Waqt konferenza stampa li saret il-Belt Valletta illum, il-kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party qalu li l-Budget 2027 mhux se jsolvi l-ebda sfida fit-tul għax il-gvern għadu interessat biss fl-immedjat. Fl-istess ħin qed jagħmel minn kollox biex jintgħoġob mal-aktar elementi egoisti u razzisti fost il-partitarji tiegħu. Għall-gvern u l-PL il-voti jiġu qabel id-dinjità. Il-gvern qed jipprova jraqqa’ l-pannu bil-qargħaħmar, u jħalli l-problemi kroniċi tal-pajjiż bla soluzzjoni, u minflok iwaħħalhom fuq ħaddieħor. Sab ħaruf tas-sagrifiċċju. Dan ifisser li l-piż li qed jinħoloq illum se jibqa’ jintefa’ fuq il-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri li se jkun jeħtieġilhom jerfgħu dejn li sa issa jaqbeż it-tlettax-il biljun Euro.

Sandra Gauci, Chairperson tal-partit qalet li l-kunċett ta’ ġustizzja tal-gvern hu determinat minn min għandu vot u min le. Bl-aktar mod makjavelljan il-Ministru tal-Finanzi qed idawwar ir-rota finanzjarja billi jdur għal min m’għandux saħħa u jagħsar kemm jiflaħ lil dawk li l-ekonomija qed ikabbruha b’ħidmiethom: il-ħaddiema barranin. Gauci tenniet li l-viżjoni ta’ ġustizzja rasha l-isfel tal-gvern qed twassal biex dawn il-ħaddiema jikkunsidrahom għodda ekonomika li jista’ jużaha u jarmiha meta jrid, bla ebda kunsiderazzjoni ta’ umanità u ta’ ugwaljanza li għandu jkun hemm bejn il-ħaddiema kollha. 

Tenniet li l-kategorija ta’ ħaddiema TCN l-iktar li jsofru minn sfruttament b’pagi baxxi tant hu hekk li inqas minn 2 fil-mija ta’ dawn il-ħadddiema jaqilgħu paga li tilħaq il-paga medja nazzjonali. Mal-pagi baxxi jiżdied il-piż ta’ kirjiet għoljin, u s-sentiment razzist ta’ xi whud li jkompli jimmina l-benesseri li għandhom dritt għalih dawn il-ħaddiema. Gauci żiedet tgħid li filwaqt li l-gvern jiffanfra bil-politka favur il-familja, fl-istess waqt jimponi fuq l-istess ħaddiema barranin il-ħlas għaċ-childcare, għax milli jidher, mhux kull familja vulnerabbli ħaqqha l-għajnuna bl-istess mod. Fl-istess nifs li qed jikkastiga lil dawn il-ħaddiema jagħlaq għajn waħda fil-konfront ta’ negozjanti li jisfruttaw lil dawn il-ħaddiema.  Għax la r-rota ddur, kollox jgħaddi, tenniet Gauci. Kien appuntu l-istess-ministru Clyde Caruana li welled dan il-mudell ekonomiku ta’ tkabbir bla pjan u bla kontrolli, u jidher li issa se jkun diffiċli nippretendu li jista’ jeħlisna minn mostru li ħoloq hu stess.

Gauci irreferiet ukoll għal kategorija ta’ ħaddiema barranin TCN li jitħallsu paga diċenti.  Dawn il-ħaddiema jħallsu t-taxxa, li skont dak li qal il-ministru tal-finanzi kemm-il darba, jgħinu biex jiffinanzjaw il-pensjonijiet.  Dan jidher li jikkontradixxi dak li qal il-prim ministru fl-aħħar jiem meta ta l-impressjoni li dawn il-ħaddiema ma jikkontribwixxu xejn. 

