Despite years of restructuring where our national airline has seen the shedding of practically all its subsidiaries to concentrate on it core business, the company is still not out of the woods. The reasons for this are various and they need to be highlighted in order to understand what solutions are needed to help the company to remain airborne.

The bad strategic decisions taken by the Nationalist administration in the nineties have undoubtedly weighed heavily on the performance on our airline in the past two decades. First there was the scandalous way in which the company procured a number of Avro aircraft that were not only completely unsuitable for the needs of our airline, but also far too expensive. Despite technical advice against the proposal to buy these aircraft the Nationalist government gave the green lights to the management of Air Malta to go ahead with this disastrous decision.

When Air Malta found that it was no longer feasible to keep using these aircraft they leased them to Azzurra Air a subsidiary operating from Bergamo in Italy. We all know how Azzurra drained the financial resources of Air Malta for several years before it was unceremoniously closed down some years ago.

The general difficult economic climate in the last few years has created great difficulties for many airlines including Swiss Air, Alitalia and Sabena and recently even Jal airlines. International terrorism, the escalating cost of fuel, and economic recessions made it difficult for most airlines to break even and they have had to depend increasingly on their respective governments to bail them out a number of times.

The introduction of low cost airlines like Ryan Air and  EasyJet eroded the client base of most traditional national airlines who often had to maintain routes that were not commercially viable but where needed to promote easy connectivity in the more important European areas.

In the case of Air Malta it has to keep the Gozo helicopter service going for a number of years even if it was not commercially viable. It also had to keep some uneconomic routes open to promote tourism form destinations that were considered of strategic importance for our tourism industry.

The schemes aimed at reducing costs were rarely successful enough to encourage workers to take voluntary early retirement. The result is that today the running cost of our airline remain high and there are no clear plans on how these costs are going to be rationalised.

The risk that the company is facing is that the present administration will exploit this situation to throw away the baby with the bath water. One hopes that the current rumours that the government plans to divest from Air Malta and leave private investors to continue with the restructuring process is just a rumour.

No private investor can even have the commitment that is needed to continue to use our national airline as a means to promote tourism. Those who promote laissez faire on the conviction that the market is always right and a privatised Air Malta will achieve the success that is eluding it now that it is owned by the state are obviously mistaken.

The current worldwide economic crisis has shown that when push comes to shove responsible governments do not shy away from taking drastic action to protect national interests. Such actions undertakes recently  included directly and or indirectly re-nationalisation of important industries including banks and airlines.

This is the attitude that we expect the government to take to save Air Malta form the hands of speculators. Economic patriotism is fashionable again and we have no problem supporting our government when it practices this pragmatic economic strategy as larger countries like France are already doing.

So let us all unite to keep Air Malta airborne while continuing to improve its performance by further changes in the way is managed. Our national airline is too important to let it be devoured by voracious speculators whose only interest is lining their deep pockets.

Dr Charles  Mangion

In his press conference on the second anniversary of the current legislature, the Prime Minister once again painted a rosy picture of what he believes are his achievements. We rejoice and celebrate the occasional real good news that relates to initiatives that could create jobs and economic prosperity. The announcement of another pharmaceutical company setting up in Malta and the Ryanair agreement are indeed most welcome. The PL hopes that there will be more of these rare sparks of brightness in an otherwise bleak economic scenario.

But there are other realities that the Prime Minister and his dysfunctional team prefer to ignore or distort with endless hype and happy talk. The water and electricity tariffs are one such example. Rather than rubbish those who are clearly indicating that the way these tariffs are being calculated by Enemalta is unfair and inequitable, Minister Gatt should for once have the humility to admit that his government is hiding his past and present mismanagement of our energy policy.

It now transpires that Enemalta has a total debt burden of € 450 million. It is also more than clear that the lack of capital investment in our energy services in the past two decades is being remedied by increasing the present tariffs with an unreasonable premium to cover the investment that can no longer be postponed. The cost of this economic mismanagement has to be paid by the long suffering families and businesses that continue to struggle to survive.

The performance of this administration in the area of health care is no less shameful. After building a hospital that ended costing more than double what it should have cost, we now have 20,000 people waiting for important surgery at our Mater Dei hospital. Yet, we are told that most of the problems in our health service are the fault of people who dump their elderly relatives at Mater Dei. We won’t be surprised if now the government will rope in the police to forcibly return elderly patients to their homes. This is the state of the art health care service that this government is providing for our people.

Our educational system is another victim of this administration’s incompetence. After all these years of Nationalist leadership in the field of education we still have the highest rate in the EU of students leaving the educational system without any skills or qualifications. The hype about how much money we are spending on education only confirms how this government has got its strategies on education wrong.

If success had to be measured by the amount of money one spends on resolving a problem than no doubt this government would have been very successful in the field of education. But the hard reality is that success in education is measured by the ability of our young people to find jobs and personal fulfilment as a result of their educational achievement.

With youth unemployment being as high as it is, and with the number of unqualified young people staying unacceptably high, the Gonzi administration should no longer resort to happy talk to hide its failures in the field of education.

