The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Maltese islands with a bang, just as it has the rest of the world, including countries with whom we have the closest of ties.
Needless to say in a crisis such as this, the health of the people must come first, and measures that will avoid the spread of the disease and solutions leading to a cure must be given priority above everything else.
Having said that, governments protecting their economies from total or even partial collapse must also embark on a highly necessary and effective course of action that needs decisive and prompt implementation.
I recall that once the concept was proposed that the economies of Malta and Gozo should ideally operate like a company that was one united entity. Businesses are intertwined and interconnected in many a way, and this concept makes a lot of sense.
The measures announced by governments in various countries across the globe come in different shapes and forms, and it must I suppose be conceded that this is not a one-size-fits-all scenario.
The company I serve directly will not make any employee redundant
However, there is no doubt that the most comforting and reassuring messages that some governments are conveying to their business communities is “we will do whatever it takes” to protect all businesses and industries.
I see the relationship between a company of whatever size and the government as a partnership. In a sense, a government is in partnership with an operating business entity and the taxes paid on profits is what governments derive from the partnership.
In the good times, governments share in the spoils and the fruits, but then in hard times of losses – especially ones caused by pandemics – one would expect governments to intervene and contribute with aid packages that assist every single business entity across the board.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an adverse impact on all and we should fight it with a ‘we-are-in-this-together’ approach. There is absolutely no room for divisiveness. We are in this together like a football team that is fighting to win in the end.
Discriminatory actions and measures in government aid packages to businesses and industries are to be avoided in a scenario where we are in this together. There is no doubt that the vast majority of business entities will suffer hits to their cash flow and income streams, and now is the time for effective aid packages to be in place that will be reassuring that this partnership between governments, businesses and industries has a bright future.
Like every plague that has afflicted humanity in the past, the COVID-19 pandemic has a time frame. It will eventually be overcome. We need the economy and our partnership to bounce back well and healthily when that happens. However, for this to be achieved, there is no room for half measures and insufficient assistance.
In the spirit of ‘we are in this together’, the company I serve directly, will not make any employee redundant. We will work hard and we will meet commitments. I’m hoping, of course, that our partners will do the same and adopt the same ‘we are in this together’ mindset.
Alex Montanaro, CEO, Exalco Group