Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491153
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 JANUARY 2023 OPINION 11 Tribute to Jacinda Ardern all parties concerned, than the existing illegal ones. Do I need to continue? If those are really going to be the start-up costs, for an operation that is (by definition) destined to never see even a single centime of profit, in its entire lifetime… you can for- get, a priori, that anyone (except maybe the likes of Gates, Musk, Bezos, etc.) will ever apply to form a 'cannabis club', to begin with; but, much more calami- tously… you can also forget that anyone will ever buy from (or sell to) those same 'legal' clubs, even in the unlikely event that any ma- terialise at all. No, siree. They will simply stick to what they're already do- ing, right now (without, it must be said, even facing any 'conse- quences', anymore): i.e., buying from, and selling to, a criminal- ly-controlled black market, that – whatever its other flaws – will still remain more convenient to them, even (or especially) with all these new regulations in place. If nothing else, because those prohibitively expensive start-up costs, will only force legal clubs to push up their own prices: not to make a profit, mind you… but just to avoid bankruptcy. And given that (for obvi- ous reasons) neither the illegal street-pushers, nor the criminal organisations that control them, are shackled by any comparable cost-factors [note: apart from the expense of actually importing the stuff; and whatever other costs are involved in running an illegal cannabis trade]… well, there is nothing stopping the black mar- ket from simply responding to this new 'market challenge', in exactly the same way as any le- gitimate enterprise would, in its place. In other words: by lowering the cost of their own product, to make it more attractive to pro- spective buyers. Effectively, then, these regula- tions will only succeed in making it more expensive – and proba- bly, a LOT more expensive – to buy cannabis legally, than from a pusher on the street. So how, pray tell, are they also expected to entice users away from doing… erm, precisely that? And by the same token: any cannabis club operating under such onerous conditions, will also be compelled – by the laws of demand and supply – to offer far less competitive prices, to any growers looking to sell. To those, too, the prospect of 'sticking to what they're already doing, any- way', will no doubt appear a lot more attractive. How, then, are these people ever going to be eased out of the illegal situation that they find themselves in today… and final- ly brought in line with the sort of 'regulated' system, that these regulations were supposed to in- troduce in the first place? Honestly, though: now I feel I owe Cheech and Chong an apol- ogy, for having dragged them into this mess in the first place (after all: they're not exactly the ones who have a vested inter- est, in ensuring that this reform FAILS… are they now?) JACINDA Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, has recently announced that she will be stepping down next month. She has come to power after Labour formed a minority co- alition government with New Zealand First following the 2017 election, with support from the Greens. She is a well-known figure due to her rhetoric and the way Ardern approached crisis. She is especially well-known following ges- tures promoting equality, such as taking her infant to meetings. Ardern was the first NZ PM to attend a pride march, showing an open commitment to the LGBTQA+ communi- ty. Following the mosque shootings on 19 March 2019, her speech promoted unity and inclusion, addressing the Islamic community with the words "As-salaam Alaikum", Arabic for "Peace be upon you." Her premiership has also seen Matariki, the Māori New Year, as new public holiday, further displaying a sense of celebration of diversity and inclu- sion. But let's move on from her words to actions and see why Ardern should be a role model not only to girls and women but to anyone who aspires to serve in politics. Under her tenure, wellbeing, equality and the environment were given a priority over economic growth. For example, during the COVID-19 pandem- ic, lockdowns were implemented and the 2020, whereby Labour won 50% of the votes getting the possibility to govern alone, was delayed. Moreover, she has introduced policies aimed at the reduction of child poverty, such as free lunches in schools, supported working families and passed bills to make the country carbon neutral by banning new oil and gas explorations, making elec- tric cars more affordable and more. Interestingly, she followed up the March 19 attack, by reviewing and tightening gun control laws in order to help prevent further incidents. The outgo- ing PM's track record on gender equality also follows her ges- tures, with the de- criminalisation of abortion and meas- ures to address the gender pay gap. In fewer words, one can say that she has led the nation with kindness and compassion but also with decisiveness and action. Undoubtedly, leaders are people too and nobody is perfect, but things here in Malta look quite the opposite in comparison. The Labour Party has now been in power for al- most 10 years and has brought many impor- tant changes especially when it comes to civil rights. However on some topics like planning and governance, it feels like we are governed by Nationalists on steroids. Our open spaces and heritage are being sac- rificed in the name of short-term economic gains and the pockets of a chosen wealthy few. Moreover, the socio-economic situation of the working and middle classes have not improved as much as the governing party boasts. The minimum wage has been trailing behind many of the needs of today and the measle in- creases and benefits, while welcome are simply not enough. Despite the schemes for first-time buyers, the Maltese Labour government's pol- icies like the selling of passports to rich elites and subsidies to developers, have further con- tributed to price out young people from the housing market. Abela's and Ardern's stance on refugees also differs, as while the latter wanted to increase her country's intake, the former has been quite hostile and during the pandemic, has spent tax payer money to keep refugees on his cronies' ships. Needless to say, one does not expect much from the conservative opposition, which is more focused on attacking any progress on civil rights. Neither can we expect much from most of the MPs elected through the gender quota mechanism. They don't differ much from their male counterparts as most are career politicians who follow party line and most of those who do not comply are suppressed. However, some local politicians in Malta, do remind me of Ardern and her ways. Take for instance, Labour dele- gate and former deputy mayor Desiree Attard, who has fought projects such as the hotel-university in Żonqor tooth and nail, defying party line, or former Nationalist candi- date Emma Portelli Bonnici. ADPD's Sandra Gauci and Melissa Bagley also come to mind, having achieved a respectable result in the last election due to their humane ap- proach as well as the party's progressive policies focused on so- cietal wellbeing. Ardern shall be missed but hopefully, we'll see more rising politi- cians like her in the future. Daniel Desira is a green activist, putting social justice at the heart of environmental issues. Follow on Instagram or Facebook Daniel Desira