Tkellem ukoll il-kelliem tal-partit Mario Mallia li saħaq li huwa ovvju kemm il-miżuri li jisfruttaw lill-vulnerabbli, huma attentat biex jaljena ‘l-pajjiż minn għażliet ħżiena li qed ikomplu  jirvinaw is-sostenibiltà ekonomika u l-benesseri soċjali.  Il-gvern lest li jagħsar lil min vot m’għandux, biex jiffinanzja wegħdiet irresponsabbli li għamel fil-kampanja elettorali, f’tentattiv biex jixtri lill-elettorat.  Mallia sostna li l-gvern jippreferi jagħsar lill-vulnerabbli biex jibqa’ jissussidja l-ħela fuq l-enerġija. Jippereferi wkoll li jagħsar lill-vulnerabbli biex is-super bonus itih ukoll lill-miljunarji minflok ma jindirizzah lil min l-iktar għandu l-iktar bżonnu.  Mallia innota wkoll li il-budget baqa’ sajjem minn strateġija aħħarija li tindirizza waħda mill-ikbar problemi fil-pajjiż: dik tat-traffiku.  Minflok, il-budget jagħti l-impressjoni li qed jieħu passi billi jippenalizza lil ħaddiema barranin b’taxxa fuq il-liċenzja tas-sewqan tagħhom.  B’dan il-mod, il-gvern, konvenjentament, qed ikompli jitfa’ l-ħaddiema barranin taħt il-lenti, flok ma jipponta subajgħ lejn l-inkompetenza ta’ gvern wara l-ieħor li jaqbad il-barri minn qrunu biex jindirizza l-problema.  Mallia sostna li dan kollu jorbot mat-teatrin mbuttat mill-ministri tal-gvern, kull meta l-pulizija jtellgħu immigranti l-qorti għax ikunu qed jorqdu barra frott l-impossibbiltà li jkollhom saqaf fuq rashom. Mallia tenna li dawn in-narrattivi flimkien, jissarrfu f’soċjetà iktar frammentata fejn gruppi partikolari ta’ nies jiġu ddemonizzati u  meqjusa donnu b’dinjità u umanità inqas minn ta’ ħaddieħor. Dak li ħiereġ mill-qorti fil-każ tal-qtil kiesaħ u biered ta’ Lassana Cisse u l-attentat ta’ qtil ta’ żewġ persuni oħra miegħu, sempliċiment għax huma suwed, għandu jkun twissija ċara lilna lkoll tal-konsegwenzi traġiċi tal-politika tal-gvern li taqsam u tifred.

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Selective solidarity – Government rhetoric kills

During a press conference in Valletta this morning, speakers for ADPD – The Green Party said that the 2027 Budget is not going to solve any long-term problems because the government is only interested in immediate relief.  At the same time, it is doing everything it can to please the more egoistic and racist factions amongst its supporters. For the government and the Labour Party, votes are prioritized over human dignity.  The government is trying to use a ‘paper over the cracks’ solution, essentially leaving the country to deal with chronic problems without a proper solution and blaming the mess on others.  The current challenges created today are being shifted onto future generations, the sacrificial lamb, who will now be facing more than 13 billion Euro in national debt in 2027.

ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that the government’s concept of social justice is determined by who has a vote and those who do not.  In the most Machiavellian way possible, the Minister of Finance is keeping the financial wheel spinning by attacking the weak and squeezing more out of those who are keeping the economy afloat: the foreign workers.  Gauci reiterated that the vision of social justice has been turned upside down, with the result that these workers are being simply viewed as economic tools that can be used and thrown out at will, without any consideration for them as equals and the equality that should be present amongst all workers.  She reiterated that the third-country national workers are the most to suffer exploitation, so much so that less than 2% of these workers are earning what is considered the average national wage.  In addition to low wages, they face high rents, and the current sentiment to undermine the right to wellbeing is overtly racist.  Gauci added that whilst the government is parading around with family friendly politics, it is placing added strain on the workers who need to send their children to childcare, as it seems that not all vulnerable families deserve the same treatment.  At the same time, the government is closing an eye to the abuse that they face by their employers.  Because as long as the economic wheel turns, all is well, said Gauci.  It must be kept in mind that the very same Minister of Finance, Clyde Caruana, who initiated this economic model without any long-term planning and control, is now finding it difficult to deal with the monster that he himself has created. 

Gauci also referred to TCN workers who earn a decent income.  These workers pay tax, which the Minister of Finance has said on multiple occasions, helps finance pensions.  This contradicts what the Prime Minister has said over the last few days, when he gave the impression that these workers do not contribute at all. 

Party spokesperson Mario Mallia also insisted that it is clear that these measures are exploiting the vulnerable, and an attempt to distract the country from other bad decisions that are undermining a sustainable economy and social wellbeing.  The government is ready to squeeze those who do not have a vote to finance irresponsible electoral promises made earlier this year.  It prefers to squeeze the vulnerable to provide a super bonus that will be given to millionaires and not to whom needs it most.  Mallia also noted that the budget was poor when it came to dealing with one of the country’s most pressing needs: traffic.  Instead, the budget gives the impression that it is penalising foreign workers by imposing a tax on their driving licence.  In doing so, the government is putting foreign workers in the spotlight, instead of pointing the finger at the incompetence of successive governments to deal with this issue head on.  Mallia insisted that this is sheer performativity by government ministers, such as taking immigrants to court because they slept outside with a roof over their heads simply because they could not afford to have such a roof over their heads.  Mallia also said that these narratives are leading to an increasingly fragmented society where groups of people are being demonised and therefore not deserving to be treated with the same humanity as others.  Take the cold-blooded murder of Lassana Cisse and the attempted murder of two other people, simply because of the colour of their skin.  This should be a warning to us all about the tragic consequences of government rhetoric and politics that divides people. The rhetoric of hate kills.