Skip to main content

Xi tfisser “stabbilità” għal Joseph Muscat?

Dan l-artiklu deher fil-ħarġa tan-Nazzjon tal-Erbgħa 18 ta' Jannar 2017


Lura f’April 2014, il-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat kien sejjaħ konferenza stampa “urġenti”. Ġurnalisti, politiċi, in-nies, kulħadd stenna bi ħġaru biex jara l-Prim Ministru x’kien ħa jħabbar li kien ta’ materja daqshekk urġenti. Kien hemm min spekula li kien ħa jitħabbar xi investiment barrani kbir li ser joħloq ħafna impjiegi. Kien hemm min ħaseb li kien hemm xi re-shuffle ieħor. Kien hemm min basar li kien hemm xi suċċess fin-negozjati fuq l-Air Malta.

Iżda oħroġ il-għaġeb, dakinhar l-aħbar il-kbira u urġenti li ried iħabbrilna l-Prim Ministru flimkien mal-Ministru tal-Panama Konrad Mizzi kienet li l-prezzijiet tal-petrol u d-diesel kienu ħa jorħsu b’żewġ ċenteżmi. Dan meta l-prezz internazzjonali taż-żejt kien fl-iktar livell baxx ta’ dawn l-aħħar għoxrin sena.

Meta mistoqsija għalfejn ir-roħs kien daqshekk żgħir, meta bil-prezz internazzjonali taż-żejt ir-roħs kellu jkun ta’ għexieren ta’ ċenteżmi, huma kienu qalu li l-Gvern ser ikun qed jagħti stabbilità, u allura mhux ħa jkun qed jogħla u jitbaxxa skont is-suq.

Il-poplu jħallas aktar

Kulħadd kien fehem li dan ifisser li l-prezz ser jinżamm stabbli, u allura l-poplu ħa jkun qed iħallas aktar milli suppost meta l-prezz taż-żejt huwa baxx, biex imbagħad jibqa’ jħallas l-istess anke’ meta l-prezz jogħla.

Iżda tisbaħ l-ewwel ġurnata tax-xogħol tal-2017, ftit tal-ġranet wara li l-Ministru tal-Panama qassmilna kalendarju fi djarna biex ifakkarna kemm kien imdaħħal fi proġetti li setgħu imlewlu l-kontijiet tal-kumpanija sigrieta li waqqaf (jew biex nikkwotaw lilu, “to populate it with assets”): il-bejgħ tal-Enemalta, il-bejgħ tal-BWSC, it-tender tal-power-station tal-Electrogas, il-bejgħ tal-isptarijiet, il-ftehim jinten għall-immaniġġjar tal-isptarijiet, u l-iżvilupp propost f’San Ġiljan u Paceville (permezz ta’ Projects Malta li għadu responsabbli tagħha). Naqraw il-kalendarju fejn il-Ministru tal-miljun ewro fis-sena jwegħdna aktar roħs fil-prezzijiet tal-petrol u d-diesel. Niftħu l-gazzetti. U x’insibu?

Id-doppju tat-traħħis grandjuż

Insibu li l-prezz tal-petrol ogħla b’4 ċenteżmi. Id-doppju tat-traħħis grandjuż li kien ħabbrilna Joseph Muscat f’April 2014. Mhux hekk biss, imma dan ifisser li l-prezz tal-petrol issa tela’ għal €1.31, li huwa l-istess prezz eżatt li kien il-petrol meta Joseph Muscat niżżel in-nies fit-toroq jipprotestaw għax il-prezz tal-petrol kien għoli. U taf x’inhi l-ironija? Li l-prezz taż-żejt dakinhar kien id-DOPPJU ta’ dak li hu illum.

Mela jekk f’Jannar 2011 protestajna għax il-prezz tal-petrol kien €1.31 meta l-prezz taż-żejt kien $110-il barmil, kemm aktar għandna għax nipprotestaw illum meta l-prezz tal-petrol tela’ għal €1.31 waqt li l-prezz taż-żejt huwa biss ta’ $50-il barmil!

