Skip to main content

Il-ħajja qed tgħola għall-Maltin




Ftit tal-ġranet ilu bdiet tiġri l-aħbar li l-prezz tal-ħobż kien ser jiżdied, b’24 ċenteżmu l-ħobża l-kbira u b’20 ċenteżmu l-ħobża ż-żgħira. L-aħbar ħarġet l-ewwel b’mod esklussiv fuq is-sit Net News (ara hawn), il-portal diġitali tal-Media Link, li issa stabilixxa ruħu bħala wieħed mis-siti ewlenin f’pajjiżna li jkun minn tal-ewwel bl-aħbar. Ir-raġuni tidher li hi ż-żieda internazzjonali fil-prezz tal-qamħ, li wassal għal żieda fil-prezz tad-dqiq li jużaw il-furnara biex jaħmu l-ħobż.

L-aħbar ġiet eventwalment konfermata minn siti oħrajn bħal Times of Malta, MaltaToday u The Malta Independent, li l-Erbgħa anke kellha editorjal dwar dan is-suġġett (ara hawn). L-editorjal jitkellem dwar dak li qalu l-Caritas u l-Partit Nazzjonalista fuq l-effetti ta’ din iż-żieda. Il-Partit Nazzjonalista u l-Caritas qalu li din iż-żieda ħa jkollha effett li jinħass fuq dawk l-aktar vulnerabbli, partikolarment il-foqra u dawk f’riskju ta’ faqar. Dan għax il-ħobż huwa l-iktar ikel bażiku, speċjalment għal dawn il-familji. Il-Kelliem tal-Oppożizzjoni dwar il-Faqar, Ivan Bartolo, fakkar li statistika ippublikata mill-Unjoni Ewropea turi li 26,000 persuna f’Malta ma jaffordjawx jieklu laħam, tiġieġ jew ħut b’mod regolari. Dawn allura jiddependu ħafna iżjed fuq il-ħobż u l-għaġin.

Din iż-żieda trid tittieħed fil-kuntest ukoll ta’ żidiet fil-prezz tal-ikel b’mod ġenerali, fejn dan għola b’madwar 1.6% f’sena. L-ikel f’Malta issa huwa 10% ogħla mill-medja fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Huwa ogħla milli hu fi 18-il Stat Membru tal-Unjoni. Wieħed irid jieħu fil-kuntest ukoll iż-żidiet fil-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma minħabba l-mod ġdid kif qed tħaddem is-sistema l-ARMS, li skont statistika Ewropea wassal għal żieda ta’ 7% is-sena l-oħra biss.

Ma’ dawk l-aktar li ser jintlaqtu wieħed irid ma jinsiex lill-pensjonanti, li huma l-aktar faxxa f’riskju ta’ faqar minħabba r-rata għolja tal-ogħli tal-ħajja, partikolarment l-ikel u l-mediċini.

L-editorjal tal-Independent tkellem mas-Segretarju Parlamentari għall-Affarijiet tal-Konsumatur Deo Debattista, li kkonferma li la l-Gvern u lanqas l-Awtorità m’huma jinvestigaw l-effetti ta’ dawn iż-żidiet. L-editorjal saħaq li dawn għandhom ikunu investigati u l-Gvern jieħu azzjoni biex jara li l-foqra ma jkomplux jiftaqru aktar. L-ekonomija mhix magħmula biss min-numri globali tal-pajjiż, imma min-numri ta’ kull individwu.

Għax fir-realtà, filwaqt li fuq livell nazzjonali niftaħru li l-ekonomija qed tikber u qed timxi ‘l quddiem, fuq livell individwali l-maġġoranza jew baqgħu fejn kienu, jew marru lura. Il-pagi mhumiex jiżdiedu, u skont statistika Ewropea bilkemm qed ilaħħqu maż-żieda tal-ogħli tal-ħajja. Il-prezzijiet tal-proprjetà u tal-kirjiet splodew, tant li llum koppja Maltija bilkemm taffordja tixtri imqar appartament tagħha, u bilkemm taffordja tikri wieħed. Il-fuels baqgħu għoljin, anzi uħud bħad-diesel advance żdiedu, waqt li l-prezz internazzjonali tagħhom fl-Ewropa kollha naqas.
  - l-iekl,
U dan hu kollu effett tad-deċiżjonijiet politiċi ta’ dan il-Gvern. Tad-deċiżjoni li nkabbru l-ekonomija tagħna billi nżidu f’daqqa l-popolazzjoni permezz tal-immigrazzjoni. 17,000 immigrant fis-sena qed jinġiebu jaħdmu f’Malta biex b’din iż-żieda nkabbru l-ekonomija. Żieda ta’ 55,000 fil-popolazzjoni f’ħames snin pero’ qed ikollha wkoll l-effetti negattivi tagħha. Hemm pressjoni fuq il-pagi baxxi, li staġnaw. Qed toħloq żieda fl-ogħli tal-ħajja, li n-nies vulnerabbli m’għadhomx ilaħħqu magħha. Qed iżżid il-prezz tal-kirjiet u tal-proprjetà, għal livelli li l-Maltin m’għadhomx jaffordjaw jgħixu f’pajjiżhom. Qed iżżid il-pressjoni fuq l-ambjent, fuq it-traffiku, u fuq l-infrastruttura.

Dan hu l-effett ta’ meta jkollok Gvern li jara biss sal-ponta ta’ mnieħru. Sa għada. Għax hemm mudell ta’ immigrazzjoni fejn jinġiebu ħaddiema ta’ livelli għoljin li anke jħarrġu ħaddiema Maltin u joħolqu niċeċ ekonomiċi li jħallsu pagi tajbin, bħalma ġara fil-gaming. U hemm il-mudell ta’ immigrazzjoni bl-addoċċ ta’ cheap labour, biex ngħidu li l-ekonomija qed tikber, bil-popolazzjoni u mhux bil-produzzjoni kif kien qed jiġri qabel.

U d-dibattitu dwar l-immigrazzjoni jeħtieġ li jsir f’dan il-qafas. Għax jekk mhux ser inħarsu lejn il-konsegwenzi ta’ dawn l-għażliet, mhux ser nippjanaw tajjeb. U jekk mhux ser nippjanaw tajjeb, ser nidħlu ġo sqaq li ndumu ma noħorġu minnu.


Dan l-artiklu deher fil-Mument tal-Ħadd 1 ta' Lulju 2018.

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