Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1335955
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS Government wants Malta to be a pioneer in digital innovation PAUL COCKS THE government is committed to being a pioneer in the field of digital innovation as it gears up to best harness and monetise up- coming advances in technology, economy minister Silvio Schem- bri said yesterday. "We want to show we are pre- pared for the next generation as we embrace emerging tech- nology in our strategy moving forward," he said. Schembri was speaking at the launch of the 2021-2023 strat- egy for the Malta Information Technology Agency. He said the digital innovation ahead will be based on tech- nology, good governance and effectivity. And the government was once again committed to making sure Malta remain an industry leader in this sector. And Malta is not alone in rec- ognising the onset of a digital future. "The EU is, in allocating funds, favouring initiatives and projects that focus on dig- ital services and innovation," Schembri said. He noted how past investment in MITA had paid dividends as COVID-19 reached Malta and people, including public ser- vice workers, needed to work from home to help mitigate the spread of the pandemic. And today, with digital crime on the rise, the agency plays a crucial role in providing a solid cyber security network to en- sure government data integrity at all times. Emanuel Darmanin, head of strategy and busuness at MI- TA, said the agency's strat- egy for 2021 to 2023 is built around seven core pillars: Ad- vising government on tech- nology projects; information security and cyber security at a national level; data storage and infrastructure; digital tech- nologies including artificial intelligence; modernised digi- tal platforms; public adminis- tration solutions; and internal support services. "We will be building our fu- ture on strategic, technologi- cal and operational principles which will lead us to embrace new technology while continu- ing to provide the essential ser- vices we offer today," executive chairman Tony Sultana said. Economy minister Silvio Schembri ADPD has condemned Finance Minister Clyde Caruana's com- ments ruling out a living wage, saying they showcased the gov- ernment's attitude towards work- ers and the economy. "Let us remember that Clyde Caruana is the architect of an economic policy based on cheap labour. This government also came up with the indignity of selling citizenship. Former PM Muscat, and now his 'contin- uation' Prime Minister Abela, also perpetuated the National- ist Party policy of depending on international tax avoidance, and fictitious letterbox companies for a good chunk of so-called 'eco- nomic growth', while expecting solidarity from abroad," ADPD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said in a statement yesterday. Interviewed by Reno Bugeja, Caruana acknowledged the need for wages to increase, however, said industry could not be bur- dened by increased labour costs. Cacopardo said that Carua- na should be discussing how to reform the economic system in favour of workers and stakehold- ers, rather than discounting their needs during these unprecedent- ed times. "He should stop stick- ing his head in the sand and stop insisting on neoliberal and an- ti-worker policies," he said. ADPD Secretary-General Ralph Cassar also noted that Caruana seemed to have abandoned any "semblance of progressive pol- icies" in the sphere of taxation, opting instead to prioritise profits off the back of workers with low wages. Cassar said an EU-wide and na- tional discussion on a social cred- it or universal basic income was sorely needed. "It is inevitable that the min- imum wage should become a real and proper living wage in concrete terms. As Moviment Graffitti rightly pointed out, the minimum wage itself should be a living wage, to ensure an ade- quate level of income to meet the daily basic necessities of every household," he said. Cassar said that although there have recently been some slight increases in the minimum wage, this was far from the minimum required for a decent quality of life. He insisted that the 2016 Caritas report on a minimum in- come for a decent living was still as relevant today as it had been five years ago, especially since Malta's cost of living has become too high. "An example is the rental mar- ket, which is ironically becoming too expensive even for relative- ly well-paid employees, such as those in industries of a high-val- ue-added nature, like gaming," he said. Cassar said ADPD remained consistent. "We are the first party to push for a periodic revision of the minimum wage. The others just trail behind and bring up ex- cuses to avoid reform." ADPD accuses Clyde Caruana of turning his back on progressive economic policies Clyde Caruana has been accused by ADPD of discounting workers' needs