Il-Gvern għadu jinsisti li minkejja dan il-prezzijiet tal-fuels f’Malta huma inqas mill-medja Ewropea. Pero’ dan mhux vera. Il-Ħadd li għadda t-Times ippublikat studju li wettqet hija stess fejn ikkumparat il-prezzijiet tal-fuels fl-Ewropa matul l-2016 mal-prezzijiet tal-fuels f’Malta matul l-istess sena, u ħareġ illi f’Malta ħallasna madwar 5ċ aktar fil-litru mill-medja Ewropea. Mela anke’ din il-propoganda tal-Gvern, bħal kumplament tal-istqarrijiet tiegħu, hija gidba.

Stabbilità xejn

Il-verità hija waħda. Li l-istabbilità li fehem biha Joseph Muscat kienet tfisser li l-prezzijiet jibqgħu għoljin meta ż-żejt jorħos, u xorta jogħlew meta ż-żejt jitla’ imqar bi ftit. Din mhi stabbilità xejn. Din hi politika ta’ “ejja ħa nieħdu kemm nistgħu”. U għalfejn? Biex nilħqu l-miljun fis-sena li riedu jiddepożitaw fil-kontijiet sigrieti? Biex nagħmlu xi hedging agreement ieħor mal-Azerbaijan  u kumbinazzjoni nerġgħu nitilfu xi €11-il miljun oħra?

U l-iktar li tirrabbja meta tiftakar li wara dan kollu, hemm pajjiż fejn l-anzjani u n-nies morda bil-kanċer għad iridu jixtru l-mediċini tagħhom huma, jew jittalbu għall-karità għand il-President.

Din hi l-“ġustizzja soċjali” ta’ Joseph Muscat u l-kukkanja tal-qalba ta’ Kastilja.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Shema Yisrael, the cries of the Palestinian people

You live a peaceful life in a modest home. You've never bothered anyone and you've never caused trouble. Out of the blues, a group of people claim that they should live in your house. Why? Because they have been persecuted in a war, and they claim that some 5,000 years ago, their God had told them your home was their promised land. Somehow, the whole community agrees with their wishes, and asks you to grant them your spare-bedroom. You oblige. After a few months, they take the whole top-floor. In a few year's time, they take over your kitchen. After a few more years, they own your house and keep you and your family locked in the bathroom. They don't even allow you to get out, while they strip-search you the few times they do. Even if it's a medical emergency. Sometimes not even medical personnel and ambulances are allowed to see to your needs while your children die in your hands. Desperation starts hitting you. Life seems to offer no hopes. In moments

The Great Energy Proposal

I followed the example of a facebook comment uploaded on another blog to work out the savings my household will make with Labour's energy proposals. Our bill for of €717.80 for 7 months is divided into: An electricity service charge of €36.86 Electricity consumption of €404.83 A water service charge of €33.46 Water consumption of €242.65 Through the new tariff scheme, reducing the electricity consumption bill by 25% and the water consumption bill by 5%, our bill will read: An electricity service charge of €36.86 Electricity consumption of €303.62 A water service charge of €33.46 Water consumption of €230.52 A total of €604.46 for the same 7 months. A reduction of €16.20 a month. But this reduction comes at what price? This grand plan, the one we have been expecting for all these years, will materialize  if  we find a private investor ready to fork out €500 million in capital investment,  if  we reach a 10-year fixed price agreement,  if we manage to b

Why I am dropping out of the Anti-ACTA protest

Like many avid internet users, I have followed with interest the debate about ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). After reading numerous articles, watched sensational videos, and discussed ad nauseam with friends, I have realized that what I have come across is a campaign hi-jacked by lies, myths and misconceptions as to rival Malta's misinformed divorce referendum campaign. I have to say that the videos on Youtube   got me worried. I quickly signed the petition, joined the Anti-ACTA groups, and prepared myself for a full-blown fight against the big-governments who want to intrude on our privacy and freedom of expression. Like our MEP Edward Scicluna invited us to do in the University debate last Wednesday, I did not try to understand the details of ACTA but rather saw who the players behind it were. But as usual, my logical instincts took over, and his call to not try to understand ACTA actually pushed me to read the text. And here's what I now know: ACTA is