Parlament imċekken?

Aktar ma jgħaddi ż-żmien, aktar qed issir rilevanti l-mistoqsija: ir-rwol tal-Parlament qed ikompli jiċkien fil-ħajja nazzjonali? Donnu li l-Parlament sar jiswa l-piż tiegħu fl-istituzzjonijiet, biss fi żmien xi mozzjoni ta’ fiduċja fil-gvern tal-ġurnata li tiddependi minn kif se jmur il-vot ta’ deputat jew ieħor.
Jekk dan hu l-veru kejl tal-importanza tal-Parlament, l-istituzzjoni ftit li xejn tiswa bħalissa, għax il-gvern jibbenefika minn maġġoranza dominanti fil-Kamra.
Biss, hemm funzjonijiet oħra ta’ skrutinju essenzjali li l-Parlament jibqa’ jipposjedi. Problema hi li ftit li xejn saret tingħata attenzjoni għal x’qed jintqal fih. Issa tista’ ssegwi mir-radjo u t-televixin kull ma jintqal fih.
Nissuspetta li parti mill-problema ġejja mill-fatt li l-midja tradizzjonali m’għadhomx isegwuh. Mhux f’Malta biss. Snin ilu, fit-“Times” ta’ Londra kienu jingħataw rapporti twal dwar x’ġara fil-House of Commons. Mhux aktar.
Il-fatt li kulħadd jista’ jsegwih direttament, paradossalment, naqqas l-interess fil-Parlament, għax ħadd m’għadu jirrapportah. U l-ħidma tal-politikanti titkebbes l-aktar meta ssib publiċità effettiva.
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L-INVESTIMENT CRANE
Taħseb x’taħseb dwar l-investiment tal-kumpanija Crane u kif sar, ħaġa waħda għandha tkun ċara għal kulħadd: għandu jsir kull ma hemm bżonn isir biex l-investiment jirnexxi.
L-aħħar ċifri ekonomiċi jikkonfermaw kif l-industrija f’pajjiżna baqgħet tiċkien, anke waqt li l-bqija tal-ekonomija rrankat ’il quddiem.
Fl-importanza, il-gvern qabbel l-investiment Crane, ma’ dak li sar fil-bidu tas-snin tmenin bl-investiment tal-ST, dak iż-żmien SGS Ates, kumpanija li għadha fost l-ewlenin fil-qasam industrijali Malti. Jien kont preżenti fit-tnissil u t-twelid tal-SGS, bħala Deputat Chairman Eżekuttiv tal-Malta Enterprise ta’ dak iż-żmien – il-Malta Development Corporation.
Regola tad-deheb li ssettjajna u żammejna kienet li kull ħaġa li ġiet miftehma, titwettaq fil-ħin u kif miftiehem. Hemm bżonn li jsir l-istess ma’ Crane. Dewmien fuq dak li jkun ippjanat – bħal ma ġara bil-power station il-ġdida tal-gass – bl-ebda mod m’għandu jitħalla jiġri.
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BIŻARR
M’hemmx kelma oħra biex tiddeskrivi x’inhu jseħħ fl-Istati Uniti kemm ilu li Donald Trump ġie elett President: biżarr.
Saru kummenti, stqarrijiet mill-istess President elett, manuvri diplomatiċi, tbassir, nominazzjonijiet ta’ uffiċjali għolja fl-amministrazzjoni l-ġdida li ħallew lil ħafna imherwla. Mhux l-anqas meta fin-nofs, tpoġġew ħsibijiet dwar miri li għandhom jinżammu fil-qasam tal-konfront nukleari bejn il-potenzi kbar.
Biex tagħqad, informazzjoni – jew diżinformazzjoni – li ħarġet dwar kif sar indħil fl-elezzjoni Amerikana minn aġenti barranin, lili talanqas, fakkruni fil-kitba ta’ awtur satiriku Amerikan. Mas-snin spiċċa pjuttost minsi u sottovalutat: Richard Condon – u fuq quddiem, ir-rumanz tiegħu “The Manchurian Candidate”.

English Version – A diminished parliament?

With the years, the question is becoming more relevant about whether the role of Parliament has diminished further in the nation’s life. It seems as if the only time that Parliament assumes significance within the institutional set-up, is when some confidence motion in the government of the day arises whose outcome depends on the vote of this or that MP.

If that is the true measure of Parliament’s importance, then at present the institution lacks weight. The government benefits from a dominant majority in the House.

Still, Parliament possesses other essential functions of scrutiny in our democratic system. The problem is that little to no attention is being given to what is said within its walls. Yet, you can follow all that is being said directly, via radio and television.

My hunch is that the problem partly derives from the fact that traditional media no longer trail Parliament’s activities. Not just in Malta. Years ago, the London “Times” would publish lengthy reports about what was happening in the House of Commons on a daily basis. Not any more.

Paradoxically, the fact that one and all can directly follow the parliamentary game, has lowered interest in parliamentary affairs, because no one reports on them any more. And the endeavours of politicians mostly get drive when they are being effectively publicised.

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The Crane investment

Whatever you wish to believe about the investment being made by the Crane company, and how it is being accomplished, one objective should be clear to everybody: all that needs to be done to get the investment going successfully, should be done.

The latest economic statistics confirm that the industrial sector in this country remains in decline, even if overall, economic growth has accellerated.

The government itself has compared the Crane investment to the one registered at the beginning of the eighties decade in the previous century by the ST – then known as SGS Ates – project. The latter’s a company that since then, has retained a leading role in the Maltese industrial sector. I was there when SGS was being born and delivered – as deputy executive chairman of Malta Enterprise, then called the Malta Development Corporation.

We set and observed a golden rule: anything that was agreed needed to be implemented in time and according to agreement. The same must happen with Crane. Delays on what has been planned – as happened with the new gas power plant – should be subject to zero tolerance.

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Bizarre

There’s hardly a better word by which to describe what has been going on in the US since Donald Trump’s election than “bizarre”.

There have been comments, statements by the President-elect himself, diplomatic manoeuvres, nominations to high office in the incoming administration which have left many observers confused. Not least this happened when ideas were upfronted regarding the aims which should be targeted in a nuclear competition between top powers.

Even worse, information – or maybe disinformation – that was conveyed regarding interference by outside agents in the American electoral process reminded me, at least, of the fiction published by a satirical American novelist. Over the years, he has been rather forgotten, not to say underestimated: Richard Condon – and best of all, his novel “The Manchurian Candidate”.