At these critical times what is needed is focused assistance and not haphazard gift-giving. We do not need a ‘Father Christmas’ policy but real social solidarity aimed at those who need it most.” This was stated by ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo during a press conference in Reggie Miller Square in Fgura this morning.
ADPD candidate on the third and fourth electoral district Brian Decelis, said that ADPD agrees that this is the right time for public funds to be granted to those who were left behind due to the pandemic, especially because there are people who have seen a long term negative impact on their quality of life. In the first instance there are those who lost their job followed by those whose income was drastically reduced. These vulnerable persons join others of all age groups which pandemic or not are always in need of social support.
The €70m expenditure announced by the Government this week only helps minimally those who are most in need – not everybody is need of social solidarity in the current circumstances.
For those who work in precarious conditions, pensioners on a low income, low single-wage families and those who depend on social benefits due to physical or mental health conditions, the €200 maximum grant they will be receiving does very little to meet their requirements for a decent living.
It is therefore misguided for the Government to spread our country’s limited resources thinly to everybody instead of targeting those who are most in need. The government’s thinly spread handouts will in practice not help those who really need help anyway. It will simply serve as a propaganda exercise on the eve of the election aimed at giving “something to everybody”.
ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said the misguided effort to spread assistance to everybody, include those who do not need it, leads to the waste of the country’s resources, something we have seen happening in other areas.
At these critical times real assistance is needed and not gift-giving: not a policy of Father Christmas but social solidarity aimed at those who need it most.
We agree that the basic consumption of electricity is subsidised; but it is not right that this subsidy is spread “across the board” to those who waste our precious energy resources. It would be more just if excess consumption is charged without any subsidy. This also applies also to petrol and diesel. The social, health and environmental cost of waste should be factored in.
Our country’s resources are limited. It therefore makes sense that assistance is targeted towards the needy and not spread out.
It goes without saying that financial assistance granted from time to time to the vulnerable sectors of our society is dependent on how we all follow fiscal morality – that everybody pays their dues on time without exception – so that who earns most will be assisting those who are most in need.
In spite of all the good intentions there might be, the measures announced by Government this week devalue the sense of social solidarity since it is evident that a substantial portion of the assistance is going to be granted to those who barely need it.
Instead of a gift-giving policy we need one that assists those who are most in need – social solidarity and not a policy of Father Christmas, concluded Cacopardo.
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Il-politika tal-Father Christmas ma tgħinx lil min vera għandu bżonn
“F’dan il-mument kritiku mhux tqassim ta’ rigali hemm bżonn iżda għajnuna: mhux politika ta’ Father Christmas iqassam ir-rigali imma solidarjetà soċjali, reali u iffukata fuq min għandu bżonn.” Dan qalu Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party waqt li kien qed jindirizza konferenza stampa fi Pjazza Reggie Miller il-Fgura dalgħodu.
Brian Decelis, kandidat ta’ ADPD għall-Elezzjoni Ġenerali fuq it-tielet u ir-raba’ distrett, qal li l-ADPD taqbel li hu mument addattat biex jintużaw fondi pubbliċi ħalli jkunu mgħejjuna dawk li ħtija tal-pandemija waqgħu lura għax qalgħu daqqiet kbar u fit-tul, u li kellhom effett fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħhom. Fuq quddiem nett hemm dawk li tilfu l-post tax-xogħol, immedjatament warajhom hemm dawk li spiċċaw bi dħul imnaqqas, f’ħafna każi mħallas direttament mill-Gvern. Dawn jingħaqdu mal-vulnerabbli ta’ kull età li huma magħna f’kull ħin.
In-nefqa ta’ €70m li tħabbret mill-Gvern din il-ġimgħa ftit tagħmel distinzjoni bejn dawk li l-aktar għandhom bżonn u oħrajn. Is-solidarjetà soċjali, f’dawn iċ-ċirkustanzi ma jeħtiġhiex kulħadd.
Għal dawk li jaħdmu b’kundizzjonijiet ta’ xogħol prekarji, pensjonanti bi dħul baxx, familji b’paga waħda limitata u dawk li jgħixu biss fuq benefiċċji soċjali minħabba problemi ta’ saħħa fiżika jew mentali, il-massimu ta’ mitejn ewro huwa ferm ‘il-bogħod minn kemm għandhom bżonn biex jgħixu ħajja diċenti.
Il-Gvern hu għaldaqstant żbaljat li flok ma jiffoka l-għajnuna fuq min verament għandu l-ħtieġa tal-għajnuna jifrex ir-riżorsi limitati tal-pajjiż fuq kulħadd: jekk se jagħmel hekk, fil-prattika ma jkun qiegħed jgħin lil ħadd. Ikun biss eżerċiżżju propagandistiku ta’ lejliet l-elezzjoni intenzjonat biss biex kulħadd “jieħu xi ħaġa”.
Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party qal li dan l-iżball li jifrex l-għajnuna fuq kulħadd, inkluż fuq min m’għandux bżonn, iwassal għall-isparpaljar tar-riżorsi tal-pajjiż kif diġà qed jiġri f’oqsma oħra.
F’dan il-mument kritiku mhux tqassim tar-rigali hemm bżonn iżda għajnuna ta’ vera: mhux politika ta’ Father Christmas iqassam ir-rigali imma solidarjetà soċjali, reali, iffukata fuq min għandu bżonn.
Huwa tajjeb li fiċ-ċirkustanzi tal-lum ikun sussidjat il-konsum bażiku tal-elettriku: imma hu ħażin li dan is-sussidju jkun mifrux “across the board”. Ikun xieraq jekk min jikkonsma iżżejjed iħallas ta’ dak li qed jikkonsma mingħajr ma jibbenefika minn sussidju. Dan jgħodd ukoll għall-petrol u għad-diesel.
Ir-riżorsi tagħna bħala pajjiż huma limitati. Jagħmel għaldaqstant sens li l-għajnuna tkun iffukata fejn hemm il-ħtieġa u mhux tkun mifruxa.
Naturalment, l-għajnuniet li jistgħu jibqgħu jingħataw minn żmien għal ieħor lil dawk l-aktar vulnerabbli huma dipendenti ukoll fuq kemm ngħixu l-moralità fiskali – dik li kulħadd iħallas it-taxxa f’waqtha mingħajr skużi u maħfriet – biex b’hekk minn jaqla’ aktar jkun qiegħed jgħin lil min hu l-aktar fil-bżonn.
Miżuri bħal dawn li qed jagħmel il-Gvern bħalissa, minkejja kull intenzjoni tajba li jista’ jkun hemm, jiżvalutaw kull sens ta’ solidarjetà soċjali għax jidher ċar li parti sostanzjali mill-għajnuna ser tingħata lil min ftit li xejn għandu bżonnha.
Flok politika li tqassam hemm ħtieġa ta’ politika li tgħin lil min verament għandu bżonn, politika ta’ solidarjetà soċjali mhux politika ta’ Father Christmas temm jgħid Cacopardo.
