Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/260953
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 FEBRUARY 2014 Opinion 24 P olitics should be about the person. It should be about making the life of each and every one of us better. It should be about helping people realise their potential. It should be about making sure that no man is left behind. Politics in this sense is easy, or it should be were it not for the fact that we live in a world built by the choices we make, a world that inevitably creates winners and losers. Government very often plays a crucial role in determining who wins and who loses. A year into this legislature, and there is a clear indication of who is winning and losing. Labour is clearly rewarding all those who helped get it elected. It is doing this without shame. The Labour Party, which previously criticised the over-generous pay package of certain public sector positions, is now gladly offering the same conditions – and more – to its confidantes. The Labour Party, which was against giving better pay conditions to ministers, had no qualms in creating new revenue streams for its front and back bench. The Labour Party, which used to shed tears for the environment, is now offering our environment on a silver platter. There is also another group of people who seem to have fallen off the government's radar. Month after month we are seeing the number of people registering for work increasing. Government is playing ostrich, burying its head deep in the sand. How else can one explain government's reluctance to seriously tackle this problem? Government is correct in saying that Malta still enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. But we have already slipped one place in the European Union ranking and risk falling further behind unless serious counter action is taken. Our economy came out from one of the worst international economic meltdowns relatively unharmed. Ironically, now that the international economic situation is slowly returning to healthier times, our economy seems to be embarking on a slippery downward trend. Our industrial production took a nose dive, shrinking by over 7% – the highest drop amongst EU member states. Our exports are also down. Despite all this, we are not yet at a stage where one needs to panic. But government is at the stage where it needs to take action or it risks losing control of our economy. Economic recessions, just like recoveries, tend to develop a life of their own. Unless they are kept in check they will create their own momentum. Government is still in a position to do something about this. It needs to recreate an environment that will entice new business, and it needs to encourage companies that are already present in Malta to expand their operations. It needs to constantly and aggressively promote Malta's business credentials abroad. Equally important is export promotion, where it is vital that our SMEs are given every opportunity and assistance to penetrate other markets. This is clearly not happening because somehow and incredibly, export promotion seems to have fallen off this government's list of priorities. The redundancies from Actavis should not surprise us. The international recession has forced businesses to consolidate and become leaner in their operations. We can expect more of such mergers and acquisitions. We cannot expect to change the decisions taken in the boardrooms of these companies but we can make Malta a more attractive place and a natural choice for these companies to invest. We can use this situation to our advantage. That is in the short term. For the longer term, we need to project where our economy is going to be in 15 and 20 year's time and work towards that goal. In doing this, we must be fully aware that the manufacturing industry of today will not be like that of tomorrow, just like the financial services of today will not be like those of tomorrow. We must make sure that our education system is in tune with the country's future employment requirements. As things stand, there is no clear government economic vision, let alone a plan. We went from a government that was fixated with job creation to a government that seems to think that jobs are an automatic right. Government, it seems is focusing too much of its energies on the here and now, while neglecting the tomorrow. These may yield some benefits but if in the interim government gets the economy wrong then we will all be losers. Stefano Mallia is a Nationalist candidate in the forthcoming European Parliamentary elections Stefano Mallia Opinion Subscribe to the e-paper Read the MaltaToday and MaltaToday midweek at 5am on the morning of publication on your Desktop, Tablet or Smartphone Subscribe now at www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/maltatodayepaper With an annual subscription you will get a FREE copy of your choice either Saviour Balzan's 'Saying It As It Is' or 'GourmetToday 100 best recipes' worth over €20 Subscription options 1 edition: €0.80 3 months: €15.00 MaltaToday and MaltaToday Midweek 6 months: €28.00 MaltaToday and MaltaToday Midweek 12 months: €50.00 + FREE BOOK *best value* We will all lose