Diversifikazzjoni

Smajt kemm-il darba dan l-aħħar, esperti, ekonomisti u negozjanti jisħqu fuq il-ħtieġa li l-ekonomija Maltija tiddiversifika, jiġifieri tinfirex fuq numru akbar ta’ oqsma. Għandhom raġun.

B’hekk meta settur jew ieħor inaqqas fir-rankatura, oħrajn ipattu bl-attività tagħhom għat-tnaqqis f’tiegħu. Il-Fond Monetarju Internazzjonali wkoll fir-rapporti tiegħu ġieli semma dal-punt.

Biss jolqotni l-fatt li meta jissemmew setturi “ġodda” biex l-ekonomija Maltija tiddiversifika lejhom, kważi kollha ssib li huma xi forma ta’ servizzi.

Issa matul is-snin, ikkonċentrajna bil-kbir fis-servizzi. M’hemm xejn ħażin f’dan ħlief li fl-imgħoddi kellna fond ta’ ħiliet tekniċi u industrijali fil-poplu tagħna li donnhom tħallew fil-ġenb. Minflok ġew immoderniżżati, intesew. Is-settur industrijali f’pajjiżna ċkien.

Jeżistu snajja’ industrijali ġodda, li jitilqu mix-xogħol li ż-żgħażagħ tagħna kienu jagħmlu tajjeb ħafna qabel – pereżempju, fuq tornijiet u magni oħra li jaħdmu l-metall — u f’għaqda mat-teknoloġija diġitali, joħorġu produzzjoni ta’ valur għoli u mfittxija ħafna. Dawn il-ħiliet setgħu kienu fostna; mhumiex.

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Attakki bl-ajru

Amerikani, Russi u Ewropej jużaw l-istess metodi fl-interventi militari li daħlu għalihom fis-Sirja u l-Iraq. Jattakkaw mill-ajru u akkost ta’ kollox, ma jibgħatu l-ebda suldati biex jiġġieldu. Il-ġlied iħalluh għall-forzi tal-President Assad u ta’ dawk kontrieh, “moderati”, “demokratiċi”, Kurdi, pro-“Punent”, Iżlamisti estremi…

Diffiċli tgħid kemm tista’ tirnexxi strateġija bħal din. Kull fejn intużat sa issa, inkluża s-Sirja, ftit tat suċċess sinjifikanti.

Għandha l-vantaġġ għal min qed jattakka li ftit li xejn se jpoġġi f’periklu l-ħajja tas-suldati tiegħu. Imma dan jagħti wkoll sinjal li l-attakkant ma jistax jew ma jridx jiġġieled bl-aqwa saħħa militari tiegħu.

Hemm żewġ żvantaġġi oħra. L-ewwel li mhux dejjem se tilħaq il-miri tal-attakki tiegħek, jew anki tkun taf tassew jekk ilħaqthomx jew le.

U t-tieni, l-agħar wieħed, li ta’ spiss wisq, jinqatlu nies innoċenti f’dawn l-attakki bi żball jew għax jinzertaw qrib wisq ta’ fejn jaqgħu l-bombi.

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Ħarifa

Is-sajf ta’ San Martin dis-sena mhux qed jitgawda f’Malta biss imma fil-bqija tal-Ewropa. It-temperaturi kienu ogħla sew minn dak li mdorrija bihom f’daż-żminijiet, meta ġieli jibda jisponta s-silġ. Dan jgħodd għall-firxa kbira tal-kontinent, minn Berlin sa Pariġi, inkluża Brussell.

Hawn, ħtija tat-temp kajman, il-weraq donnhom damu aktar mis-soltu ma jaqgħu mis-siġar. Fl-aħħar għaxart ijiem imbagħad, munzelli enormi ta’ weraq lewn kannella għal oranġjo mlew il-ġnub tal-ġonna pubbliċi u numru ta’ toroq wiesgħa fejn hemm is-siġar. Sar xogħol kbir biex il-weraq jinġabru u l-ħidma għadha mhux lesta.

It-tbassir hu li biex tpatti għall-moderazzjoni tal-ħarifa, ix-xitwa se tkun qalila.

English Version – Diversification

Recently the point has frequently been made by experts, economists and businessmen that the Maltese economy needs to diversify in order to cover a wider number of productive sectors. They are right.

So, when a given sector goes into decline, others are available to generate output that compensates for its shortfall. The International Monetary Fund too in its reports has sometimes raised the point.

Still I find it curious that when “new” sectors are indicated towards which the Maltese economy could diversify, they all relate to some form of services activity.

Over the years we have been concentrating on services. There is nothing inherently wrong with this option, except that in the past our people possessed a fund of technical and industrial skills, which seems to have been sidelined. Instead of being modernised, those skills were forgotten. The Maltese industrial sector has shrunk.

Yet, new industrial skills exist, which departing from the work that formerly our young people used to carry out beautifully – for instance on lathes and other metal working machines – and by tying it in with digital technology,now produce high value output for which demand remains huge. We could still have had such skills on tap in Malta; they are no longer are.

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Air strikes

Americans, Russians and Europeans are deploying the same methods to intervene militarily in Syria and Iraq. They launch air strikes and at all costs, keep back from sending boots on the ground. They leave the real fighting to the forces that back President Assad or his opponents – “moderates”, “democrats”, Kurds, pro-“West”, Islamist extremists…

It is difficult to reckon how successful such a strategy will be. Wherever it was adopted, Syria included, success was less than significant.

For those who mount this kind of attack, the advantage is that the lives of their soldiers are at minimal risk. But it also signals that the attacker is less than committed to fight to the full extent of his powers.

Another two disadvantages come to mind. First, when using such methods, it is not always possible to reach the goals that have been set for military action, or even to know whether they have been achieved or not.

Moreover, and this is worse, too often innocent people get killed, because mistakes are made as attacks are launched or because they happen to be too close to where bombs are falling.

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Autumn

This year’s Indian summer is not being enjoyed only in Malta, but also in the rest of Europe. Temperatures have been higher than what one is used to at this time of the year, when occasional frost makes itself felt. This applies across a wide swathe of the continent, from Berlin to Paris, including Brussels.

Here, due to the mild weather, leaves have been taking more than their usual time to drop from trees. During the last ten days then, huge heaps of leaves, ranging in colour from brownish to orange, have piled up on the side of parks and the wide boulevards that are lined with trees. Much work has been done to collect these leaves of autumn; much still needs to be done.

It is being forecasted that the coming winter will be tough, just to make amends for the fall having been so meek.