Last Monday’s Budget while containing a number of positive measures was a lost opportunity: it failed to project a long-term view of the necessary changes needed to address the country’s upcoming challenges. The Budget fails to offer a vision to mitigate the ever-increasing impact from climate change while the solution presented to make up for the rising cost of living is a weak proposition that does not face up to the real problem. ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons addressed these issues at a press conference in front of Parliament in Valletta this morning.

ADPD Deputy Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that once again Government has adopted the outdated policy that makes people dependent on low wages and handouts without addressing the real underlying problem. Instead of updating the way in which the minimum wage, as well as the cost-of-living adjustment is worked out on a permanent basis, a special benefit to assist vulnerable persons was created.

However, this will not bridge the discrepancy that Caritas studies have repeatedly pointed out between the minimum wage and what is needed for one to live decently (the living wage). One must also mention that social benefits are also tied up to the minimum wage. That is why it is imperative that the problem is tackled at its roots – changing the basket of products and services on which the cost of living is calculated, and that this is updated on a regular basis.

It is only in this way that vulnerable people will not remain dependent on Government’s benevolence: that they get what is theirs by right and not as a result of a yearly political decision. This is the politics of patronage and of dependence. We want what is rightfully ours and not favours. One would have expected that a government that boasts of having a social conscience would have ensured that wages, pensions and social services offer a decent standard of living to all without the need of any special benefit, concluded Gauci.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo highlighted how the Budget speech failed to mention how climate change is impacting our economy. Some of these impacts are already being felt while others will follow.

As an island state we are facing and will continue to face significant impacts as a result of climate change. The fact that the Budget almost completely ignored this issue means that the Minister of Finance does not yet understand the gravity of the situation. There are no indications at all in the Budget of the necessary preparations that need to be made to combat the economic impact of climate change.

In spite of the millions of Euros that have been spent on flooding mitigation measures over the years, we still see flooded roads every time there is a storm. We have highlighted repeatedly the serious lack of adequate infrastructure, as well as the fact that existing buildings do not have wells to collect rainwater. The authorities’ incompetence,and their utter disregard to the matter, shows that they do not really care. The Budget is silent on all this.

There is a lack of long term vision on the impacts of climate change on our country, in particular how this will affect our maritime and coastal infrastructure. The rise in the sea level is going to impact us, despite the fact that the when and how are not certain yet. The need for urgent planning to be prepared is now. Even about this issue the Budget fails to mention anything.

Besides the maritime infrastructure itself, one also finds tourism facilities along the coast, most of which at sea level which would mean they would suffer immensely from any sea level rise. Various residential areas are also at sea level. The fact that this was not mentioned in the Budget means that the Governments has no plans in this respect. This is worrying especially since the country does not afford any further setbacks than what it has already suffered.

It is worrying that the Budget mentions the involvement of the private sector in environmental projects, specifically in their financing. This is a red alert that should worry us all because it will mean that the environmental destruction that we have seen so far is bound to continue.

Undoubtedly this is a Budget which is lacking in ideas of what is needed in the environment sector. It also does not want to detach itself from an economy based on low wages and an inadequate minimum wage. This is a Budget of a government which  still believes in the individual’s dependency on government benevolence. It is a Budget that does not have a long-term vision with suitable plans to address the environmental and social challenges for a better quality of life for all, with better use of the limited resources of our country, concluded Cacopardo.

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Budget li ma jħarisx fit-tul

Minkejja li l-Budget li ġie ppreżentat nhar it-Tnejn, fih numru ta’ miżuri pożittivi, intilfet opportunità unika għax jonqos milli jħares fit-tul u jfassal it-tibdiliet neċessarji li huma meħtiega biex jindirizza l-isfidi li hemm wara l-bieb.  Il-Budget jonqos milli joffri viżjoni li biha jindirizza l-impatti dejjem jiżdiedu mit-tibdil fil-klima. Min-naħa l-oħra, s-soluzzjoni offruta biex tindirizza ż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja hija waħda fjakka li tinjora l-problema reali. Dawn qaluh il-kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party meta indirizzaw konferenza stampa quddiem il-Parlament fil-Belt Valletta dalgħodu.

Id-Deputat Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Sandra Gauci qalet li il-Gvern għal darboħra għażel li jaddotta politika skaduta li żżomm dipendenza fuq pagi baxxi u għotjiet ta’ benefiċċji mingħajr ma jindirizza l-problema ewlenija. Minflok ma jkun aġġornat il-mod kif hija maħduma kemm il-paga minima kif ukoll iż-żieda għall-għoli tal-ħajja b’mod permanenti, inħoloq benefiċċju speċjali kif persuni vulnerabbli jiġu mgħejuna.
Madankollu, dan mhux se jwassal biex jindirizza id-diskrepanza li studji tal-Caritas ripetutament urew li hemm bejn il-paga minima u dak meħtieġ biex wieħed ikollu livell ta’ għajxien diċenti (living wage). Ta’ min isemmi ukoll li l-benefiċċji soċjali huma ukoll marbutin mal-paga minima. Għalhekk hemm bżonn li tiġi indirizzata il-problema minn għeruqha – billi jinbidel il-baskett ta’ oġġetti u servizzi li fuqu titkejjel  l-għoli tal-ħajja u li dan jiġi aġġornat regolarment.

