Bħall-bqija tal-Ewropa, għal snin sħaħ Malta kellha tara kif se tilqa’ għall-effetti tar-riċessjoni tas-sena 2008 u wara. Peress li dħalna fiż-żona tal-ewro kmieni wisq, il-biża’ li dawn l-effetti joħolqu diżgwid kbir kien qawwi. Il-governanza tal-pajjiż għafset bla ma tant irnexxielha, fuq rażan fl-ispiża publika. Dil-ħaġa kienet kontra l-interess ekonomiku ta’ Malta mitqiesa bħala entità għaliha waħidha, imma saret tassattiva la l-munita tal-gżira nbidlet għall-ewro.
Illum, il-qagħda ekonomika nqalbet bil-kbir għall-aħjar, l-aktar minħabba l-politika li ddaħħlet wara l-2013.
Ninsabu f’nofs mewġa ta’ tkabbir ekonomiku bla preċedent. Il-gvern qiegħed f’sitwazzjoni (imma tista’ tinbidel mil-lum għal għada) fejn id-dħul finanzjarju tiegħu jlaħħaq sew mal-ispejjeż kurrenti u ta’ investiment – minkejja li l-ispiża rikorrenti rrankat.
Il-governanza tal-lum, differenti minn tal-bieraħ, trid tiżgura li l-espansjoni tibqa’ taħt kontroll u ma taqax fil-ħala.
MEXXEJJA KBAR
Insibhom strambi l-kummenti li ta’ spiss isiru dwar kif fl-Ewropa kien hemm żmien – mhux daqstant ilu – fejn kellna mexxejja “kbar” u b’“viżjoni” dwar l-futur tal-Ewropa. Tal-lum, jgħidulna, huma nies bla wisq ħajja fihom, u lanqas ideat. Mhumiex kapaċi jagħtu direzzjoni lill-kontinent dwar fejn imissu jasal.
Isemmulna ismijiet ta’ mexxejja li uħud minnhom nammira, oħrajn anqas. Kohl, Mitterrand, Chirac, Schroeder, Thatcher, Blair, eċċetera…
Biss imbagħad tgħid: dawn il-mexxejja viżjonarji poġġew il-proġetti tagħhom ’il quddiem u wettquhom. Biss kemm ikkalkolaw jew ġew jimportahom mill-konsegwenzi fuq il-futur ta’ li ħasslu?
Ma jidhirx li taw wisq kas.
Allura kif tal-ewwel jitqiesu bħala eroj, u tat-tieni li kellhom jilqgħu għall-konsegwenzi li rriżultaw issa jitqiesu bħala nullità?
Dwar it-twessiegħ li seħħ fl-Unjoni Ewropea u t-twaqqif wara taż-żona tal-ewro li ġraw fis-snin disgħin tas-seklu l-ieħor, mistoqsijiet hekk żgur li huma ġustifikati fid-dawl tal-ġrajjiet li seħħew minn dak iż-żmien lil hawn.
MANWEL GELLEL
Fl-aħħar sajf, qrajt ir-rumanz “minsi” Manwel Gellel ta’ Ġuże Cardona. Kienet waħda mill-isbaħ esperjenzi ta’ qari dis-sena sa issa. Kien ili li ridt naqrah mill-bidu sat-tmiem, imma hu diffiċli ħafna li ssib dal-ktieb, ippubblikat biss f’puntati mill-ġurnal It-Torċa, fl-1962.
Ħafna ma jafu xejn bih. Bħala tifel, jien kont smajtu jinqara fuq il-cable radio minn Charles Arrigo u kien affaxxinani. Qrajtu issa bil-mistoqsija f’moħħi: għadu jista’ jagħmel dil-ħaġa llum?
Ċertament ma ngħidx li r-rumanz hu xi kapolavur impekkabbli. Wara kollox kien l-ewwel rumanz li kiteb/ippubblika Cardona (li kien jgħallimni l-Malti fil-Liċeo tal-Ħamrun!). Imma fih elementi tal-aqwa valur.
Id-dar tal-publikazzjoni SKS daqt se jerġgħu joħorġuh. Nittama li x-xogħol jingħata mill-publiku l-attenzjoni li tisħoqqlu.
English Version – Governance and economic growth
Like the rest of Europe, for multiple years Malta needed to focus on how to contain the consequences of the 2008 recession and its aftermath. Since we had prematurely joined the eurozone, the fear that these consequences could create huge disruption was more than palpable. The island’s economic governance concentrated without really getting it right, on implementing constraints on public expenditure. This went then against the economic interests of Malta seen as a stand alone unit, but was enshrined as a priority since the island’s currency changed to the euro.
Today, the economic situation has vastly impoved, mostly because of policies introduced post 2013.
We find ourselves in the middle of an unprecedented scenario of growth. The government is in a situation (but it could change overnight) by which its financial returns are covering quite well its commitments on recurrent and investment outlays – even though recurrent expenditures have accellerated.
In contrast to that of yesterday, today’s governance must ensure that growth remains under control and does not breed waste.
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Great leaders
Comments that I find curious, are frequently made in the sense about how not so long ago, we had “great” leaders in Europe with a “vision” about its future. Today’s leaders, we are told, lack the sparkle of a real life-giving vision as well as the ideas to thrust it forward. They are incapable of giving a direction towards which the continent should strive.
Names from the past get mentioned with glory. Some should be admired, others less so. Kohl, Mitterrand, Chirac, Schroeder, Thatcher, Blair and so on…
For then again one has to note: these leaders with a “vision” did indeed launch their projects and did indeed carry them out. But how far did they project their calculations in order to foresee the consequences of the future they were envisaging?
It hardly seems as if they gave enough attention to this matter.
So does it make sense that they now get bracketed as heroes while their successors, who have had to cope with the consequences of what resulted from their decisions, must be considered as less than inadequate?
On matters such as the enlargement of the EU undertaken in the 1990’s, and then the establishment of the eurozone, such a question is surely justified in view of the events that followed.
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Manwel Gellel
Last summer, I read Ġuże Cardona’s “forgotten” novel Manwel Gellel. As of now, it was for me one of this year’s best reading experiences. It had been a long time since I wanted to go through it but finding an extant copy of the book is difficult. It was only published in serial form by It-Torċa way back in 1962.
Most just do not know it exists. As a boy, I heard it being read on cable radio by Charles Arrigo and found it fascinating. Reading it again today, the salient question was: would it still have quite the same impact today?
To be sure, one can hardly claim that the novel is an outstanding masterpiece. After all, it was the first novel that Cardona, who was my Maltese language teacher at the Lyceum secondary school in Hamrun, wrote and published. But it contains elements that have full value.
The SKS publishing house will soon be issuing a new edition. I hope it will be given the attention it deserves by the reading public.
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