Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/408403
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2014 Opinion Evarist Bartolo 24 I t wasn't long ago that we had a government that used to tell us that nothing could be done about the ever-increasing tariffs and that this cost or that rate was outside the government's remit. Over the past year and a half we've not just heard about what can be done but policies were actually implemented. There is the feeling that government is no longer this heavy entity where it takes a crane to move it. The dynamism and fresh ideas are something nobody can take away from the first year and a half of this administration – the difference is being felt, and I'm not just talking about electricity tariffs and bills. In employment, we have a record number of people working and the unemployment rate has been going down for months now. The rate is the lowest registered ever since Eurostat has been gathering this data from 2001. Despite all this, the deficit targets are being met and the government has a firm grip on debt levels while still registering impressive numbers on economic growth. It would be foolish for the government to think this has been the merit of its own – it is the country which has moved ahead, what the government does is aid through policies that make sense. We've seen an increase in women in employment. This increase was helped through the free childcare scheme, among other incentives, but the merit falls on the parents who have understood the importance of returning into education or the fulfillment of a career. The Maltese economy is also making the right noises abroad – Fitch, Moody's and S&P have all praised the stable and positive outlook of the country. The cost of living issue was heavily politicised by the Opposition who are playing on the fact that people may not understand how the mechanism works. The truth is that the COLA mechanism is an equation agreed upon with different stakeholders and a low amount of COLA means that the cost of living has not been high. A high cost of living means that a person's pay cheque renders less, while a low one means you get more bang for your euro. People may not understand the political spin, but what they do understand for a fact is that costs have gone down. Proof of this are the Eurobarometer surveys, which under the previous administration showed that 63% of families were worried about the cost of living. That percentage now? – it has fallen to just 26%. Closer to home, we've seen important policies relating to civil rights. If there is one example which in the past showed how heavy and slow a government could be it would be in this area. Of course, the 'slowness' came from ideological and political reasons too, but what certainly happened was that many people had many of their rights taken away from them for a long time. Over the last year and a half of the previous administration things stalled, business suffered and policy decisions were not taken. This was made up for in the first year and a half but we still have lots to do. We will be introducing measures to decrease dependency on social welfare, specifically those who are abusing the system. In education, we've introduced a number of reforms which will help cut the early school leaving rate and improve literacy levels across different social levels. We're still far from where we want to be and while there are things we could have done better as a government, this administration is one that works hard, makes a difference and produces tangible results. Evarist Bartolo is Minister of Education and Employment Opinion There is the feeling that government is no longer this heavy entity where it takes a crane to move it Republic Street, Valletta next to the Courts Tangible results