Last week the Church in Malta launched a document on wellbeing and quality of life. As stated in this document, wellbeing in a country goes far beyond the measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is a positive development that the Catholic Church in Malta recognises, black on white, that wellbeing depends on many factors. AD and PD before merging into one party were already insisting on the need for holistic policies which recognise that people need healthy societies, and that wellbeing also means living within the limits imposed on us by nature. Various NGOs have also been working to promote wellbeing. Our proposals for a better quality of life range from those on the principle of environmental protection to become an enforceable constitutional principle, to economic and social proposals in the Green New Deal drawn up with our European Green Party partners, and in the post-pandemic Green Plan for Malta.
ADPD Secretary General Dr Ralph Cassar said: “The Gross Domestic Product should be just one of a whole set of wellbeing indicators used to measure the social and ecological wellbeing of our country. These new indicators should be used to guide economic policy and decisions on where government spending should be targeted to improve wellbeing. We propose a multi-year budget plan rather than short-termism inherent in one year budgeting. GDP, in fact, does not measure the effects of economic decisions on poverty, equality, the sustainability of the economic model, and the devastating effects of certain policies on the climate and ecosystems. It is also high time that the country adopts economic policies based on the concept of ‘Doughnut Economics’. This model recognises that we need to calibrate our economies, including on a European and global scale, to provide a good life for all while respecting the ecological limits of our planet. This is precisely why there is a need for a serious and in-depth discussion on the current model of taxation that is allowing multinationals to free ride on the services and resources offered by society without meaningfully contributing to ecological and social wellbeing. We are already late, and it is heartening to see that the Church in Malta is also contributing to this very important public and democratic discussion.”
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Il-Prodott Gross Domestiku kejl antikwat – hemm bżonn diskussjoni dwar indikaturi ġodda tal-benesseri
Il-ġimgħa li għaddiet il-Knisja f’Malta nidiet dokument dwar il-benesseri u l-kwalità tal-ħajja. Kif jgħid sew dan id-dokument l-benesseri f’pajjiz jmur lil’hinn mill-kejl tal-Prodott Gross Domestiku (GDP). ADPD jinnota li l-knisja f’Malta qed tagħraf li l-benesseri jiddependi fuq ħafna fatturi. Bosta proposti ta’ AD u PD qabel l-għaqda f’partit wieħed diġa jirreferu għal bżonn ta’ politika ħolistika li tħares lejn il-bniedem bħala bniedem li jgħix f’soċjetà, f’dipendenza fuq ħaddieħor, imma anke fil-limiti li timponi fuqna n-natura. NGOs varji wkoll ilhom jagħmlu proposti validi għal titjib soċjali u ekoloġiku. Il-proposti tagħna għal kwalità ta’ ħajja aħjar jvarjaw minn dawk dwar il-bżonn tal-ħarsien ambjentali bħala prinċipju kostituzzjonali enforzabbli, sa proposti ekonomiċi u soċjali fi Green New Deal flimkien ma sħabna l-Ħodor Ewropej, u fil-Pjan Aħdar għal Malta ta’ wara l-pandemija.
Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD Dr Ralph Cassar qal:”Il-Prodott Gross Domestiku għandu jkun wieħed biss minn sett ta’ indikaturi tal-benesseri – wellbeing indicators – li għandhom jintużaw biex ikejlu l-ġid soċjali u ekoloġiku ta’ pajjiżna. Dawn l-indikaturi għandhom jintużaw biex jiggwidaw il-politika ekonomika u d-deċiżjonijiet dwar kif il-gvern għandu jfassal il-budget tiegħu. Nipproponu pjan ta’ budget fuq numru ta’ snin aktar milli miżuri li jittieħdu biss għal sena waħda biss.”
“Kejl bħall-Prodott Gross Domestiku, filwaqt li jagħti ċerta informazzjoni utili, jkejjel kull tip ta’ attività ekonomika anke dik li tagħmel il-ħsara lill-benesseri tas-soċjetà tagħna. Il-PGD, filfatt ma jkejjilx l-effetti ta’ deċiżjonijiet ekonomiċi fuq il-faqar, l-ugwaljanza, s-sostenibilità tal-mudell ekonomiku, u l-effetti devastanti fuq il-klima u l-ekosistemi li jsostnuna. Wasal iż-żmien ukoll li nadottaw politika ekonomika ibbażata fuq il-kunċett ta’ ‘Doughnut Economics’ li jagħraf li rridu nikkalibraw l-ekonomiji tagħna, anke fuq skala Ewropea u dinjija, biex tipprovdi ħajja tajba għal kulħadd fir-rispett tal-limiti ekoloġiċi tad-dinja. Huwa għalhekk li hemm bżonn diskussjoni serja u fil-fond dwar il-mudelli tat-tassazzjoni preżenti li qed iħallu lill-multinazzjonali jerdgħu mis-soċjetà mingħajr ma jikkontribwixxu għall-ġid soċjali. Il-mument ilu li wasal, u huwa tajjeb ħafna li l-Knisja f’Malta wkoll qed tikkontribwixxi għal din id-diskussjoni pubblika u demokratika importanti ħafna.”
