Watching a popular TV programme about the budget on a Friday evening, I could not help comparing this budget to the slot machine for many reasons. During this programme, while the benefits were being announced, the sound of a slot machine could be heard in the background as if the lottery results were being announced.
However there are other more serious connotations with the slot machine and gambling.
In the 1996 election we were told that government finances were in good shape, then the Labour Party was elected and found a big financial hole. The Nationalist Party knew this and this is why a snap election was called.
The proof of this deceit was the memo that the then Finance Minister John Dalli wrote to the Cabinet just before the election was announced.
In the run up to the 2003 election we had the Finanzi Fis-Sod slogan and we all know what happened after that! Soon after the Nationalist Party was re-elected we were promised a “New Spring”! However, what was new was the new Eco Tax, the increase in VAT, the hefty electricity surcharge plus some other charges here and there.
So now after all these sacrifices the Gonzi administration is again telling us that government finances are in order. To prove this they are saying that the EU has given them a certificate that we now comply with the Maastricht Criteria to join the eurozone on 1 January 2008.
This is true but the certificate was given before this budget was cooked up and therefore there is no guarantee that it will not create another financial hole in the governments finances.
There are no serious plans to stimulate the economy for the GDP to grow by four to six per cent and thus generate more tax revenue.
On the other hand the Labour Party’s plan to cut the surcharge by half will not only leave more money in people’s pockets but will also make the economy more competitive and thus the economy will grow and generate more jobs.
So just like gambling with the slot machine, the Gonzi administration will give and then take it away! But the people will not be fooled again They know very well that the Gonzi administration is only interested in holding on to power at all costs and that this budget is a gamble that they are prepared to take as the stakes are very high for them.
The Nationalist Party is like the old Christian Democrats Party of Italy that wanted to hold on to power at all costs. The Christian Democrats ruled for decades, corruption and scandal became the order of the day; many of their politicians had links with organised crime such as the Mafia.
Likewise the Gonzi administration has become arrogant, inefficient and corrupt. The presidential pardons given to famous drug barons such as Queiroz and Zeppi l-Hafi demonstrate how corrupt this party has become.
The recent corruption cases proves that the corruption has now filtered down the line and that these are but the tip of the iceberg!
Even if the whole Cabinet is changed Gonzi will still be hostage to corrupt party officials and back benchers who will not let go! The best thing that Gonzi can do for Malta and his party is to become the Opposition and rid themselves of these criminal elements within the party.
Just like what happened in Italy we need to break away from the past, we need a new beginning, a new way of doing politics and a new government. Yes, we need a ‘Second Republic’ and only the Labour Party under the leadership of Dr Alfred Sant can deliver that!
Dr Farrugia is shadow
minister for justice.