With our rate of unemployment continuing to near all time highs, with a decrease of 1.800 full time jobs in 2009, with the queue of long-term unemployed continuing to increase, no hype about this government’s commitment to focus on job creation can be credible. Those affected by unemployment deserve better than being fed false hope for a brighter future.

The Prime Minister will no doubt continue to accuse the PL Opposition that we are ‘downers’ and preachers of doom and gloom. But we know what people are feeling, especially those who are experiencing a steady deterioration in their quality of life because of excessive burdens placed by the Gonzi administration on their families.

Our loyalty as a responsible Opposition is to these decent people who have been so let down by this government that has promised so much and delivered so little.

Dr Charels Mangion

Shadow minister Finance PL

The massive increases in family and business water and electricity bills as from January 2010 have become necessary not so much because of uncontrollable movements in the price of crude oil, but because the government has so badly mismanaged the both the provision of energy services and public finances in general.

There is almost unanimous agreement that the price of services provided by government should reflect the cost producing these services. It is a fact that crude and fuel oil fluctuations have become a reality that we need to manage constantly. But it is an equally important reality that there are important factors that determine the final price of energy services. We continue to be sceptical about the way Enemalta is managing these other costs.

The way Enemalta procures its oil supplies is still far from being transparent. So far we have not seen an independent management audit that confirms that our energy corporation is in fact procuring oil at the most advantageous prices. The link between crude oil prices and the prices of energy services depending on fuel is flimsy at best and outright unconvincing at worst.

Equally unconvincing and unacceptable is the fact hat Enemalta is trying to make good for past and present management inefficiencies by passing on the cost of such inefficiencies to the consumer. Year of neglect in investment have brought the corporation in a state where it now has to invest massively just to guarantee the supply of electricity to households and businesses. The Water Services Corporation is similarly engaging in crisis management at high cost for consumers.

The withdrawal of government subsidies from Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation was done at the worst possible time – at the peak of a recession that has already depressed the disposable income of households and businesses alike. Rather than stimulate a recovery by increasing the purchasing power of families the Gonzi administration has resorted to austerity measures that are proving to be lethal shocks to economic stability. At the same time that the government has withdrawn subsidies, Enemalta  has also sold of its only lucrative arm namely the petrolium division. The latter had  always registered a profit which normally would go to  alleviate the losses suffered by the electricity division .

The mismanagement of public finances in the last several years have meant that now that we are going through one of the worst recession in the last three decades the government has lost its ability to manoeuvre its way out of this tight corner. When the going was relatively good for our economy the government squandered taxpayers money by overspending (well in excess of budgeted costs) on big ticket projects like the Mater day hospital.

We have now entered a vicious circle where our cost of financing the national debt, that has now reached almost €4 billion, is eating away a large chunk of the government’s income. When interest rates go up, as they will have to do sooner or later, the problem of financing the national debt will become even more serious.

As if the increases in the tariffs of water and electricity were not shocking enough, the price of bottled gas has also gone through the roof. The fact that the gas provision service has been privatised does not exonerate government from the responsibility for the damage that these unreasonable increases are causing to our families.

The Labour Opposition did and will continue to do its duty inside and outside Parliament to shake the government out of its arrogance and insensitivity for the pain that some many are suffering. We will continue to support anyone who takes any initiative to bring the suffering of various sectors of our society on the national political agenda.

What our economy needs at present is a stimulus package to promote growth and job creation and not lethal shocks that stun economic growth and depresses the already downbeat mood of our people. This is why we will continue to act as a loyal Opposition to protect the interests of the many against the arrogance and insensitivity of the few.

Dr Charles Mangion

Shadow minister Finance .

Hafna niex ghandhom l-impresjoni svaljata li dan ilKumitata huwa xi Bord ta Inkjesta .ma hux ilkas ghall skond Standin Order 120E subincis a,b,u c , il poteri tal Kumitat jaslu biss biex jiflu u jesaminaw materji li ghandhim x’jaqsmu ma kontijiet publici u nefqiet tal flus publici. Jekk fil process ta tali esami tinsab xi irregolarita  irid jkun ilGvern tal gurnata li jagixxi u jmexxi permezz ta inkjesta magisterjali jew li jiehu misuri dixxiplinari . L-iskrutinju  tal Kumitat ghall kontijiet jwassal biex jissolleva nuqqasijiet u jattribwixxi responsabilitajiet imma kull procedura ulterjuri trid tkun esegwita mill Gvern tal gurnata . Apparti x-xoghol ta skrutinju IL-PAC jista jitlob li jsiru rapporti fuq nefqa pubblika jew proceduri li jinvolvu nefqiet ta mill-fondi pubblici.

Fil fatt fuq insitgazjoni tieghi fil Kumitat tal Kontijiet Publici  lawditur gie mitlub jaghmel rapport fuq l-ghotjat al kuntratt tal Power staion il gdida  rapport li certament qed jkun mistenni minhabba il portat tieghu. Fil passat qarib ilkumitat kien talab lill Awditur jaghmel w kjoll rapporti dwar l-ghotjat diretc orders flSptar mater dei qabel l-elezjoni fejn minkejja li lawditur irraporta li dawn ma kienux skond proceduri stabiliti l-priministru minflokk agixxa fuq ir rappor tal awditur stqarr publikament li id direct orders kienu decisjoni tieghu ghax hekk hass li kien hemm bzonn .Similiment meta Il Pac kien iddiskuta ir rapport tal azwditur dwar ir radju Mediterrean immexxi minnlex deputat nazjonaslita Richard Muscat  u kienu gew sollevati diversi nuqqasijiet kull pass iehor ta investigazjoni li gie prpost minn naha ta minoranza laburista fil Kumitat gie imblukkat peress li Il maggioranza tal Gvern ivvutat kontra .

