Ħaddiema minn barra

Intqal dan l-aħħar li fis-snin li ġejjin, l-ekonomija Maltija trid tkun lesta tilqa’ eluf ta’ ħaddiema minn barra ħalli tlaħħaq mal-prospetti ta’ tkabbir ekonomiku li jinsabu quddiemha. Ġejna assigurati li dan ftit jista’ joħloq taqlib soċjali għax dil-ħaġa ġrat fl-aħħar snin u ħlief għal żieda fil-prezz tal-kirjiet, ftit tqanqlu problemi finanzjarji jew soċjali. Fuq kollox, il-ħaddiema li importajna, wara ftit taż-żmien fostna, telqu ’l barra. Ħallsu t-taxxi tagħna u ma baqgħux hawn biex jibbenefikaw minn xi pensjoni.
Għadni dubjuż dwar dan ix-xenarju. Allura pajjiżna se jispiċċa qisu wieħed tal-Golf Għarbi, jiddependi fuq riżorsi umani transitorji biex isostni rankatura ekonomika li ma jafx fejn se twassal?
L-istatistika turi li hemm oqsma fl-ekonomija tagħna fejn qed noperaw bi produttività baxxa għal baxxa ħafna. F’oħrajn jew anke fl-istess setturi, hemm wisq impjegati biex iwettqu ftit xogħol.
Forsi l-priorità għandha tkun politika tat-tul li tfittex biex iżżid il-produttività f’oqsma fejn din hi baxxa u biex iseħħ ċaqliq ta’ impjegati minn setturi fejn hemm nuqqas ta’ xogħol għal oqsma fejn hemm nuqqas ta’ ħaddiema?
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ĊIKLISTI
Il-ħtieġa għal aktar attenzjoni minn sewwieqa għall-ħarsien taċ-ċiklisti fit-toroq tagħna trid tiġi emfasiżżata aktar. Ukoll, il-modi kif it-toroq u r-regoli tas-sewqan huma organizzati f’pajjiżna jeħtieġ li jiġu mtejba ħalli jagħtu aktar protezzjoni u faċilità liċ-ċiklisti.
Min-naħa tagħhom madankollu, dawk li joħorġu jsuqu fuq bicycle jeħtieġ juru huma wkoll sens komun u prudenza. Ħafna jagħmlu hekk. Imma mhux kulħadd.
Eżempji li rajt dan l-aħħar: ċiklista għaddej minn triq dejqa fejn hemm traffiku sew kontra d-direzzjoni unika indikata; ċiklist f’ħin meta l-għabex qed isir dlam, jaqsam salib it-toroq traffikuż bla dawl ta’ xejn; ċiklist li jiġi jitmellaħ mid-dawl aħmar biex isuq minn bejn nies li qed jaqsmu minn fuq il-linji żebra.
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X’KEJL?
Sar ħafna diskors dan l-aħħar dwar bint ministru li nħatret f’kariga ġudizjarja minuri. Mhux sew, qalulna; dan jista’ jkun biss eżempju ieħor ta’ nepotiżmu sfaċċat.
Jien nistaqsi lili nnifsi: kif l-istess kejl ma ntużax taħt gvern Nazzjonalista? Pereżempju, meta avukat ġie maħtur Imħallef meta ħuh kien ministru ewlieni tal-kabinett? Kif ma ntużax meta l-istess avukat, issa Imħallef, inħatar Prim Imħallef sentejn wara? Jew meta ftit tas-snin wara terġa’, inħatar Imħallef fil-Qorti Ewropea tal-Ġustizzja? – u dejjem, matul daż-żmien kollu, ħuh kien f’karigi politiċi ewlenin?
Din mhix riflessjoni fuq l-integrità jew il-ħila taż-żewġ aħwa konċernati. Hi riflessjoni fuq id-diskors ta’ dan l-aħħar minn Fariżej kontemporanji.

English Version – Workers from abroad

We were told that in coming years, the Maltese economy should prepare to absorb thousands of workers from abroad in order to sustain the economic growth opportunities that it could generate. We have been assured that this is not likely to create social disequilibria. Inward migration has already occurred in past years, and with the exception of a rise in rents, few financial and social problems emerged. Most importantly, the foreign workers we imported went back home after having lived here for not so long. They paid local taxes but did not stay to benefit from say, some pension or other.

Truth to say, I have my doubts about the scenario that is being proposed. Does it mean that this country will end up like an Arab Gulf state, which depends on transitory human resources to fuel economic surges whose final outcome is unknown?

Statistical data show that some of our economic sectors operate at a low to very low rate of productivity. In other sectors, or even the same ones, too many workers are underemployed.

Perhaps the priority should be to establish a policy for the longterm that would seek to improve productivity in sectors where it is low, and to encourage the shift of workers from sectors having underemployment to others which are experiencing labour shortages.

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Cyclists

Yes, we should stress more strongly the need to protect cyclists commuting along our roads. Also, there is a need to improve the ways by which road traffic and driving methods are regulated, in order to provide cyclists with greater protection and convenience.

On the other hand though, persons who ride a bicycle down Malta’s streets need to demonstrate common sense and prudence. Many do so. Not everybody.

These are some incidents I witnessed quite recently: a cyclist passing wrong way down a narrow one-way street which is usually packed with traffic; just when dusk is turning to night, a cyclist rushing through a congested cross roads with no lights on; a cyclist who completely disregards the red light at an intersection to poke through people proceeding along a zebra crossing.

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Criterion

Comments came fast and furious a while ago because the daughter of a minister was appointed to a minor judicial position. It’s just not on, we were told; this is another example of uncontrolled nepotism.

I just wonder how the same criterion was never mentioned when the PN ran the government. For instance, when a lawyer got appointed judge while his brother was a highranking cabinet minister? Or when the same lawyer, now a judge, was appointed Chief Justice two years later? Or when again, a few years later, the same person was appointed judge in the European Court of Human Rights? – and through all those years, his brother was serving in high level political positions.

This is no comment at all about the integrity or ability of both brothers in the story. It is a reflection on the comments made by today’s Pharisees.