not have an accrual based accounting system to monitor the income and expenditure of the government. There is always a lurking feeling that somehow we are not being told the whole story about the extent of our deficit and the national debt. This needs to change if people are to be convinced that their taxes are really being used well.
The reforms in the national health system are being introduced in a piecemeal fashion. Despite the stealth that characterises certain aspects of this approach, it is clear that the concept of a free health system for all is coming under attack. This is not what Dr Gonzi promised us only last year.
The report by the Council of Europe about the need to reform the way that political parties finance themselves should be taken seriously in the New Year. It can help to introduce a number of reforms in our political governance that will not only strengthen democracy, but will help the public to regain faith in our political system.
We are in politics to make people’s lives better. To do this effectively we must not shy away from tough items on the agenda of political, economic, and social reform. Our educational system, for instance, needs to be reformed to give the results that so far seem to be eluding us. This should never become a partisan matter. But to achieve this aim we have to start by acknowledging where the system is failing our young people.
We are still far enough from another general election to be free from pressing electoral exigencies and concentrate on a future-oriented political agenda. My wish for 2010 is that the government takes the lead and announces the items on such an agenda.
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