L-isfida Maltija ma nbidlitx. X’għandu jsir biex il-gżejjer tagħna jibqgħu vijabbli ekonomikament waqt li jipprovdu għajxien u kondizzjonijiet soċjali tajba għaċ-ċittadini?
Mill-Indipendenza lil hawn, sibna – ġieli bis-sulluzzu – tweġibiet korretti għall-isfida. Żmantellajna l-emigrazzjoni bħala għodda ta’ politika.
Illum, ħafna jqisu li l-isfida ntgħelbet għal kollox, speċjalment għax ir-riżultati qed ikunu daqstant tajba. Din hi illużjoni.
L-esperjenza tal-imgħoddi turina kemm jinbidlu malajr, għall-aħjar jew għall-agħar, iċ-ċirkostanzi li fihom jiżviluppaw il-ħidmiet li minnhom ngħixu.
Għalhekk, waqt li “ngawdu” minn dak li qed jirnexxi bħalissa, irridu nħejju għal x’jista’ jkollna bżonn minfloku.
Tletin sena ilu, ħadd ma kien ibassar li s-servizzi finanzjarji se jieħdu l-piż li ħadu fl-ekonomija tagħna. Jaqblilna issa li nibdew nistaqsu bis-serjetà x’jista’ jidħol minflokhom.
SPOSSESSATI
Fl-assenza ta’ qrid ekonomiku, l-aqwa kritika li tista’ tuża l-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista tirrigwarda l-governanza tal-pajjiż. Kif ammetta l-istess Prim Ministru, hemm fuq hiex tikkritika.
Uħud jgħidu li l-Oppożizzjoni xorta għandha problema. Meta tqumilha kwistjoni interna, mhijiex tipprattika l-valuri li tipproklama. Ma tistax titwemmen li hi serja.
Biss naħseb li għall-Oppożizzjoni teżisti problema akbar f’dal-qasam. Mhux neċessarjament fuq dak li tgħid, daqskemm fil-mod kif tgħidu.
Il-mexxejja Nazzjonalisti jagħtu wisq l-impressjoni li dak li fil-verità, jkiddhom l-aktar hu li ma jinsabux fit-tmun tal-pajjiz. F’moħħhom, donnu li b’xi dritt divin, kellhom ikunu huma li jmexxu u jibqgħu imexxu, ilbieraħ, illum u għal dejjem. Ma jidhrux bħala riformaturi imma bħala spossessati. B’hekk, il-kritika tagħhom dwar governanza tispiċċa bla melħ.
GĦAQDA BANKARJA
Kieku mhux għax ġara, forsi apposta, fi żmien il-vaganzi tal-aħħar tas-sena, kien iqajjem ferment sħiħ. Is-salvataġġ mill-istat Taljan tal-bank Monte Paschi juri kemm għadu fraġili l-proċess li bih iż-żona tal-ewro qed issaħħaħ l-istrutturi tagħha ta’ ħarsien.
Suppost li qed tinbena għaqda bankarja fejn banek Ewropej ta’ ċerta importanza jkunu sorveljati. Meta jinqalgħulhom diffikoltajiet kbar, ikollhom isegwu ċerti regoli dwar kif se jiġu salvati jew le. Kellha tintrema l-idea li jeżistu xi banek li tant huma importanti, li ma jistgħux jitħallew ifallu akkost li l-gvernijiet joħorġu l-biljuni biex isostnuhom.
Minflok, din l-idea reġa’ qegħda magħna. Kulħadd jaqbel li ma kienx hemm alternattiva. Il-gvern Taljan kellu jsalva lil Monte Paschi.
Fuq quddiem nett, tissemma l-problema ta’ wisq banek li għamlu wisq self li mhuwiex irendi. Iva, dik problema.
Problema akbar hi li affaċċjati b’ekonomiji li mhumiex jirrankaw, il-gvernijiet Ewropej mhumiex jaqblu sa fejn u kemm malajr iridu jwasslu l-għaqda bankarja. Kulħadd jiġbed lejn xawwatu.

English Version – The Maltese Challenge

The challenge facing Malta has hardly changed. What should be done to keep our islands economically viable while ensuring good living and social conditions for citizens?

Since Independence, we’ve been finding off and on correct responses to the challenge, while discarding emigration as a tool of policy.

Today, many believe that the challenge has been overcome once for all, especially as current results are turning out to be so good. That would be an illusion.

Past experience demonstrates how quickly the circumstances which allow us to develop the activities that provide us with a livelihood can change – for the better or for the worse.

So, while “enjoying” the benefits of today’s successes, we should prepare for what we’ll need instead to carry the successes forward.

Thirty years ago, nobody could have foreseen that financial services would become as significant in the economy as they have done. It’s in our interest as of now to start querying seriously what could eventually replace them.

***

Dispossessed

Given that economic woes are largely absent, the major point of criticism and attack available to the Nationalist Opposition relates to issues of governance. As the Prime Minister himself admitted, scope for such criticism exists.

Some say that even so, the Opposition still has a problem with this approach. When it faces internal problems, it does not practise the values it proclaims. Therefore, it cannot be given credence.

And yet I feel that the Opposition has a much deeper problem in this area. Not necessarily regarding what it says, as much as in the way by which it says what it says.

In their expressions and actions, PN leaders give overall the impression that in reality, what really bugs them most is the fact that they are not running the country. From their perspective, they should have been and should be in charge of the country, yesterday, today and for ever, as if by some divine right. Thus, they fail to project themselves as reformers; indeed they come across as members of a dispossessed establishment. That makes their critical remarks about governance sound more like fluff than substance.

***

Banking Union

Had it not happened – perhaps on purpose – during the end of the year holiday, it would have generated a huge fuss. The rescue by the Italian government of the Monte Paschi bank demonstrates the persisting fragility of the process by which the euro zone is trying to reinforce its protective systems.

Supposedly, a banking union is under construction, by which European banks that have so-called systemic significance are held under ongoing surveillance. When big financial problems arise, they have to follow given rules, as a Europe-wide authority assesses whether they should be bailed out or not. In this way, the belief that some banks are too important, too “big”, to be allowed to fail, and that governments need to fork out billions to keep them afloat, would die a natural death.

Well, the idea is still alive and kicking. There is consensus that no other alternative existed. The Italian government had to bail out Monte Paschi.

First of all, have come explanations that underline how too many banks carry too many non-performing loans. Yes, that is a problem.

A bigger one though is that in a situation where economies are still underperforming, European governments still have not agreed about the endpoint of the banking union, and how soon they want to reach it. Their first priority has been, still is, to safeguard their own national interest.

Facebook Comments

Post a comment