TMID Editorial: Government needs to go beyond 'listening'

This was the message that the Chamber of Commerce put through when last Monday it presented its pre-budget document, aimed to give the government ideas on the way forward.It's not enough to listen, the chamber's message said. The government must act.

By: independent.com.mt

Aug 28 2024
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TMID Editorial: Government nee

This was the message that the Chamber of Commerce put through when last Monday it presented its pre-budget document, aimed to give the government ideas on the way forward.

It's not enough to listen, the chamber's message said. The government must act.

There are genuine concerns that the country is not moving forward in the right direction. There have been weak responses by the government to red flags, and the situation is rapidly deteriorating, the chamber said.

In the past years, the chamber has drawn up papers and put forward its own proposals as to how things ought to change.

We understand that the government has to look at the bigger picture, and take into consideration the whole spectrum of society, not just what the chamber is saying. The government must look at what other social partners point out.

But it must also be said that, more often than not, the government has chosen not to do anything to tackle issues that are causing distress. It seems to be comfortable with the status quo when, given the way things are going, it needs to take action.

And take action now, before it becomes too late.

As it has done in the past, the chamber has highlighted the importance of good governance. The Labour government does not have a good record in this. To borrow a phrase from what the head of Department of Public Policy at the University of Malta said in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, "Labour and good governance are like chalk and cheese". The Labour government has no credibility whatsoever in this respect, George Vital Zammit said.

In her presentation last Monday, the chamber's CEO Marthese Portelli said that while economic indicators like GDP growth, per capita income and unemployment rates are important, "they often fail to capture the broader societal costs of pursuing growth at any cost".

The government seems intent on just looking at the numbers. It's good that employment is growing - but then, what about conditions of work? What about precarious employment? What about minimum wage earners? What about the overall quality of life? Do workers have to take on part-time jobs to be able to keep up and, by doing so, be deprived of time with their loved ones?

The chamber has drawn up a list of areas where it thinks that the government should concentrate. The 12 key policy areas are: competitiveness, fiscal discipline, utilities, renewables, traffic congestion, sustainable tourism, planning and upkeep of public areas, value-added employment, third country nationals (TCNs), low income earners and pensioners, public procurement and proper enforcement of laws and regulations.

They are all areas that need to be addressed. The question is whether the government wants to do so and, then, how it will go about tackling these problems.

The budget for 2025 will be a good time for the government to show that it does not only listen, but it also acts.