Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1494132
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 MARCH 2023 3,650 days of Labour: the change From the great leap forward in civil liberties to the descent in the abyss of corruption and political murder, James Debono charts the epochal changes in Maltese society since Labour was elected on a promise of meritocracy and transparency in 2013 NEVER since the arrival of Knights of St John in the 16th century had Malta seen such a dramatic influx of people from every corner of the world. It was one of those changes nobody voted for in 2013 but which generated the tax reve- nues enabling Labour to keep its promises. Malta's popula- tion hit a record 519,562 in the 2022 Census, up from 417,432 a decade earlier: an increase of 102,130. The country's foreign population shot up five-fold to 115,449. Not only did it bolster the tax coffers, but it topped up a pen- sion pot with foreign-paid so- cial security, to reach €200 mil- lion in 2021 – six times what it was in 2012. And while non-EU nationals accounted for 36% of foreign workers, now they account for 56%. But the cost has been felt in terms of demographic and infrastructural pressures, a greater demand for housing, and distortions in the labour market where nearly 12,000 non-EU workers perform low- ly paid elementary jobs. And while foreigners are more likely to take up jobs which the Mal- tese no longer want to do with- out actually taking Maltese jobs as demonstrated by the low un- employment rate, the growth of an underclass living at the margins in over-crowded flats and exposed to occupational hazards, casts a dark shadow on Labour's growth model. Ironically, Labour, which in its first months in power had sent a strong message that Malta was 'full up' by setting in motion a push back to Libya which was aborted by the Eu- ropean courts, ended up selling citizenship to rich foreigners and embracing cosmopolitan- ism. But despite the massive influx of workers from outside the EU, the 'full up' mantra is repeated by Robert Abela right up to this day in relation to irregular migration. It is migrants from Africa who remain the main target of racism, culminating in the assassination of Lassa- na Cisse in 2019. Migrants also continue to die on the altar of growth; six from nine work- place fatalities in 2021 involved foreign workers. Wealth andħ Inequality More people living better but some lag behind IN 2014 10.2% of the population were unable to afford three of nine essential items, and were hence considered as material de- prived. The severe material dep- rivation rate dropped to 5.4% in 2021, according to Eurostat fig- ures. In contrast the percentage of people at risk of poverty in- creased from 15.8% in 2014 to 16.9% in 2021. Since the at-risk-of-poverty rate is de- termined by the number of people earning less than 60% of the median household dis- posable income, this means that while the proportion of the population who cannot af- ford the necessary items for a decent life has decreased, there are now more people who have lagged behind the others in rel- ative terms. Inequality, measured using the Gini coefficient (in which a value of zero denotes perfect equality while a coefficient of 1 would denote perfect ine- quality) increased from 0.56 to 0.60 between 2014 and 2017, but decreased to 0.55 in 2020. In 2017, the wealthiest 10% of households were 95 times rich- er than the bottom 20%. Three years later they were 80 times richer in an indication that ine- quality was reigned in. And while wages have stag- nated with the minimum wage increasing by just €132 a month between 2013 and 2023, incomes were boosted by a 25% reduction of utility bills, the abolition of school ex- am fees, in-work benefits, and free childcare. On average, the per capita income from pen- sions rose to nearly €9,500 in 2021, an increase of 21.7% over pension income in 2013. This suggests that state funded top ups-financed by tax revenue from economic growth- have been essential in supplement- ing meagre incomes. In the ab- sence of redistributive taxation which is shunned by Labour, its social policies are increasingly dependent on sustaining cur- rent levels of economic growth. Moreover while people are less materially deprived then they were 10 years ago, old cer- tainties like the aspiration of becoming a home owner upon marriage, are being eroded. For despite annual grants to first time buyers a KPMG study has shown that households on an average income could on- ly afford to take a mortgage which financed 76% of an aver- age-priced apartment in 2021. This meant that most house- holds could only afford to buy a flat costing €201,400 at a time when the average price of properties was estimated at €265,000. Civil Liberties Welcome to Rainbow country Back in 2013 Malta stood in 18th place in a ranking of 49 European countries indexed by ILGA-Europe in its 'Rainbow map', which assesses the laws of each country which impact on the LBGTI community. In contrast for seven years in a row, Malta has occupied the number one spot on the Rain- bow Europe Map, with a score of 92%. Just 12 years ago Malta had no divorce, same-sex couples could not even visit each oth- er as family members when hospitalised, IVF was still the stuff of endless ethical debates, authors were taken to court for publishing obscene stories, trans gender people were not allowed to choose their own gender, annulments issued by ecclesiastical courts was still recognised by the state, police were still hounding youngsters for smoking cannabis, and ad- vocating abortion rights im- mediately earned you the ba- by-killer tag. Yet all this changed in a dec- ade where Labour's reforms pushed the boundaries. In just a decade Labour has introduced full marriage equality includ- ing adoption rights for same sex couples and it has been a global leader in criminalizing gay conversion therapy and in allowing people to choose their own gender. Embryo freezing and pre genetic testing is also allowed. Malta is also on the verge to becoming one of the first EU countries to allow the sale of cannabis from no profit clubs, preceding larger coun- tries like Germany who are expected to follow suite. But while Malta has made impres- sive steps in liberalising social mores, Malta still lags behind in female representation and reproductive rights. And while abortion is less of a taboo then it was 10 years ago a timid reform allowing abor- tion in cases where the moth- er's health and life is in grave danger has still been met by a hysterical reaction from the opposition.