Pero minkejja dan IL-PAC  ghandhu validita ghax id dmir tieghu skond il ligi huwa li jiskritinja ujespopni in nuqqasijiet  kif wkoll li jindika ir responsablita fuq minn taqa fl –amministrazjioni Publika. Fl-ahhar pero tali responsabilita irid igorra il politku . Dan huwa punt imporatnti hafna f’dik li hija kontabilita reposnabilita u good governance fi tmexxija publika. Jekk ma jkunx hemm il volonta politka ta tmexxija tajba efficjenti u responsabli laffarijiet ma jinbidlhux.

L-ahhar rapport tal awditur ghas sena 2008 jerga jisspoleva il pobl;ema li kienu raportati snin precedenti .Dan juri li minkejja dak diskuss xorta jibqa il fatt li minn jkun qed jamministra jonqos xi kultat bil goff. Ir rapport tal awditur jissotolinja fost dipartimenti partikulari lsptar ta gHawdex u iministeru ta Ambjent u affarijiet rurali apparti dipartimenti ohra. Xi zmien ilhu il PAC kien iddiskuta is istwazjoni flSpatr ta ghadex. GHall perjodu qasir laffarijiet  bdew jionbidklu imma wara kollox rega mar kif kioen kif jikkonferma l ahhar rapport tal awditur. Huwa ilgvern u primarjament it Ministeru tal Finanzi u L-officju tal Prim inistru li jridu jinsistu fuq tmexxija gusta u reposnabli u jiehu r responsabilita li jaffetwawa.

Ghlal dawn itt lett xhur li gejjien ilKumitat kif habbar il bierah ghandhu programm interessanti ta hidma kemm fuq ir rapport tal awditur kif wkoll fuq materji ta importanza partikulari bhala ma huwa id diskusjoni dwar Accrual Accounting –sistema li ilha hafna snin li nbiet u ghada fi stadju prem,atur hafna fl Aministrazjoni pubblika u rapport ta Price Water House Cooper dwar il Fairmount .

Fl –esperjenza tieghi ta diversi snin fil Pac nemmen li dan il Kumitat parlamentari bhal Kumitati ohra jaghtmel hafna hidma siewja. Nemmen wkoll li nistu naggiornawh wkoll u ntejbuh  fuq lesperjenza li giet kwadanjata .  L ispkop ta PAC mah ux biex jikkastiga li xi impjegat Imma liskpop tieghu huwa li itjjeb t tmexxija publika issahhah il- principju ta Value for money u jtejjeb lefficjenza u il kontabuilta f lAmministrazjoni Publika. Is suggeriment dfejjem isiru u dan bi qbil anke mill membri tal Gvern pero l-implimenatzjoni taghhom li tigi bl- imp[enn politku ta min imexxi  tkun hafna drabi nieqsa . Din ir responsablita politka fl-ahhar minn la hhar taqa fuq ilPrim ministru tal gurnata.

Dr .Charles  Mangion

Bara minn hekk, fid-diskors tieghu il Ministru Fenech lanqas biss ghamel refernza ghaz-zidiet fit- tariffi tad-dawl u l-ilma,  liema zidiet ser ikollhom l-effett li jannulaw kompletament il-benficcji introdotti fil-Budget biex jghinu l-attivita ekonomika fil-pajjiz.

It-tarfiffi ser jisssarfu f’ piz ta €88 miljun fuq l-operat ekonomiku u fuq il-familji u dan il-piz millewwel jannula kull element pozittiv li certu mizuri setghu jhallu kieku kellhom jigu implimentati.

Barra minn hekk, il-Gvern qed ikun wkoll ottimist izzejjed dwar id-dhul tieghu.  Il-Gvern qed jikkalkula zieda fid-dhul mill-Vat li qed jghid ser tizdied b’ 5% fuq il-figura tal-2008 meta l-ekonomija hija prevista li tikber b’ anqas minn1 fil mija .

L-ekonomija Maltija tinsab f’ricesjoni. Il-hidma tal-Gvern matul din is sena li ghaddiet ma ikkontribwitx biex l-effett tar-ricesjoni internazzjonali jittaffa. L-ahhar cifri li ppubblika l-Ufficcju Nazzjonali ta l-Istatistika (NSO) jikkonfermaw li l-Gvern immexxi minn Dr Lawrence Gonzi qed jimxi bil-maqlub ta’ dak li jistqarr u jwieghed.

