‘Time to move from grandstanding to concrete action against poverty’ – Busuttil

Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil has urged the government to move beyond words and to take immediate action against poverty in the country.

“We have seen a lot of grandstanding from the government, but so far there has been no concrete action, even though the country’s economy is constantly touted as one of the strongest in Europe,” Busuttil said, speaking during Caritas’s presentation of its report entitled “A minimum essential budget for a decent living” to the PN executive council.

Busuttil said that the next challenge was to ensure that the effects of the strong economy trickle down to the lowest earners in the country, to secure better wealth distribution.

“That was the raison d’ être behind the PN’s document, which was aptly entitled ‘An Economy for the people’. It’s not enough to say we have a string economy, but the benefits must be felt by everyone in the country,” Busuttil added.

He went on to explain that the Caritas report had shed a new light on the actual situation in the country and that as such it could not be ignored.

“We are committed to continue pushing the government towards action and we will make sure to use the findings and recommendations of the report in order to create effective, alternative policies to tackle poverty.”

Caritas director Leonid McKay said that the organisation was glad of the interest and coverage given to the subject in the past weeks, and he explained that the report sought to challenge misconceptions about poverty.

“Our report aims to prove that poverty is not a choice, but that in many cases, the minimum wage is not enough for families to lead a decent lifestyle,” McKay said adding that Caritas had worked out a frugal basket of basic goods considered essential for a decent lifestyle.

Busuttil remarked that he was shocked at the results of the report, which showed that some families could in no way afford to buy healthy foods, which were an essential part of healthy living.

He praised Caritas for the initiative and for its work in society, and added that he often participated in voluntary activities with the organisation himself.