In our confrontational political scenario there is hardly a dull moment. The political tug-of-war shifts from one issue to another without a break. The political debate, supposedly a vehicle to improve the quality of life of people, is on most occasions used to reinforce the divide in our society. Government has repeatedly entered one cul-de-sac after another.
Government needs to heed proper and sound counsel. This is not the time to panic and look busy doing nothing. This is the time for level headed people to be called in. The adverse consequence of hiring consultants and advisors with lucrative packages but without the necessary expertise is now glaringly obvious. The lack of good advice is destroying the credentials of the current administration and is damaging Malta’s reputation.
A case in point is the recent announcement by Parliamentary Secretary Deborah Schembri, who unilaterally decided that political parties’ billboards will only be allowed in the run up to elections. This is a move intended to limit political parties’ rights to express freely their agenda.
At this stage, the PL leadership would be wise to go back to the drawing board before it gets too late to rectify. It is important for the PL to dissect how its three electoral campaign pillars - transparency, accountability and meritocracy - are being implemented.
The PL cannot afford to abort these electoral promises.
Steering a political party into the unknown is dangerous. At the very earliest, the pilot should identify stretches of fine weather in order to avoid further turbulence and air-pockets. The current PL administration has many options to choose from. I pen a few. Make commitment and honour its electoral promises. Turn the blind eye, pretend all is functioning well. Bury its head in the sand and refuse to acknowledge the current unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve without taking the necessary painful corrective measures.
Alternatively, the pilot can abort the flight, press the eject button and pray that the parachute will open at the sharp pull of the cord to ensure a soft landing.
Only a masochist takes pleasure in humiliation, physical and verbal abuse. The PL seems to be a masochist. But if this gives the PL great pleasure, then so be it.
But while this political debate is taking place, other pressing issues are not being addressed. Here I put pen to paper with the hope that some authority takes the cue, and after some deliberation, stem the haemorrhage.
The notion that government is the provider of all the goodies is still alive across the board. Many still believe that successive governments can dish out whichever service, whether in cash or in kind, for free. Many seem oblivious to the fact that government can only support services from taxes collected.
One issue which comes to mind is the out-of-stock medicines crusade orchestrated by the PL during the last electoral campaign. During electoral campaigns, most issues are overly magnified to influence the electorate. These issues often come back to bite.
While without a shadow of doubt medicines should not be out of stock, and when for some reason or other these are, then Government should find ways to refund patients against receipts. Patients’ health should remain a top priority on the national agenda and should be serviced with the highest of standards from those directly or indirectly related to the health services.
Patients should not be allowed to go out of pocket due to inefficient, bureaucratic procurement processes. One the other hand, some measure of control should be exercise to curb waste.
Some years back, during an activity for the elderly, I met an elderly gentleman who, despite his years, was still very keen on his car. So keen in fact that he used a particular lotion prescribed for his skin condition to wash the tyres of his car.
Some months ago, I visited a friend at his home. During our conversation, he brought up the subject of medicines. He talked of a dear family member who had just passed away. In her kitchen cupboard they found a trove of medicines: 18 boxes x 28 Valsotens pills for the heart, 14 boxes x 28 Simvastatin tablets for lowering cholesterol, 17 bottles x 5ml of Timolol eye drops and 12 bottles x 56 tablets of the diuretic Bumetanide.
I do not know the cost of these medicines, but irrespective of the cost, it is taxpayers’ money down the drain. I believe that the cases I referred to here are not isolated cases. Out there, people are hoarding medicines.
An aggressive nation-wide educational campaign should be launched to create awareness that it is our money which is being thrown away. I do not mind paying my dues to the national coffers, but I have and will continue to strongly object to the squandering of public funds.
Government is expected to stop dilly-dallying and make the best use of public monies.
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