Il Prim Ministru kif wkoll il Ministru tal-Finanzi diversi drabi ftahru kemm il-Kummissjoni Ewropeja kienet fahhret lil Malta fil-bidu tas-sena l-ohra ghall-fatt li l-istimolu ekonomiku li kien wieghed fil-Budget ghall-2009 ipprezentat f’Novembru ta l-2008 kellu jkun l-aktar bazat fuq nefqa kapitali. Dan suppost ikollu rendiment akbar ghall-ekonomija tal-pajjiz billi din tmur biex ittejjeb l-infrastruttura u l-ambjent fil-pajjiz. Minn dan l-investiment kapitali produttiv jgawdu minnu mhux biss il-familji Maltin u Ghawdxin, izda anki n-negozji billi dan l-infieq kapitali, jekk kemm-il darba jsir bil-ghaqal, iservi biex itejjeb il-prodott u l-produttivita ta’ pajjizna.

Madanakollu, meta nharsu lejn il-fatti, kif ippubblikati l-NSO illum, insibu li effettivament in-nefqa tal-Gvern fuq progetti ta’ investiment naqset b’€40m, jew b’madwar 37% fl-ewwel disa’ xhur ta l-2009 fuq l-ewwel disa’ xhur ta’ l-2008. Ghaldaqstant, dan juri li fil-prattika il-Gvern mhux qed jistimola l-ekonomija kif kien wieghed u kif qal il-Ministru Tonio Fenech ricentement fil-Parlament, izda qed jaghmel propju bil-maqlub ta’ dak li kien ipprezenta lill-Unjoni Ewropeja bhala pakkett ta’ stimolu.

Meta imqabbel mal-medja fl-Unjoni Ewropeja t-tkabbir ekonomiku  per capita niezel minn 78% tal-medja fis-sena 2007 ghal 76.4% ghas-sena 2008. Dan ifisser li  l-ekonomija Maltija m’ hijiex qieghda tikkonvergi ma’ dik tal-Unjoni Ewropeja, anzi qed taqa’ lura meta komparata ma pajjizi ohra  fosthom Cipru .

Bara minn hekk, ghalkemm ir-rata ta produzjoni tal-haddiema Maltin tikkompara tajjeb ma’ dik ta Cipru  f’dik li hija employment rate,   Malta tinsab ma’ ta l-ahhar.

Dan l-ahhar il Gvernatur tal Bank Centrali kien qal li li it telf fil-kompetittivita ta’ pajjizna huwa dovut ghall-fatt li il pagi zdiedu aktar mill-produttivita matul 2008.  Wiehed ma jistax jaqbel ma tali dikjarazzjoni. Ir-raguni hija seplici. L-istatistika turi li matul dawn l-ahhar erba’ snin z-zieda fil pagi kienet wahda kompetittiva hafna meta mqabbla ma’ dik tal-Unjoni Ewropeja. Effetivament il-pagi f’pajjizna huma biss 44 % tal medja tal-UE. Skond L-Economic Survey ippublikat mill- Gvern iz-zieda rejali tal-pagi keinet wahda neagttiva matul 2009. Mela n-nuqqas ta’ kompetittivita hija attribwibbli ghal fatturi ohra,  primarjament id-decizjoniet tal-Gvern u il burokrazija governattiva.

It-tkabbir ekonomiku u l-valur mizjud ras imbras  (per capita Gdp) jitjieb  billi jissahhu il kapacitajiet u l-hiliet tal-haddiema. Minkejja il-fatt li Malta tonfoq u tinvesti ras ghal ras daqs kemm jinvestu pajjizi Ewropej fl-edukazzjoni, huwa inaccettabli li   f’pajjizna  4 minn kull 10 studenti jispiccaw mis-sistema minghajr hiliet akkademici jew teknici u minghajr futuru. Biex jikkompeti pajjizna jista’ biss jizviluppa r-rizors uman, u ghalehkk hemm bzonn li nevalwaw ghaliex tiprevali tali sitwazzjoni minkejja n-nefqa li ssir kull sena fl-edukazzjoni

Fir-rigward tat-tariffi I-Gvern qed jirrikorri biex jigbor l-ispiza kollha tal-produzzjoni tal- energija minghajr ma jiehu l-passi kollha necessarji biex jelimina l-inefficjenzi.  L-impatt tal-prezzijiet internazzjonli tal-zejt jikkostitwixxi 60 % tal-kontenut tal-prezzijiet tal-prodotti finali. L-40 fil-mija l-ohra huma dawk li jissejhu non fuel costs  (NFC). Dawn huma ikkontrollati mill-Gvern. Jenhtieg li l-pajjiz jkun mgharraf kif qed isir ix-xiri taz-zejt. Kemm qed jkun proattiiv il-Gvern biex jixtri fit- tul bl-ahjar prezzijiet meta tkun tipprevali din s-sitwazjoni fis suq internazjonali. Meta l-prezz kien fl-anqas livell tigehu seta’ sar arrangement dwar il-prezz futur taz-zejt. It-trasparenza f’dan ir rigward hija necessarja. Fil qasam l-iehor li jaqa’ taht il kontroll tal-Gvern, cioe Non fuel Costs, il-Gvern jenhtieg li jhares l-ewwel u qabel kollox l-impatt fuq l-ekonomija. M’ ghandux jimponi l inefficjenzi fuq il-pajjiz u l-familji. Ma jistax jippretendenti li jirkupra l investiment (Return on Capital Employed - ROCE)  b’rarti li huma aktar gholja min dawk li taghmel l-Ingilterra, bhala ezempju . Mhux accetabli ghall l-ekonomija li r-rati huma   fost l-aktar gholja fl Unjoni Ewropeja .

