The 2016 Budget speech delivered yesterday evening is today’s talk of the town. This morning, representatives from the business community, trade unions and civil society are engaged in endless discussion programmes. Government representatives will use superlatives to explain the Budget measures and will retell ad nauseam the bright side of the 2016 Budget initiatives. Government will play down the negative triggers, and hide the squeeze on the middle class’ income. The electorate can fall for a wide range of promises, but will not be fooled twice with double or sweet talk.
This morning, Government will be making lots of noise. Government will be flying the kite as favourable worldwide economic winds are reaching our shores and will undoubtedly resort to tongue-in-cheek comments during live-audience programmes and the ensuing parliamentary debates over the Budget. The Opposition grouping will criticise various measures when making their reaction. Much as it may be tempting, the Opposition should refrain from falling into the negative trap mode of the former Opposition.
It is no secret, Government’s manoeuvres when sitting on the Opposition benches lured thousands of voters to its folds. The PL’s stinking bait on the fishing rod hooked the electorate with the meritocracy, transparency and accountability pledge. These promises are being continuously flagrantly flouted. The number of people engaged on the basis of trust coming from the inner circles of the PL has reached unprecedented levels. Transparency has become decidedly opaque, as agreements are kept under lock and key. Passing the buck is the new form of accountability.
It is well recognised that the Opposition has successfully weathered the world-wide economic woes when on the driving seat. It stands to reason that, with wind in its sails, Government is expected to introduce a set of initiatives to sustain the economy with the hope that the generated wealth is not squandered amongst the inner circles of PL supporters but is either distributed fairly or re-ploughed back wisely into the economy.
The Nationalist Opposition’s first pre-Budget document “Sustainable Growth and Dignity for All 2015” is indeed a positive initiative and should be strengthened irrespective of the negative comments it attracted from Government.
In its criticism, the Opposition should tactfully highlight the issues which have not been addressed or were inadequately tackled in the 2016 Budget. The Opposition should not fall for a populist approach and give the impression that they have immediate or off-the-shelf answers.
Giving the impression that everything is easy to address when not on the driving seat, but then failing miserably when in charge, is simply not on. The public transport fiasco and traffic chaos is a daily experience for motorists and is a clear case in point. When on the Opposition benches, Government had promised a tailor-made road map which, two years down the line, the public is still waiting for. Such shenanigans should not be emulated by the Opposition.
It comes as no surprise that the trust barometer in a recent survey commissioned by MaltaToday revealed that Dr Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister increased his trust level by 1 point and that Dr Simon Busuttil, Leader of the Opposition, has increased his rating by a resounding 3 points when compared with the results of a similar survey in June of this year. The PL still leads by 4 points over the PN when it comes to voting intentions, down from an eight-point lead in March 2015. Although positive signs are emerging for the Opposition, this should not be taken as a fait accompli or a constant trend.
Dr Simon Busuttil, Leader of the PN, has repeatedly stated that honesty will be his hallmark. To my mind, honesty is a sine qua non. While I do not have reason to doubt his fervour and enthusiasm to lead a clean government, perhaps unknowingly, the leader of the PN grouping is risking a barrage of ferocious attacks for doings beyond his control once he is in the national driving seat. Over the passage of time I have learnt that, despite every effort to identify as early as possible any weak links in the different administrations, a good number of loose ends and loop-holes remain, allowing honesty to become blurred.
In this regard, it would be wiser if the Leader of the Opposition would promise to beef up the necessary manpower and strengthen the legislative and administrative tools to ensure good governance. To begin with, the Opposition stands to earn more political credibility if it promises that, before appointing persons to lucrative positions and pay packets, it will introduce grilling sessions prior to such appointments.
Beefing-up the institutions that ensure rule-of-law and good governance is by far more important than any of the proposed Budget measures for 2016. The Opposition would do well to promise a better tomorrow for all.
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