Sexy news for our roads

The fiscal initiatives and measures put forward by Transport Minister Chris Bonett to alleviate traffic finally appear to be robust and could lead to some very positive outcomes.

They seem to be well-thought of proposals with some logical and realistic targets. 

There is little doubt in my mind that government has decided to act because one of the major concerns in most polls, including the MaltaToday survey, indicate traffic and population as primary concerns for most voters.

As in most European countries, economic growth has led to a faster-paced life, an increase in population and a yearning for people to be in control of their lives. And that has resulted in more private ownership of cars and more vehicles on the road.  Another factor that should not be ignored is that Maltese love their cars. Owning a car is a statement and to some people a status symbol. For a miniscule island, the number of cars is also ridiculously high, but so is the overwhelming economic activity that has fuelled more car ownership.

The measures Bonett has come up with target two demographics – the young generation and those who have reached pension age. 

For both segments the offers on the table are different but realistic and very fiscally attractive.  After weeks of political digs on neutrality, defence spending, magisterial inquiries and human rights, the Bonett initiative is a breath of fresh air and a feather in the cap of the Abela administration.

St Patrick’s Day

Little did the inebriated youngsters celebrating Ireland’s biggest feast, St Patrick’s Day, in Malta know that the Maltese parliament was going through a feast of accusations and counter accusations, walk-outs and declarations of faith.

Politicians who live in their own little world believe and think that the world they inhabit is the real world. Many times, it is not.

What is worse, the Opposition thinks the world it lives in is even more real. It is not. 

In the last weeks I have been interviewing a selection of top politicians from both sides of the political divide and they all have one thing in common. They know that their electorate has changed and if they do not change with it, they are doomed.

The Abela administration with all its limitations and bad calls is at least aware of the dynamics of a diverse electorate. In the case of the PN led by Bernard Grech, I get the feeling that they are oblivious to society’s transformation.

The mass of youth drinking and dancing on St Patrick’s Day is perhaps synonymous of this new dynamic. They are young, want to have fun, make lots of money, have different values, are libertarian, promiscuous and believe that the State should not tell them what to do as they go on avoiding tax.

The Nationalist Party with its present set up, spearheaded by the usual posse of traditionalists has not even woken up to this new reality. The only way they could rise to the occasion is if they are captained by the likes of Roberta Metsola. But it seems this will not be happening, at least not for the time being.

Someone needs to ensure politicians calibrate themselves to a different society, but most importantly the Opposition needs to wake up and realise that the challenges it faces are more complex than simply changing the people that lead them.

A growing labour force

As much as I support the argument that a driven economy cannot exist without an urban revolution and an infrastructural investment that enhances modernity, I also am aware that a growing economy needs to be fed by a growing labour force.

That labour force cannot be sourced alone from Maltese youth; there are simply no youth who can fill all the new jobs and posts. This means that Malta is heavily dependent on Third Country Nationals.

I do not subscribe to the Adrian Delia or Bernard Grech argument about population. We have no choice. If we have a growing economy, there is no way we can sustain it, even in its slimmest form, without taking recourse to foreign nationals to plug the gaps. This is why talk of human rights convention reform linked to migrant arrivals should not be on our agenda.  Unlike Italy and southern Italy especially, we have a growing economy and a problem to provide a constant labour supply. Bonett’s traffic blueprint is great news, it deserves to be embraced.  It addresses a real problem not an imaginary one like the irregular migrant bogeyman conjured by the talk of reforming the human rights convention.