Jidher car li il Gvern ma ghamel l-ebda analizi fuq limpatt socio-ekonomiku tat-tariffi kif imhabbra.

Ghandhu probelma finazjarja ikkawzata mill-polirtika finanzjarja ta’ gervnijiet Nazzjonalistai tul l-ahhar ghoxrin sena li ilum qed taghfas fuq il-Gvern  u Il-pajjiz.  Il-piz tad-dejn kbir li pajjiz ghandu qed  jingarr mill-familji,  is-self employed,  l-operaturti ekonomici ta pajjizna. Mhuix ta’ b’xejn il  l-poplu Malti qed jiftakar dik l-ghajta ta’ ministru Nazzjoalista fi disghinijiet li ‘d-dejn jithallas minn uliedna u ulied uliedna.’

Jidher bic-car li Gvern Nazzjonalista qed jkun ta’ piz u mhux ta’ stimolu ghall-ekonomija Maltija.

Mhux ta b’xejn il-Gvern immexxi minn Dr Gonzi qed ikun ta piz u mhux ta’ fejda ghall-poplu Malti u Ghawdxi.

Dr Charles Mangion

Kelleim Ewlieni Finanzi – Partit Laburista

Il-Partit Laburista mhux qed jitlef iz-zmien teighu fl-oppozizzjoni u qed ihejji ruhu biex meta jkun il-waqt jerga’ jidhol ghar-risponsabbilta li jqajjem dan il-pajjiz fuq saqajh. Bdejna biex ghamilna riformi interni halli titjieb l-efficjenza u titkattar l-ghaqda fost it-tmexxija tal-Partit. Fl-ahhar klnferenza general saru riformi kbar biex il-Partit jibda jappella izjed ghall-elettorat Malti.

L-ideja li l-Partit Laburista jipprogetta ruhu bhala moviment hija intenzjonata biex kull min ihoss li pajjizna ghandu bzonn bidla fid-direzzjoni li mexjin fiha jaghmel allejanza maghna biex din il-bida ssehh. F’ socjeta bhal taghna jkollok hafna  sfumaturi ta’ idejat u twemmin politiku. Izda kulhadd jirejalizza li f’ sistema demokratika t-tibdil politiku, socjali, u ekonomiku  jista’ jsir biss meta jkollok gvern progresiv li jkunu ivvutaw ghalik l-maggorazna tal-poplu Malti.

Kien f’ loku li fit-tmexxija tal-Partit jidhlu numru ta’ ucuh godda – hafna minnhom zghazagh izda bi thejjia professjonali qawwija. Magghom ser jibqghu jimmilitaw numru kibir ta’ attivisti Laburisti f’ kull livell tal-istrutturi tal-partiti – mill-memebri parlamentari, sal-ufficjali politici kif ukoll attivisti semplici li l-ghan ewlieni taghhom hu  li jxandru l-messagg Laburista.

Il-Partit ghamel pass iehor ghaqli biex ixejjen l-ideja li ahna kontra min hu involut fin-negozju. Ghalina kull min jghin biex ikabbar l-ekonomija u jkattar l-impjiegi hu allejat taghna. M’ hemmx servizz socjali akbar minn dak li kull min irid jahdem ikun jista’ jaghmel dan billi jsib impjieg xieraq. Il-holqien tal-gid isir permezz ta’ investiment sew mill-Gvern kif ukoll mis-settur privat. In-negozjanti kbar jew zghir li jinvestu flushom biex ikabbru negozju ser isibu l-appogg tal-Partit Laburista ghax nifhmu l-importanza tal-holqien tal-impjiegi.

Fix-xhur li gejjin il-PL ser jibda jfassal l-politika tieghu ghas-setturi diversi tat-tmexxija ekonomika u socjali. Ser ninvolvu firxa kbira ta’ esperti biex nisimghu l-idjeat taghhom fuq l-ahjar soluzzjonijiet ghall-problemi li qed jhabbat wiccu maghhom pajjizna. Ma nistghu inwieghdu mirakli ghaliex jekk naghmlu hekk inkunu qed nidhqu bin-nies.

Dak li inwieghdu hu impenn car biex b’ energija kbira nergghu nibdew inpoggu l-interessi tal-familji taghna fuq quddiem tal-agenad politika u fil-programm ta’ hidma taghna. Diga qed insibu numru kbir ta’ allejati li lesti jghinuna f’ dan il-progett politiku. Dawn mhux dejjm kienu jaraw ghajn m’ ghajn maghna u forsi gieli ukoll kienu militanti kontra dak li kien jirraprezenta l-Partit Laburista.

Izda izza qed naraw risorgiment ta’ interss f’ agnda politka mibnija fuq ideja progressivi u moderati aktar mill fuq xi idejologia politika. Il-Partit Laburista hu kburi bid-disghin sena ta’ storja li ghandu. Konna protagonisti fis-socjeta Maltija biex noholqu bazi ta’ guztizzja socjali.

