TMID Editorial: Real improvements to our quality of life are needed
Quality of life is not simply about having a strong economic growth rate. The government has for years been boasting about this. It is not simply about having a good wage, although here one must point out that there are many whose wages are insuffici
Quality of life is not simply about having a strong economic growth rate. The government has for years been boasting about this. It is not simply about having a good wage, although here one must point out that there are many whose wages are insufficient for them to live a decent life given the cost of living.
It is also about being happy in the environment we live in, about our standard of health and comfort. Right now there are many factors that just add to stress levels.
The benefits for a growing economy are there for all to see… more jobs and less unemployment, higher wages (although this has not been the case in all sectors), more money for the government to use on projects and schemes. But then look at the country around us and one can question whether this has translated into real improved quality of life for the majority… construction everywhere, lack of green space, stories of abusive employment practices, smaller living spaces, parking issues, garbage on the streets, traffic congestion, the list goes on. How many people feel like Malta is getting smaller and smaller due to congested urbanisation? How many feel like homes are getting smaller and smaller as the price of accommodation rises higher and higher? How much time do we lose in traffic each week? How many are pleased with having to wait for hours on end if they need to go to the emergency department? How many people are there who are developing respiratory problems and what is being done to tackle issues leading to them? How many are happy with the sheer amount of space taken up by private deckchair operators on beaches during the summer months?
Astrid Vella, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar coordinator, told this newsroom in an interview last week that quality of life is just a buzzword for government politicians.
She is right. The shift from buzzword to real implementation needs to be made.
This is not to say that improvements haven’t been made at all, after all measures, schemes and grants that help people keep money in their pockets all help, but what we really need are major improvements that help people enjoy the place where we live. The government needs to really work on raising the quality of life for residents on the island to a higher standard.
Project Green’s work to create gardens in the heart of urbanised localities is a good example of a step in the right direction, but it is still just a drop in the ocean and it needs to do so much more. The government needs to tackle the traffic problem, an issue that it has failed to solve. The government also needs to tackle the lack of space at Mater Dei Hospital which is due to the money and time it wasted on a hospitals deal that was declared fraudulent by the courts. The government also needs to bring back the heart and soul of Maltese localities which have been lost over the years mainly thanks to overdevelopment, it also needs to change economic model to reduce the need for so many workers in the economy. It needs to improve the design of our urban areas.
As for the environment, it needs to change planning policies to better protect ODZ land, consider reverting unbuilt rationalisation zones into ODZ and better protecting the existing green areas within localities from development.
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