In two days’ time, you should have been able to start benefiting from tax cuts, an increase in children’s allowance and many other measures that were announced in the presentation of the budget for 2013.
But this is not to be, because the Opposition plus one Nationalist MP chose their interests first and shot the budget down. It was the last straw for a legislature in which Malta survived the economic difficulties with flying colours, and this in spite of the internal turmoil Lawrence Gonzi had to face in his own party.
Recently, I met some people who live in Ireland who just could not understand how the government’s proposals could have been discarded, and they told me about some of the extra expenses the Irish have been recently asked to pay for as part of the austerity measures to combat the economic crisis.
People who live in Ireland and who need treatment in hospital outpatients’ departments now have to pay €100 on their first visit, a €4 minimum fee has to be paid each time rubbish is collected from outside the home – plus extra charges depending on the weight – and a 0.18 per cent tax will be introduced with effect from Tuesday on the value of their property.
Imagine the uproar if the Maltese were to be asked to pay for hospital services and waste collection! Here we throw away the goodies, while in Ireland they have to grin and bear it.
We are now on the eve of a new year that will bring with it an election campaign, one that I sincerely hope will be fought on issues and not on personal attacks and gimmicks.
The Labour Party has played its first card, unceremoniously dumping Anglu Farrugia from the post of deputy leader for parliamentary affairs to replace him with Louis Grech, another veteran politician to add to the many who have been there since the pre-1987 days. It was Labour’s answer to Simon Busuttil’s election as Nationalist Party deputy leader, albeit in completely different circumstances.
In February, when Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi demanded confirmation as PN leader, he was accused by Labour of running a one-man race, and was likened to notorious dictators for obtaining 94 per cent of preferences. The same Labour exponents have, however, remained quiet after Mr Grech obtained 97 per cent of the Labour delegates’ votes.
We now wait to see what kind of impact the change has made in the minds of the electorate. What is sure is that the removal of Dr Farrugia gave us a glimpse of how Machiavellian Joseph Muscat can be. Ask Dr Farrugia’s mother for details: her outburst in defence of her son spoke volumes.
The fact that, in the past, Joseph Muscat himself and other Labour MPs have attacked members of the judiciary without so much as a reprimand – at least in public – makes it clear that what Dr Farrugia said about Magistrate Audrey Demicoli is not the real reason why he was kicked out. But, as usually happens with Labour, its MPs, officials and delegates rallied behind their leader like sheep and accepted what Dr Muscat decided without question. They did not even realise that what happened to Dr Farrugia could have happened to them. The greater good – for which read an election victory – beckons.
Mr Grech’s election – or should I say appointment? – came right in-between Christmas and the New Year, a period during which politics usually takes a back seat. Not this year, however, with the election campaign just around the corner. At least, the election fever that has already gripped the country did not stop us from contributing to yet another record sum that was collected for this year’s l-Istrina, in aid of the Community Chest Fund.
More than €3.2 million is no joke – representing, as it does, €10 for each adult member of the population. Added to the funds that were collected by the political parties earlier this month, and those that will hopefully be collected for Dar Tal-Providenza on Tuesday – not to mention the various other fund-raising activities held throughout the year – this confirms us as being among the most generous of peoples.
This kind of generosity is a kick in the face to claims that the Maltese are poor, cannot make ends meet, and that water and electricity rates have thrown families into poverty. If this were so, we would not have been so big-hearted in respect of people in need.
It used to be said that people donated to l-Istrina because it was a kind of gamble, given that many prizes were handed out in return. But this is not the case anymore. The Maltese donate because they want to, they want to because they can, and they can because they have a good income.
This brings me to the complaints raised by the GRTU that it was a “slow” Christmas. My, oh my, how grumpy they can be. They are never happy, even when their establishments are full and they register record sales. They always want more.
One other gauge that confirms the country’s well-being is the packed houses for this year’s Christmas pantomimes at the Manoel Theatre and the MFCC. The tickets are not cheap, and yet whole families go to at least one or the other and many go to both.
The script-writers had no trouble coming up with their jibes at politicians and other public figures. I will not spoil the fun for those who are yet to see the shows, but it was clear that both had a favourite target that had their audiences doubling over with laughter.
This is my last column of the year, and I take the opportunity to wish all of you – relevant or not – a healthy 2013 and beyond.
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