Issa irridu naggornaw irwiehna fic-cirkostanzi prezenti tas-socjeta taghna. Irridu inkunu aktar miftuhin ghal idejat u ghal persuni godda biex insiru aktar rilevanti ghas-socjeta Maltija. L-ghan ewlieni ta’ Partit Politku kbir hu li jaqdi lis-socjeta billi jkabbar il-gid u l-prosperita ghal kulhadd. Biex naghmlu dan irridu nifhmu u nhaddnu l-metodi moderni li joholqu l-gid. Irridu li kulhadd ihares ‘l quddiem bil-kuragg u jistinka biex jintlahaq dan laghan komuni. Zgur li ma jkunx facli imma ghandhi fiducja shiha fil polu malti li jirbah kull sfida li tiffacja quddiemu .

Nemmen li ghandna zminijiet sbieh quddiema jekk jirnexxilna nilqghu b’ determinazzjoni l-isfidi difficli li qed jghedduna. Il-moviment li qed jissawwar mit-tmexxxija Laburista ser jikber fis-sahha aktar ma jghaddi z-zmien meta l-poplu jibda jifhem aktar il-bzonn ta’ tigdid fis-socjeta taghna.

Ghalhekk, irridu naghmlu kuragg halli pajjizna kemm jista’ jkun malajr jerga’ jibda t-triq tal-prosperita.

Dr Charles  Mangion

Kelliem ewlieni Ghall Finanzi

The Partit Laburista is back in the business of building bridges with most sectors of Maltese society beyond its traditional core support. After many difficult years of failing to connect sufficiently with large sectors of society the PL leadership has come up with a pragmatic strategy to broaden the ranks of its followers. The PL is now inviting all those who are yearning for political change to join the progressive movement led by Labour. The old paradigm of left / right political ideology is increasingly being discarded in favour of a more pragmatic approach that promotes social values through strong economic performance. This delicate balance is indeed a great challenge especially at a time when economic performance and wealth creation cannot be taken for granted. The moral compass of the PL will always be the one that points at social justice, but this can only function if it is underpinned by a strong economy. It is for this reason that the Labour leader Joseph Muscat has invited all self employed businessmen as well as small and large businesses to look at labour for the solutions to their difficult challenges. The business world and the PL can become natural allies despite any mistrust that may have existed in the past. Those who create wealth need to be appreciated because it is this process that ultimately creates jobs. Over the coming months and years the Business Forum set up by the PL leader will dialogue with the business community to ensure that in the formulation of its policy the PL will create the right environment to promote business growth. The latest PL party conference did not shy away from raising sensitive issues that affects different sectors of our society. The question of divorce, the protection of the elderly, the need to overcome bureaucratic stumbling blocks, the role of persons with special needs, and the strengthening of family values and the enhancement of the role of women in society were all discussed openly. As our society continues to change more and more people are looking at our political leaders to determine who can best offer the right policies to improve the quality of their lives. These people may not be the ones who attend political activities or subscribe to the membership of a specific political party. But they are keen observers of what is being proposed by the different political parties to then decide who to trust with their future. The Nationalist administration is showing clear signs of tiredness and apathy. They are increasingly facing internal dissent from the young elements in the Party who see no future in the way the country is being managed. The economy continues to stall and even if the Prime Minister keeps blaming the global recession for our underperformance, respectable independent reports keep reminding him that he is not doing enough to address our economy’s structural problems. Short-term management of the fiscal problem, however much it may be necessary, is not sufficient to resolve the long term issues facing our economy. Reforms to strengthen our health system, education, pensions, social services, and investment in the infrastructure continue to be ignored. The PL needs to have a broad popular support if it is to pull the country out of the rut that it is in. People who in the past had little or not sympathy for the leaders of the policies of the PL are now listening attentively to understand whether the time has indeed come to build a grand coalition of different interest groups in our society. They increasingly feel that the time has come to instil a new life in the stagnant social and economic agenda of the country. Yes, we believe that the best years for this country are ahead of us and that the bridges that the PL is building with progressive and moderate elements of our society will accelerate the arrival to these better times.

Bara minn hekk, fid-diskors tieghu il Ministru Fenech lanqas biss ghamel refernza ghaz-zidiet fit- tariffi tad-dawl u l-ilma,  liema zidiet ser ikollhom l-effett li jannulaw kompletament il-benficcji introdotti fil-Budget biex jghinu l-attivita ekonomika fil-pajjiz.

It-tarfiffi ser jisssarfu f’ piz ta €88 miljun fuq l-operat ekonomiku u fuq il-familji u dan il-piz millewwel jannula kull element pozittiv li certu mizuri setghu jhallu kieku kellhom jigu implimentati.

Barra minn hekk, il-Gvern qed ikun wkoll ottimist izzejjed dwar id-dhul tieghu.  Il-Gvern qed jikkalkula zieda fid-dhul mill-Vat li qed jghid ser tizdied b’ 5% fuq il-figura tal-2008 meta l-ekonomija hija prevista li tikber b’ anqas minn1 fil mija .

