We live in a land of contrasts. We have some of the best medical professionals in the world, yet some patients have to wait years to receive medical treatment that would enhance the quality of their lives.
We have some of the world’s most precious historical monuments, yet we let them deteriorate by not preserving them from the elements and vandalism as we should be doing. We are an attractive tourist destination, a respected offshore financial centre, and a viable manufacturing base for, among others, IT and pharmaceutical products, but the quality of some of our road network is no better than that of dirt tracks in some African countries.
Our educational system provides some of the best professionals any country could hope to have, and yet 42 per cent of our young people leave the education system without the basic qualifications needed to make them employable. We have islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity.
So far, Malta’s membership of the EU has not brought about the benefits hoped for and promised by this administration. The primary benefit of EU membership should have been the strengthening of consumer rights through the protection offered by EU legislation. Yet what bothers Maltese families most today is that the ever increasing cost of living is eroding the quality of life they have been used to up to some years ago.
Our government pays lip service to consumer protection. On the eve of the general election they have changed the NECC into a so-called “consumer protection agency”. As they say the way to hell is paved with good intentions. But what our families need is not good intentions, but a steely determination to eradicate abuse in the pricing of certain essential commodities like medicine and food products.
The Gonzi administration boasts that it has put public finances in good shape. But they hide the fact that most of this improvement has been brought about by selling the country’s silver, a one time exercise which, when completed, will no longer help hide the results of incompetence in public governance.
Recent government finance data published by NSO show how in the first 11 months of 2007 “productive investment” went down by e30 million while “social investment” went down by e21 million. At the same time, income tax went up by e51 million and VAT by e12 million. So while the government is fleecing our hard working families with more direct and indirect taxes, it is ploughing back less in productive and social investment. Also, private productive investment fell in the first three quarters of 2007.
The yearning for change has never been stronger over the past few years. People know that they deserve better. They resent seeing our country languish in mediocrity. We now have to compete with formidable competitors to attract new investment that will in turn create job opportunities and improve the quality of life of our families.
We need to catch up with the more progressive EU nations, if we are to really benefit from our membership in the euro zone area. Our per capita GDP is still significantly lower than that of the more advanced EU nations. What is even worse, we are losing ground in the competitiveness league, and are failing miserably in the Lisbon Agenda criteria of success.
Labour is determined to banish mediocrity from the governance of this country. We need to incentivise our workers to work more by introducing fairer tax measures and easing the cost of living burden by, among other things, reducing the water and electricity surcharge by 50 per cent. These short-term measures are needed to boost long-term productivity.
All this can be brought about when our people will be given a chance to vote for change in a few weeks’ time. Change is the secret to renewal and future success, and Labour will act as the much-needed catalyst of change that will bring out the best qualities of our society.
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www.mangioncharles.com
Dr Mangion is acting leader of the Opposition