We are living in extraordinary times. So much so that, as a country, we seem to be continuously making history on a variety of fronts.
Government rhetoric frequently boasts about ‘historic’ firsts, lows, highs and so on. This rhetoric, however, focuses only on positive aspects and completely ignores the negative areas where we have also been making history in the past years.
I would like to focus on the aspect of poverty in our country.
The 90-page budget speech mentioned the word ‘poverty’ a mere four times with the claim that Malta has reached a historic low as regards the rate of people at risk of poverty. This is indeed questionable.
In the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey, published in August, one can see that the at risk of poverty (ARP) rate increased by 0.3 per cent in 2019 compared to the previous year and the at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) rate went up by 1.1 per cent. Therefore, let us stick to the facts, be truthful and remain committed to fight poverty.
In 2014, the government launched the national strategy policy for poverty reduction and social inclusion with a mission statement that I highly approved of.
The fact that a strategy is in place is positive and provides a framework for further action. However, I can say that this strategy has not been implemented and its mission statement has not been followed through.
We can do so much more to fight poverty in Malta
Since the launch of the strategy, we have only seen a relative improvement in the severe material deprivation (SMD) indicator. This is mainly due to the government’s adjustment of social benefits. However, the risks are there and should concern us all. Both rent prices and the cost of living have increased and this has not been accompanied by a proportional increase in wages.
It is worth noting that opposition leader Bernard Grech’s budget speech outlined the 12 pillars forming the Nationalist Party’s socioeconomic vision for Malta. The seventh pillar highlights the introduction of a living wage through a new social pact, which would be established and revised through consultations and an agreement with the social partners.
The intention of a living wage is specifically to have the government and social partners determine a wage that is proportional and based on the cost of living.
The idea is to engage the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development to establish a mechanism for the setting up of a national living wage that would guarantee an adequate income for all. This is something that, together with the Nationalist Party, I will personally strive for and will work hard to see being introduced.
Once again, I welcome the establishment of a national strategy on the subject of poverty, however, I cannot fail to note that the strategy period of 10 years is out of touch with reality. This is because poverty is a phenomenon that is continuously changing and, given the fast rate of change in society, we are also experiencing similar rates of changes with poverty and vulnerable groups in society.
Therefore, this strategy needs to be reassessed so that a policy framework, which better reflects the emerging social challenges in our country, can be formulated. We need to identify shortcomings in the present strategy and come out with improved policies for the vulnerable and marginalised members of our society.
We can do so much more to fight poverty in Malta.
I am confident that the Nationalist Party, with a re-energised approach, will propose much-needed alternatives to a government that had promised to make everyone financially self-sufficient and to eradicate poverty but has failed on both fronts.
Ivan Bartolo, Nationalist Party spokesperson on social accommodation