L-ekonomija Maltija tinsab f’ricesjoni. Il-hidma tal-Gvern matul din is sena li ghaddiet ma ikkontribwitx biex l-effett tar-ricesjoni internazzjonali jittaffa. L-ahhar cifri li ppubblika l-Ufficcju Nazzjonali ta l-Istatistika (NSO) jikkonfermaw li l-Gvern immexxi minn Dr Lawrence Gonzi qed jimxi bil-maqlub ta’ dak li jistqarr u jwieghed.

Il Prim Ministru kif wkoll il Ministru tal-Finanzi diversi drabi ftahru kemm il-Kummissjoni Ewropeja kienet fahhret lil Malta fil-bidu tas-sena l-ohra ghall-fatt li l-istimolu ekonomiku li kien wieghed fil-Budget ghall-2009 ipprezentat f’Novembru ta l-2008 kellu jkun l-aktar bazat fuq nefqa kapitali. Dan suppost ikollu rendiment akbar ghall-ekonomija tal-pajjiz billi din tmur biex ittejjeb l-infrastruttura u l-ambjent fil-pajjiz. Minn dan l-investiment kapitali produttiv jgawdu minnu mhux biss il-familji Maltin u Ghawdxin, izda anki n-negozji billi dan l-infieq kapitali, jekk kemm-il darba jsir bil-ghaqal, iservi biex itejjeb il-prodott u l-produttivita ta’ pajjizna.

Madanakollu, meta nharsu lejn il-fatti, kif ippubblikati l-NSO illum, insibu li effettivament in-nefqa tal-Gvern fuq progetti ta’ investiment naqset b’€40m, jew b’madwar 37% fl-ewwel disa’ xhur ta l-2009 fuq l-ewwel disa’ xhur ta’ l-2008. Ghaldaqstant, dan juri li fil-prattika il-Gvern mhux qed jistimola l-ekonomija kif kien wieghed u kif qal il-Ministru Tonio Fenech ricentement fil-Parlament, izda qed jaghmel propju bil-maqlub ta’ dak li kien ipprezenta lill-Unjoni Ewropeja bhala pakkett ta’ stimolu.

Meta imqabbel mal-medja fl-Unjoni Ewropeja t-tkabbir ekonomiku  per capita niezel minn 78% tal-medja fis-sena 2007 ghal 76.4% ghas-sena 2008. Dan ifisser li  l-ekonomija Maltija m’ hijiex qieghda tikkonvergi ma’ dik tal-Unjoni Ewropeja, anzi qed taqa’ lura meta komparata ma pajjizi ohra  fosthom Cipru .

Bara minn hekk, ghalkemm ir-rata ta produzjoni tal-haddiema Maltin tikkompara tajjeb ma’ dik ta Cipru  f’dik li hija employment rate,   Malta tinsab ma’ ta l-ahhar.

Dan l-ahhar il Gvernatur tal Bank Centrali kien qal li li it telf fil-kompetittivita ta’ pajjizna huwa dovut ghall-fatt li il pagi zdiedu aktar mill-produttivita matul 2008.  Wiehed ma jistax jaqbel ma tali dikjarazzjoni. Ir-raguni hija seplici. L-istatistika turi li matul dawn l-ahhar erba’ snin z-zieda fil pagi kienet wahda kompetittiva hafna meta mqabbla ma’ dik tal-Unjoni Ewropeja. Effetivament il-pagi f’pajjizna huma biss 44 % tal medja tal-UE. Skond L-Economic Survey ippublikat mill- Gvern iz-zieda rejali tal-pagi keinet wahda neagttiva matul 2009. Mela n-nuqqas ta’ kompetittivita hija attribwibbli ghal fatturi ohra,  primarjament id-decizjoniet tal-Gvern u il burokrazija governattiva.

It-tkabbir ekonomiku u l-valur mizjud ras imbras  (per capita Gdp) jitjieb  billi jissahhu il kapacitajiet u l-hiliet tal-haddiema. Minkejja il-fatt li Malta tonfoq u tinvesti ras ghal ras daqs kemm jinvestu pajjizi Ewropej fl-edukazzjoni, huwa inaccettabli li   f’pajjizna  4 minn kull 10 studenti jispiccaw mis-sistema minghajr hiliet akkademici jew teknici u minghajr futuru. Biex jikkompeti pajjizna jista’ biss jizviluppa r-rizors uman, u ghalehkk hemm bzonn li nevalwaw ghaliex tiprevali tali sitwazzjoni minkejja n-nefqa li ssir kull sena fl-edukazzjoni

