It is a characteristic of the Labour Party that social and human aspects are given overwhelming importance in all that we do. For us, it is ridiculous and unacceptable that while the Nationalist administration boasts that all is going well (as they so like to spin), at the same time our less wealthy are suffering significant social deprivation. We are also well-conscious of the fact that to sustain an effective and sustainable social security system, one needs a stable and growing economy.
This is why in the 1970s and 1980s the Labour administration had the ability and the foresight to come up with the economic initiatives that had created such a social wealth. The banks, Air Malta, Sea Malta and various others had all contributed to the introduction of social initiatives like children’s allowances, pensions, drastic improvements in education, minimum wages, maternity leave, 40-hour week and many more. The economic foundations that rendered the resources for all these initiatives are, however, now being sold in a desperate attempt to relieve the precarious government finances.
The Malta Labour Party’s document on health issues “A Healthy Population, A Healthy Nation” is a clear indication of the social commitment our party has on this issue. It reaffirms our pledge that one of the most basic human rights is that of having access to a decent health service, whatever one’s financial means.
There is indeed no need to indicate or elaborate on the declining level of service of our health system. Waiting lists on the increase. Nurses, doctors and other health professionals complaining constantly on the abandon-ship attitude of the present administration. The lack of a multitude of common medicine products. Overcrowded wards. Needless to say, on a human level, patients have to take all this in their stride and try to do their best and live through these difficulties as best they can.
In this bleak scenario, it is no wonder that our plan forward puts the patient in the centre of the health service. The plan also centres on the skills and willingness of all the health professionals, without whose endurance our health service would be in a much bigger mess. Labour will also allocate more resources to this important sector with the purpose of bettering the overall service, and specifically to lessen the precarious levels of the current waiting lists.
In the sphere of education, not only are the objectives set by the Lisbon Agenda not being met, but even worse, one in every six of our youths are leaving school semi-illiterate. Is this the best we can offer our young people? Is this the foundation on which we want to develop our economy to ensure betterment of our living standards? Are we committing these youths to perpetual unemployment, or to a miserable occupation, at best? Labour will here invest more per capita for the whole education system. We will further ensure that our National Minimum Curriculum is adhered to and constantly reviewed with the necessary changes being effected in the relevant syllabuses all through the system.
Health and safety in our schools and educational institutions will be given more profound consideration, making our schools and institutions a more pleasant and safe environment to attend and work in. We will also commit ourselves to reducing classroom population, giving a better opportunity to students. We strongly believe in embedding within each and every student, the love and will to strive for a lifelong education.
University will also feature highly on our educational agenda. The party considers that the high level of student population is positive. What worries us is the lack of resources being allocated to maintain such a population and its effect on the quality of the education being received by the students. The high proportion of part-time lecturing is also a concern and this problem will be given the attention it merits. Furthermore, conscious of the demand for further education overseas, a Labour government will allocate a million liri annually to set up a fund to aid those who wish to do their postgraduate studies overseas, where such is not available locally.
The issues covered by these documents are most fundamental to Labour. Both health and education are the foundations of a society that aims to auger a prosperous future. Built on such foundations the Malta of tomorrow will be better than what it is today. Labour wants to arrest the decline in our social fibre that is causing so much distress these days and looks forward to give a healthier and prosperous future to all the Maltese. Labour augurs this, and will deliver it – a better future.
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Dr Michael Falzon is the MLP Deputy Leader for Party Affairs