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editorial
La
Bidu, la tmiem
When Alfred Sant addressed the nation, he tuned in to
his populist wavelength and spouted out promises galore. He was
incisive, jovial and full of vigour.
Nevertheless Alfred Sant has a credibility problem. When he talks
of a new Labour government one remembers confusion at the helm and
though it was not the inferno pictured by the Nationalist PR machine
he was definitely not a star.
ToonToday: In
Reverse |
Alfred Sant’s premiership will be overshadowed by his decision
to end his tenure in office in a record two years. He did this to
solve the Mintoff problem.
That perception remains entrenched in most people’s minds.
It is attenuated by the fact that when in office, Dr Sant took measures
which were unfaithful to the character of a Maltese Labourite party.
Those steps were not intrinsically wrong - on the contrary in our
view they were correct.
If Dr Sant engaged himself in five years of governance, his reforms
may well have been camouflajed by his other achievements.
Yet, he committed too many mistakes in his brief term as PM. There
were four grave errors in total.
The first was to alienate the militant base and Mintoffian diehards.
The second was to freeze Malta’s application to join the European
Union.
The third was to reform VAT and replace it with an archaic system.
And the last was to call an early election.
These images are frozen in the minds of those Maltese who turned
their backs on Labour in 1998. The only ones who might have found
their way back to Labour’s fold are the militants and the Mintoffian
diehards, who will never feel at home in the PN.
This assessment, however unfair it may sound, is probably true.
This does not mean that Alfred Sant does not have leadership qualities
or political acumen. Additionally it does not follow that his closest
aides are incapable politicians. Far from it, Evarist Bartolo, Karmenu
Vella, Charles Buhagiar, John Attard Montalto, Gavin Gulia, Charles
Mangion and George Vella are all worthy political masters.
But as things stand, the Sant equation only offers a taste of La
Bidu, La Tmiem (no beginning, no end). And unless Labour changes
its leadership and its stance on Europe, there is no easy way to
win an election.
Dealing
with vacant dwellings
A study presented to the press this week amplified the fact that
23 per cent of all households in Malta are vacant. In the late
eighties an environmental organisation by the name of ‘Zghazagh
ghall-Ambjent’ highlighted the fact that there was a 19 per
cent vacancy rate among dwellings.
Back in those times, one will always remember the comments of
Alfred Sant (then president of the Malta Labour Party) when he
condescendingly described ‘Zghazagh ghall-Ambjent’ as
a movement against the workers.
Worse still, the figure of 19 per cent was ridiculed and painted
as fiction.
Years later, surveys are indeed confirming these figures.
What is worse is that the reforms needed to bring about improvements
are not in place.
Rent laws still need to be reformed.
And yes, however unpalatable it may sound, one needs to seriously
consider the introduction of a hoarding tax to speed up the sale
and renovation of these vacant households.
There is no beating round the bush. These reforms need to be
addressed. If we do not carry out these changes, we will have
to take up more of our precious countryside.
What a shame.
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