Last year the European Union opted to dedicate a full year to poverty and social exclusion. I must say that a number of activities were organised to comply with the message that the EU wanted to convey to its citizens

These activities surely contributed extensively to make the Maltese aware of this reality that, notwithstanding standard of living, we still have people not only at risk of poverty, but in real poverty too. The campaign is now over, but we cannot say the same for poverty. Poverty was not eradicated because we Europeans dedicated a year for this theme. All should work hard and have the best policies in place to at least reduce poverty and those who are at risk in the long term.

I am very disappointed that the Gonzi government continues to repeat that poverty in Malta is based on perceptions. This means that, since his government does not acknowledge that we have people living in poverty, this issue is not being tackled by the government. There are other issues that the current administration argues are a question of perception, which means that it is not reality. The consequence is that these problems remain untackled.

Another issue which for sure deserves special attention is the family. Especially during the last few months, the family has very much been debated from every aspect. This is a very positive thing. However, we must be proactive and not only preach that the family should be the backbone of society without offering the necessary help. And that is why, together with my colleagues Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Justyne Caruana, I presented a motion in Parliament to set up a standing committee for family affairs. If approved by Parliament, this motion will give the necessary power to Parliament to have a specific committee focused only on family matters.

What is the scope of such a committee? As mentioned in the motion, this committee will look into the current legislation and, with the help of other institutions and entities afterwards, will make a social impact assessment of this legislation. Also within the committee remit, the work of the National Commission for the Family, which still has to be set up, the Institute at the University of Malta and the Commissioner for Children will be followed closely. This committee can also be proactive by proposing research and studies on the family and children, and, as such, make recommendations and proposals to Parliament and the Executive. The committee can also go through the existing policies and plans, and make proposals to amend or enhance them, and also to monitor regularly that these are being implemented. This committee will also be in a position to keep constant and close contact with non-governmental organisations for these to have a voice in the highest institution on the island.

After all the discussion that the country is having on the family, we can easily say that our families are experiencing some difficult times, and this is not a question of perception. The Archbishop himself admitted recently in his pastoral that the current debate was an eye opener for the Church. This should also be likewise for the government. But we did not see any tangible action from the government, and that is what triggered us, as part of the Labour Party parliamentary group, to be proactive and propose the setting up of this standing committee.

Finally we hope that this motion, which was presented to the Clerk of the House last week, will find a broad majority when it is debated in Parliament; hopefully before the summer recess.

To move to another issue, the health sector needs a lot of attention. This is not perception either, as sometimes the government wishes us citizens to believe. We have real issues which are not being tackled as they should be. The issue of waiting lists is still with us and we are not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. But we have another urgent matter to deal with. The new hospital does not have enough beds to cater for all patients that need medical attention. We end up with people being sent home before they receive all the necessary attention, while others are left waiting for hours until they are allocated a bed. The wards are not big enough and, as such, other open spaces are being found as an alternative to ‘accommodate’ some patients.

And that is why I believe that this is a nation based on perceptions, at least for some people, including those with blinkers – whatever their Gonzi government does, everything is perfect for them. We have so many issues to tackle and yet the government is not adequately tackling them.

Carmelo Abela is the Opposition’s Main Spokesman for Social Policy

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