The Malta Chamber of Commerce on Thursday had some harsh words for the government, calling for action on issues which are currently affecting the country.

The statement showed, clearly, that businesses are not pleased with the state of affairs.

“The economy and the quality of life of people are suffering because of lack of foresight, poor planning, lack of transparency, weak enforcement, and slow action where action needs to be taken,” the Chamber said. “The country is in a nose-dive and we persist in denial, failing to read the signs of the times. It is time to stop trying to please everyone at once and to prioritise the long-term national interest over immediate partisan interests. Government needs to listen more to the warnings voiced by people whose interests are non-partisan, and address structural issues that are impairing productivity and undermining competitiveness, the country’s attractiveness, and people’s well-being and quality of life.  The time for patched up, short-term quick fixes is over.”

The traffic situation, the power outages, the shabbiness, the lack of proper waste management and the tragedies at workplaces are all issues which the Chamber mentioned.

Let’s be honest, the traffic situation in the country is still present, and we are still waiting for something effective to be done about this. The chamber came up with a number of proposals on this issue, one of which was to introduce parking fees in central urban areas with fees paid being transferred into an e-mobility wallet for use of sustainable means of transport, another was to restrict  certain congesting activities during peak hours. Be it using these ideas or going another route to somehow improve the public transport service and make it more enticing for people to use, something needs to be done.

On energy, the Chamber said that the government must ensure a reliable supply of electricity that can cater for predictably hot summers. It may sound like stating the obvious but looking at the current situation, it’s clear that the Enemalta and the government need to hear it.

As for the economy, among other things the Chamber highlighted the need to incentivise a shift away from labour-intensive activities towards an economic model which is not dependent on increasing the population, which it said is unsustainable and is pushing the country’s infrastructure to breaking point. This point has been brought up on several occasions, including by this newsroom. With Malta’s limited space, the current economic model is not working and is leading to more and more construction.

Something else which must be mentioned is that some people are taking advantage of young third country nationals, paying them very low wages or housing them in terrible conditions. It isn’t right that this is happening and something must be done to stop this.

The Chamber also said that the country needs to ensure proper enforcement of laws and regulations in all spheres of business activity and for all residents and visitors. The construction sector is a clear example of where enforcement is lacking.

The statements made and issues highlighted by the Chamber show that all is not right in Malta, a state of affairs which many have long been harping about. The government needs to pull its socks up.