AD is alarmed that unbridled economic considerations where the market trumps everything else is leading to consequences which are reducing the quality of life in the country. The recent announcement by Clyde Caruana Chairman of Jobs Plus that the foreign labour force could increase by another 30,000 heads in the next four years should give us cause to ponder. This is purely an artificially created increase because of a lack of a long term economic vision rather than the normal and expected flows of people. The Malta Employers’ Association in a November 2017 position paper on Malta’s demographic challenges had suggested that the population in the Maltese islands could possibly increase to 750,000 within twenty years.

AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo and AD spokesperson on social policy Colette Sciberras commented on the effects of unbridled market forces on society.

These projections are cause for alarm as they point towards a possible doubling of the Maltese population within a single generation. The suggestion made by the MEA may at first glance appear to be far fetched but we should not ignore it, even as an improbable hypothesis. It should wake up our planners, if there are any, to ask questions and more importantly to seek answers as to what is the carrying capacity of the Maltese islands.

While AD recognises that it is unlikely that economic growth proceeds at its current rate there is still justified concern that current policies and strategies do not provide for such a potentially explosive population growth.

AD is concerned as to whether the necessary planning is being undertaken, in particular, how our water and energy supplies will cope, and what the impact upon traffic, housing, health and general wellbeing will be. Such a surge in population is unprecedented in our history, and will have many unforeseen and unintended consequences. It is pertinent to point out that the Sustainable Development Strategy drawn up in 2006 for the period 2007-2016 was never implemented.

AD supports MEA’s call for a dialogue involving all stakeholders, and for proper planning to be carried out, and is of the opinion that it is imperative that government determines, through its experts and advisors the ecological, economic and social carrying capacity for the Maltese Islands. This is necessitated by the physical limits of the Maltese Islands as a result of which it is imperative that the development of the economy should be contained within reasonable ecological and social limits.  Hence the need for an in-depth study to determine the carrying-capacity of the Maltese islands and economic, social and environmental policies which really and truly look at the long term rather than the immediate gains of the few.

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AD titlob studju fil-fond dwar il-limiti sostenibbli tal-Gżejjer Maltin

AD hija mħassba li konsiderazzjonijiet ekonomiċi bla rażan qed jieħdu soppravvent u l-mantra li ‘is-suq isuq’ saret il-mentalita’ prevalenti tal-Awtoritajiet. Dan qed iwassal għal konsegwenzi li jnaqqsu l-kwalità tal-ħajja fil-pajjiż.

It-tħabbira riċenti minn Clyde Caruana CEO ta’ JobsPlus dwar l-importazzjoni ta’ 30,000 persuna biex isostnu l-ħtiġijiet ekonomiċi hija xi ħaġa ta’ min nixtarru sew. Dan huwa bżonn totalment artifiċjali minħabba n-nuqqas ta’ viżjoni ekonomika u soċjali fit-tul aktar milli l-influssi normali u mistennija tan-nies. L-Assoċjazzjoni ta’ min Iħaddem (MEA) f’Novembru 2017 ħarġet dokument dwar l-isfidi demografiċi f’Malta u saħansitra issuġġeriet li l-popolazzjoni fil-gżejjer Maltin tista’ tiżdied għal 750,000 fi żmien għoxrin sena.

Ic-Chairperson ta’ AD, Carmel Cacopardo u kelliema tal-AD dwar il-politika soċjali Colette Sciberras ikkummentaw dwar l-effetti tal-forzi tas-suq bla rażan fuq is-soċjetà.

Dawn il-projezzjonijiet, fir-rapport tal-MEA huma l-kawża ta’ allarm peress li jindikaw l-irduppjar possibbli tal-popolazzjoni Maltija f’ġenerazzjoni waħda. Għalkemm l-ipoteżi tista’ tkun improbabbli, m’għandhiex tiġi injorata. Importanti li dawk inkarigati li jippjanaw fit-tul, jekk għad hemm minnhom, jsaqsu l-mistoqsijiet pertinenti u jfittxu tweġibiet dwar s-sostenibilita’ ekonomika, soċjali u ekoloġika tal-gżejjer Maltin.

Filwaqt li l-AD tagħraf li mhux probabbli li t-tkabbir ekonomiku jipproċedi bir-rata attwali tiegħu, għad hemm tħassib ġustifikat li l-politika u l-istrateġiji attwali ma jipprovdux għal tali tkabbir potenzjali tal-popolazzjoni.

AD hija mħassba dwar jekk l-ippjanar meħtieġ hux qed isir, b’mod partikolari, kif l-provvisti tal-ilma u l-enerġija se jlaħħqu, u dwar l-impatt fuq it-traffiku, id-djar, bini u l-infrastruttura, s-saħħa u l-benessri ġenerali. AD tfakkar li l-istrateġija dwar l-żvilupp sostenibbli, li suppost kien ikopri l-perjodu 2007-2016 tħalla fuq l-ixkaffa.

AD tappoġġja t-talba tal-MEA għal djalogu li jinvolvi l-partijiet interessati kollha, u għal ippjanar xieraq u strateġiji li verament jitwettqu. Hemm bżonn li s-sostenibilita’ ta’ kull qasam: dik ekoloġika, ekonomika u soċjali għall-gżejjer Maltin tittieħed bis-serjeta’. Il-limitazzjonijiet fiżiċi tal-gżejjer Maltin huma realta’ li għandhom iwasslu għal ippjanar ekonomiku fit-tul li jirrispetta l-limiti ekoloġiċi u soċjali raġonevoli tal-pajjiż. Għalhekk il-ħtieġa għal studju fil-fond, biex verament ikollna kwalita’ ta’ ħajja aħjar u mhux il-profitti immedjati li jgawdu minnhom il-ftit.