'Be wary of those who promise a lot', former Chamber president warns

Former Malta Chamber president Marisa Xuereb has warned voters to take flashy electoral pledges with a pinch of salt, because the next five years will be difficult no matter who gets elected.

Xuereb said there is a growing dissonance between the reasons given for the early election and what is being pledged by the main parties.

The economist and business leader said despite the uncertain times globally, politicians are telling people that money will not be a problem.

“They are saying they will increase leave and benefits, saying ‘don’t worry, we will take care of you’," she told the Jon Mallia podcast. "Babies need someone to take care of them. Adults need someone to give them the tools to develop their skills further.”

She said no matter who gets elected into government on May 30, the next five years will teach people a lot. “And it won’t be easy learning,” she added.

“We’ll learn that all that glitters is not gold. You need to be wary of those who promise a lot. We are going to learn that our style of politics needs to change radically.”

The general election campaign has been characterised by a flurry of promises from the two main parties. Labour's pledges have included a €1,000 super bonus, while the PN is pledging to €2.8 million a year to cover half the mortgage interest of first-time buyers for 10 years.

Both parties have also increased increases in leave benefits for workers, including six months maternity leave for working mothers. 

She also criticised the short timeframe voters have to make their decision before going to the voting stations. “It doesn’t make sense, as a voter, to be bombarded with hundreds of proposals over 33 days, from big parties and even small ones. As a voter, you are still going to work, living your life and being expected to understand this all and make a wise choice. And you will pay the price for those choices.”

Xuereb said most people are not calculating the trade-offs from flashy proposals. She said, on one hand, a lot of big proposals are being promised, but on the other hand, people are saying they want to work less.

“We want to bring foreign workers to do all the work for us, but they we say ‘there’s too much congestion, things cannot be like this’. We complain about overpopulation and overtourism. We need to decide. We’re not calculating the trade-offs.”