Huwa b’dan il-mod li dawk vulnerabbli ma jkunux jiddependu mill-benevolenza tal-Gvern: jieħdu dak li hu dovut lilhom bi dritt u mhux riżultat ta’ deċiżjoni politika. Żmien li wieħed joqgħod jistenna l-Budget ħalli jara x’manna se taqa’ mis-sema ilu li spiċċa. Irridu drittijiet mhux pjaċiri. Wieħed jistenna li minn Gvern li jiddeskrivi ruħu bħala wieħed li għandu ruħ soċjali, dan jara li l-pagi, il-pensjonijiet u servizzi soċjali jkunu tali li joffru livell diċenti ta’ għajxien għal kulħadd mingħajr il-ħtiega li jiddependu fuq xi benefiċċju speċjali, temmet tgħid Gauci.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, il-Perit Carmel Cacopardo semma’ kif id-diskors tal-Budget jonqos milli jitkellem dwar il-klima u l-impatti tat-tibdil fil-klima fuq l-ekonomija tal-pajjiż.  Uħud minn dawn l-impatti diġà qegħdin magħna u oħrajn għad iridu jiġu.

Bħala pajjiż gżira qegħdin niffaċċjaw u għad irridu niffaċċjaw impatti mhux żgħar riżultat tat-tibdil fil-klima. Is-skiet kważi komplet tal-Budget dwar il-klima hu inkwetanti għax ifisser li l-Ministru tal-Finanzi għadu ma jħossx l-importanza enormi tal-materja. Ma hemm l-ebda ħjiel fil-Budget tat-tħejjija li hemm ippjanata biex nilqgħu għall-impatti ekonomiċi tal-bidla fil-klima.

Minkejja li fis-snin passati ntefqu miljuni kbar kontra l-għargħar, kull meta jkollna maltempata it-toroq tagħna għadhom jegħrqu. Tkellimna diversi drabi dwar in-nuqqasijiet gravi kemm fl-infrastruttura tal-pajjiż kif ukoll fil-bini eżistenti li ma fihx bjar għall-ġbir tal-ilma tax-xita u l-inkompetenza tal-awtoritajiet li urew bil-provi li jiġu jaqgħu u jqumu, għax ma jimpurtahomx. Il-Budget hu sieket dwar dan kollu.

Hemm nuqqas ta’ viżjoni fit-tul dwar l-impatti tal-klima fuq il-pajjiż u in partikolari kif din tolqot kemm l-infrastruttura marittima kif ukoll dik kostali. Ħadd ma jaf meta ser  jibda jinħass l-impatt ta’ żieda fil-livell tal-baħar. Huwa għalhekk li hu meħtieg li nippjanaw għalih b’urgenza. Anke dwar dan il-Budget hu sieket.

Apparti l-infrastruttura marittima innifisha, l-infrastruttura turistika hi kollha mal-kosta, il-parti l-kbira tagħha f’livell tal-baħar u li allura tkun affettwata sostanzjalment bi kwalunkwe tibdil fil-livell tal-baħar. Hemm ukoll diversi zoni residenzjali fil-livell tal-baħar. Is-skiet fid-diskors tal-Budget dwar dan kollu jfisser li l-Gvern m’għandu l-ebda pjan dwar dan. Dan hu inkwetanti għax il-pajjiż ma jiflaħx daqqiet iktar milli diġà qala’.
Huwa inkwetanti ukoll li l-Budget irid jinvolvi s-settur privat fi proġetti ambjentali. Il-Budget jitkellem dwar involviment tas-settur privat biex ikunu iffinanzjati dawn it-tip ta’ proġetti. Din hi bozza ħamra li għandha tinkwieta lil kulħadd għax tfisser li l-qerda ambjentali li rajna s’issa ser tkompli tinfirex.

Bla dubju dan huwa Budget niexef mill-ideat dwar il-ħidma meħtiega fil-qasam ambjentali. Lanqas ma jrid jiddistakka ruħu minn ekonomija ibbazata fuq pagi baxxi, b’paga minima li biha ma tistax tgħix. Għalhekk huwa Budget ta’ Gvern li għadu jemmen fid-dipendenza tal-individwi fuq il-benevolenza tal-Gvern. Huwa Budget li ma jħarisx fit-tul billi ma ressaqx pjanijiet kif dawk il-problemi kemm ambjentali u soċjali jiġu indirizzati illum biex ikun hemm kwalità ta’ ħajja aħjar għal kulħadd b’użu aħjar tar-riżorsi limitati ta’ pajjiżna, temm jgħid Cacopardo.