Fir-rigward tat-tariffi I-Gvern qed jirrikorri biex jigbor l-ispiza kollha tal-produzzjoni tal- energija minghajr ma jiehu l-passi kollha necessarji biex jelimina l-inefficjenzi.  L-impatt tal-prezzijiet internazzjonli tal-zejt jikkostitwixxi 60 % tal-kontenut tal-prezzijiet tal-prodotti finali. L-40 fil-mija l-ohra huma dawk li jissejhu non fuel costs  (NFC). Dawn huma ikkontrollati mill-Gvern. Jenhtieg li l-pajjiz jkun mgharraf kif qed isir ix-xiri taz-zejt. Kemm qed jkun proattiiv il-Gvern biex jixtri fit- tul bl-ahjar prezzijiet meta tkun tipprevali din s-sitwazjoni fis suq internazjonali. Meta l-prezz kien fl-anqas livell tigehu seta’ sar arrangement dwar il-prezz futur taz-zejt. It-trasparenza f’dan ir rigward hija necessarja. Fil qasam l-iehor li jaqa’ taht il kontroll tal-Gvern, cioe Non fuel Costs, il-Gvern jenhtieg li jhares l-ewwel u qabel kollox l-impatt fuq l-ekonomija. M’ ghandux jimponi l inefficjenzi fuq il-pajjiz u l-familji. Ma jistax jippretendenti li jirkupra l investiment (Return on Capital Employed - ROCE)  b’rarti li huma aktar gholja min dawk li taghmel l-Ingilterra, bhala ezempju . Mhux accetabli ghall l-ekonomija li r-rati huma   fost l-aktar gholja fl Unjoni Ewropeja .

Jidher car li il Gvern ma ghamel l-ebda analizi fuq limpatt socio-ekonomiku tat-tariffi kif imhabbra.

Ghandhu probelma finazjarja ikkawzata mill-polirtika finanzjarja ta’ gervnijiet Nazzjonalistai tul l-ahhar ghoxrin sena li ilum qed taghfas fuq il-Gvern  u Il-pajjiz.  Il-piz tad-dejn kbir li pajjiz ghandu qed  jingarr mill-familji,  is-self employed,  l-operaturti ekonomici ta pajjizna. Mhuix ta’ b’xejn il  l-poplu Malti qed jiftakar dik l-ghajta ta’ ministru Nazzjoalista fi disghinijiet li ‘d-dejn jithallas minn uliedna u ulied uliedna.’

Jidher bic-car li Gvern Nazzjonalista qed jkun ta’ piz u mhux ta’ stimolu ghall-ekonomija Maltija.

Mhux ta b’xejn il-Gvern immexxi minn Dr Gonzi qed ikun ta piz u mhux ta’ fejda ghall-poplu Malti u Ghawdxi.

Dr Charles Mangion

Kelleim Ewlieni Finanzi – Partit Laburista

So far this has been my trademark whether in my  profession or in my personal relationships and politically .

This characteristic has helped me win the trust of my clients profesionally , that of may constituents . Moreover it has sustained my personal life  and has been the basis of a very healthy marriage these last 30 years

Despite years of restructuring where our national airline has seen the shedding of practically all its subsidiaries to concentrate on it core business, the company is still not out of the woods. The reasons for this are various and they need to be highlighted in order to understand what solutions are needed to help the company to remain airborne.

The bad strategic decisions taken by the Nationalist administration in the nineties have undoubtedly weighed heavily on the performance on our airline in the past two decades. First there was the scandalous way in which the company procured a number of Avro aircraft that were not only completely unsuitable for the needs of our airline, but also far too expensive. Despite technical advice against the proposal to buy these aircraft the Nationalist government gave the green lights to the management of Air Malta to go ahead with this disastrous decision.

When Air Malta found that it was no longer feasible to keep using these aircraft they leased them to Azzurra Air a subsidiary operating from Bergamo in Italy. We all know how Azzurra drained the financial resources of Air Malta for several years before it was unceremoniously closed down some years ago.

The general difficult economic climate in the last few years has created great difficulties for many airlines including Swiss Air, Alitalia and Sabena and recently even Jal airlines. International terrorism, the escalating cost of fuel, and economic recessions made it difficult for most airlines to break even and they have had to depend increasingly on their respective governments to bail them out a number of times.

The introduction of low cost airlines like Ryan Air and  EasyJet eroded the client base of most traditional national airlines who often had to maintain routes that were not commercially viable but where needed to promote easy connectivity in the more important European areas.

In the case of Air Malta it has to keep the Gozo helicopter service going for a number of years even if it was not commercially viable. It also had to keep some uneconomic routes open to promote tourism form destinations that were considered of strategic importance for our tourism industry.

The schemes aimed at reducing costs were rarely successful enough to encourage workers to take voluntary early retirement. The result is that today the running cost of our airline remain high and there are no clear plans on how these costs are going to be rationalised.

The risk that the company is facing is that the present administration will exploit this situation to throw away the baby with the bath water. One hopes that the current rumours that the government plans to divest from Air Malta and leave private investors to continue with the restructuring process is just a rumour.

No private investor can even have the commitment that is needed to continue to use our national airline as a means to promote tourism. Those who promote laissez faire on the conviction that the market is always right and a privatised Air Malta will achieve the success that is eluding it now that it is owned by the state are obviously mistaken.

The current worldwide economic crisis has shown that when push comes to shove responsible governments do not shy away from taking drastic action to protect national interests. Such actions undertakes recently  included directly and or indirectly re-nationalisation of important industries including banks and airlines.

This is the attitude that we expect the government to take to save Air Malta form the hands of speculators. Economic patriotism is fashionable again and we have no problem supporting our government when it practices this pragmatic economic strategy as larger countries like France are already doing.

So let us all unite to keep Air Malta airborne while continuing to improve its performance by further changes in the way is managed. Our national airline is too important to let it be devoured by voracious speculators whose only interest is lining their deep pockets.

Dr Charles  Mangion