Wieħed ma jista’ bl-ebda mod jiċħad li l-gvern għamel ħafna, biex ma ngħidx minn kollox, ħalli jilqa’ u jtaffi għall-problemi soċjali li jeżistu fil-pajjiż, bħal ma jeżistu f’kull pajjiż. Il-mistoqsija dejjem tkun jekk irnexxilux f’dan l-impenn.
Il-fatt hu li f’budget wara l-ieħor, ittieħdu miżuri ffokati bil-galbu u b’intelliġenza, ngħid jien, ħalli jintlaħqu miri soċjali preċiżi, li fil-firxa tagħhom kienu varjati.
Nissuspetta madankollu li problema ewlenija f’dan kollu qed tkun din: minħabba t-tkabbir ekonomiku qawwi ħafna li ġarrabna fl-aħħar snin, il-problemi soċjali qed jiskattaw b’mod differenti minn qabel, mod li ma jistax jitbassar jew jitqies talli hu, peress li jkun ġdid għal kollox fis-soċjetà tagħna.
Allura la l-gvern u wisq anqas iċ-ċittadini ma jagħrfu fil-ħin kif qamet problema soċjali ġdida li jeħtieġ tiġi konfrontata. Anqas u anqas ikun faċli f’sitwazzjoni hekk biex tiżviluppa f’qasir żmien l-għodod li bihom dan jista’ jsir.
AKTAR DWAR REGĦBA
Ħabib bagħat kumment dwar l-aħħar blogg fejn semmejt ir-regħba.
Fakkarni f’rakkont ta’ Tolstoj (?) dwar dil-biċċa:
Fil-Punent tal-Amerika meta dat-territorju kien qed jimtela’ b’nies ta’ wiċċ bajdani li riedu jakkapparraw l-art “battala” akkost ta’ kollox, kap tal-Indjani għamel wegħda lil wieħed minnhom. Kien lest jagħtih l-art kollha li jilħaq jiġri matulha mis-sebħ sa nżul ix-xemx, bil-patt li fl-aħħar irid jasal lura minn fejn telaq. Hekk għamel dak ta’ wiċċ bajdani u ġera kemm felaħ biex jakkapparra artijiet kbar.
Tard wisq induna li x-xemx bdiet nieżla u li tbiegħed qatigħ minn fejn telaq. Bħal iddisprat ġera lura u tant tħabat li nfileġ u miet zobtu hekk kif wasal sal-punt tat-tluq.
Qal il-kap tal-Indjani: L-art mela li kellu bżonn dal-wiċċ bajdani kienu s-sitt piedi li se nidfnuh fihom.
GIBRALTAR
L-aħħar skoss fil-fażi tan-negozjati dwar il-Brexit li għadha kemm intemmet inqala’ dwar Gibraltar. Il-gvern Spanjol qies li messha ngħatat aktar attenzjoni għall-pożizzjoni Spanjola dwar il-Blata, meqjusa mill-Ispanjoli bħala parti mit-territorju tagħhom. Bħal fil-każ tal-Irlanda, is-sħubija tar-Renju Unit fl-Unjoni Ewropea kienet berdet il-kontroversji dwar dil-ħaġa.
Issa Gibraltar se jispiċċa barra mit-teritorju tal-Unjoni u teorikament, trid tissaħħaħ il-fruntiera bejnu u Spanja.
Mhijiex ħaġa żgura li l-kompromess tal-aħħar minuta li nstab se jibqa’ jgħodd fit-tieni fażi tan-negozjati, li suppost tittratta l-aktar dwar ir-relazzjoni futura bejn ir-Renju Unit u l-Unjoni.
Il-kwistjoni tista’ tolqotna mill-qrib. Apparti milli joqogħdu f’Gibraltar dixxendenti ta’ familji Maltin, ditti li jinsabu mwaqqfa hemm jitħajru jew le imorru f’imkejjen oħra, skont il-futur li jiġi deċiż għall-Blata.
English Version – Social concerns
There’s no way one can deny that the government has done a lot, indeed all it could, to counter and solve social problems that exist here like they do everywhere else. Questions always remain whether this commitment has met with enough success.
The fact is that in budget after budget, measures adopted were prudently and, in my view, intelligently focussed to deliver on precise social goals ranging over a widely varied field.
However, I suspect that a main problem which has emerged goes as follows: Due to the strong growth rates experienced in recent years, social problems are developing differently from how they did in the past, and in ways that cannot be foreseen or correctly understood, since they arise from social conditions that are completely new.
If so, the government and even less the man in the street could fail to recognize in time how social problems that need to be faced have actually arisen. It also becomes less and less easy, given this situation, to design in quick time, the tools that would allow such problems to be cleared.
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More on greed
A friend sent a comment on the subject of greed, mentioned in the blog previous to this.
He reminded me of a short story by Tolstoy (?):
In the American West when the territory was attracting many Palefaces wanting at all costs to own those “empty” lands, an Indian Chief made a promise to one of them. He would give him possession of all the land he could cover by running between dawn and sunset, provided that he would end his run just where he started it. The Paleface did as suggested and ran as far as he could to acquire as many broad stretches of land as possible.
Too late he realised that the sun was setting and that he was far away from where he had left. Desperately he ran back and kept straining so hard that his heart gave out. He died on reaching the starting line.
The Indian Chief declared: So the land that this Paleface really needed was the six feet of earth in which we shall bury him.
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Gibraltar
The final hurdle to arise in the phase that has just been concluded in the Brexit negotiations, related to Gibraltar. The Spanish government considered that more attention should have been given to its stand over the Rock, considered by Spain as an integral part of its territory. As in the case of Ireland, UK membership of the EU had muted controversies over this issue.
Now, Gibraltar will be exiting from Union territory and theoretically, the frontier between it and Spain should harden.
It is not clear that the last-minute compromise found will carry over into the second phase of negotiations, that should mostly concern the future relationship between the UK and the Union.
The matter could have a direct impact on Malta. Quite a number of Gibraltar residents are descendants of Maltese families. Beyond this, firms established on the Rock will be attracted to relocate or otherwise, according to the future that will be decided for it.
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