Irridu nanalizzaw ir-riżultati tar-referendum ta’ Tsipras b’mod li jpoġġi ċar x’kienu u x’inhuma l-għażliet quddiem il-poplu Grieg – u l-popli tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Dan jista’ jsir l-aħjar billi nirriflettu dwar numru ta’ mistoqsijiet li jiċċaraw kif iż-żona tal-ewro waslet sa fejn waslet illum.

L-ewwel nett: Ir-referendum kien tassew dwar jekk il-Greċja għandhiex tibqa’ fiż-żona ewro u fl-Unjoni Ewropea? Jew kien ġudizzju dwar kif il-poplu Grieg ġie ttrattat sa issa bil-pjani ta’ “salvataġġ” li tħaddmu biex “jgħinu” lill-Greċja?

–Ir-riżultat tar-referendum juri sa fejn lest jasal il-poplu Grieg biex jiddefendi l-pożizzjoni tiegħu waqt li jibqa’ parti mill-Unjoni Ewropea?

–Ir-referendum kien għażla bejn politika ta’ awsterità li tħaddmet sa issa f’qafas ta’ suq ħieles u bejn politika li tagħti aktar saħħa lill-istat biex jintervjeni ħalli jilqa’ għall-gwaj soċjali?

Tweġibiet ċari għandhom jiggwidawna lejn għarfien ġust u korrett ta’ referendum mhux mistenni li heżżeż il-pedamenti li fuqhom inbniet l-Ewropa tal-lum.

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Pensjonijiet

Il-pensjonanti li jargumentaw kif jeħtieġ issir reviżjoni tal-qagħda ta’ dawk fosthom bl-anqas dħul għandhom raġun. Konvint li l-gvern se jkun qiegħed jara kif jista’ jilqa’ għat-talbiet tagħhom b’mod pożittiv.

Fl-aħħar għoxrin sena u aktar, kif żviluppaw l-affarijiet, il-pensjonanti li l-anqas huma vantaġġjati, komplew jaqgħu lura. Fi żmien bħal tal-lum, fejn l-ekonomija rrankat, wieħed jista’ jagħtihom rimedju. Ħaġa bħal din trid issir b’għaqal biex ma jinħolqux żbilanċi qawwija ’l quddiem. M’għandux ikun hemm problema dwar hekk.

U wasal iż-żmien biex il-pensjonanti tas-Servizzi Inglizi jingħataw raġun f’dak li ilhom jitolbu, jiġifieri li l-pensjoni ta’ żewġ terzi li jieħdu taħt il-liġi Maltija tkun separata mill-pensjoni li kien ħallsu għaliha bħala impjegati tal-gvern Ingliż.

Bejn l-1996 u l-1998, konna tlaqna fit-triq li nagħmlu hekk. Tal-PN wegħdu li se jkomplu fl-istess triq. Ma żammewx il-wegħda.

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T-shirt

Dwar il-ministru Joe Mizzi tqajmu l-irwiefen għax mar jivvota l-Parlament b’T-shirt. Qisu għamel xi dnub mejjet kontra d-dinjità tal-Parlament.

Jidneb kontra din id-dinjità min jieħu l-ħidma parlamentari bħala logħba ta’ kliem u parenzi. Issa jekk hemm xi ħadd fil-Parlament tal-bieraħ u tal-lum li dejjem stinka biex iżomm għaddejja l-ħidma parlamentari u kien lest jagħti kull ħin meħtieġ biex titwettaq kif imiss, hu Mizzi. Taqbel jew ma taqbilx mal-istil tiegħu, ħaġa bħal din ma tistax tiċħadhielu.

Tassew li wħud minna jedhew filli jfittxu x-xagħra fl-għaġina: l-aqwa li jirredikolaw, mingħalihom, lil min ikun aktar serju minn kull ħaddieħor fit-twettiq tal-veri dmirijiet pubbliċi li tagħhom ikun responsabbli.

 

English Version – Post referendum

The results of the Tsipras referendum need to be assessed in a way that brings out clearly the meaning of the choices which the Greek people – as well as the peoples of the European Union – faced and are facing. This could best be done by considering some questions that clarify how the euro zone has reached the current stage of proceedings.

First of all: Was the referendum truly about whether Greece should remain a member of the euro zone and the EU? Or was it a verdict regarding how the Greek people were treated up to now under the various “bail-out” plans designed to “help” Greece?

–Does the referendum result show to what extent the Greeks as a people are prepared to defend their position while remaining part of the EU?

–Was the referendum a choice between austerity policies carried though up to now in a free market context, and other policies that would give the state a greater say to intervene and remedy social malfunctions?

Clear replies to such questions would lead to a fair and correct understanding of a surprise referendum that has shaken the foundations on which Europe has been premised up to now.

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Pensions

Pensioners are right to argue that the situation in which are placed those among them with lower incomes, needs to be reviewed.. I am sure that the government will be considering their request positively.

During at least the past twenty years, matters have developed in such a way that pensioners on the lower income side of the scale continued to lose out. Now that the economy is growing healthily, the time has come for them to be given comfort. This has got to be done with care, so as not to create serious imbalances in the future. There should be no problem to achieve such a reform.

And the time has come too for ex-British services pensioners to get satisfaction on a longstanding claim: they want the two thirds pension they receive under Maltese law to be considered separately from the pension they get as ex-employees of the British government, and for which they had paid separate contributions.

Between 1996 and 1998, we had started to move towards this objective. The PN promised they would continue the process but went back on their word.

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T shirt

Controversy raged because minister Joe Mizzi went to vote in Parliament sporting a T shirt. He was accused of having undermined the dignity of Parliament.

Yet the dignity of Parliament is really undermined when parliamentary activity is reduced to a game of verbiage and show. Now if there is a member of Parliament who in the past and today, always endeavored to keep parliamentary work on track and was prepared to spend as much time as needed to ensure that this happened, it is Mizzi. You cannot fault him on such an issue, whether you agree or disagree with his style.

The truth is that some people are prepared to nitpick so long as they can ridicule, they believe, those who carry out the public duties for which they are responsible with the utmost dedication.

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