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MT 28 January 2018

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Opinion 23 maltatoday SUNDAY 28 JANUARY 2018 T here are times in life when you just ponder on the little things that make us happy. The glow on that person's face, beaming with joy as he left the offices of Identity Malta, was priceless. No words can ever describe that emotion. It is proud moments like these that define us as a nation as we seek to make the next leap. We witnessed the first issue of an ID card and passport bearing a non-binary gender marker. In this regard, Malta is among the first countries to legitimise the identity of intersex persons, thus enabling them to live and express their gender as they choose. This bold move is an important step for non-binary, intersex and transgender individuals in overcoming the daily challenges they face. Undoubtedly, this is another monumental victory following the introduction of same-sex marriage, and for the records; yes, we kept our promises and no, we did not make a mockery out of marriage. Love has no boundaries and we simply stood out of its way. No wonder, the UN accredits Malta as the gold standard for LGBTIQ reforms. Kudos to my colleague Minister Helena Dalli for her sterling work towards a more inclusive society. It has been truly an honour to work besides her to enact the non- binary gender marker. I have no words of praise for Edwin Vassallo's outdated and conservative views which led him to vote against the domestic violence Bill on the grounds of gender. No dictionary can ever define us or the true meaning of love; to me we are all human beings with the same feelings. Vote 16 Tomorrow, the House will reconvene to make history. We shall initiate the debate to lower the present voting age to sixteen. Malta will be second among EU Member States, sitting only second to Austria, in granting voting rights to sixteen-year-olds. Throughout the course of its history, Malta has come a long way; from its struggle for independence to the island's accession to the EU, youths have played a very integral part in shaping the future of our country. Following the success in the last round of Local Council elections, extending voting rights to a national level is indeed the next natural step. Some 8,500 sixteen-year-olds will be participating in the upcoming MEPs election. In the build-up to all of this, I had the wonderful opportunity to work alongside our young leaders. I firmly believe that tomorrow's generation will be made up of young active citizens who are capable of making good judgements on their own. I have absolutely full faith in our youths; be it at sports, culture, voluntar y work and student activism, they're doing a splendid job! We are empowering youth by giving them a stronger voice. They are the present as much as they are the future of our countr y. And their opinion matters. Certainly, this will bring about a much-needed breath of fresh air in politics. As I pen this article I am thinking of the next leap forward. Another reform under my portfolio is to ensure a wider representation in Parliament. We have to truly knock down barriers. We have to ensure that we address the current deficit in women's participation in our political system. This will be another milestone. We need to keep on strengthening our democracy. Julia Farrugia Portelli is Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms, Citizenship & Simplification of Administrative Processes R ecent history has shown us that many of the innovative approaches to commerce and politics have first found fertile ground abroad, most often in the United States. Capitalism in America is regarded in a different light than how we, Europeans, see it; almost as a way of life. The economic wellbeing is given priority, and if the recent Presidential election is anything to go by, the economic situation of the individual is a major deciding voting factor for millions of Americans. The success of Donald Trump was based on economic nationalism and 'America first' policies. Vast numbers of people, away from the wealthy coasts and disillusioned by an economy that they no longer were felt a part of, found refuge in his politics. Which is why any candidate opposing Donald Trump must have a strong economic policy, possibly with similar undertones, in order to have any chance especially with a bullish economy. This business-first approach to things isn't restricted to the national level. States often have to battle it out between themselves to lure investment from each other. They compete with each other to bring in jobs and investment, and usually their state politician's future is dependent on it. The reality is that economic performance is tied with the politician responsible for it, perhaps disproportionately. A few months back, the online giant Amazon issued a public call to attract bidders for its second headquarters, which will be built away from where it resides now in Seattle. States were invited to submit proposals on what they were offering and why Amazon should locate its second most important operational facility there. It's easy to see why this would be so attractive for a number of states – the project is worth $5 billion, and it will create 50,000 high end jobs. Wherever this goes, the place will get a huge economic lift and completely change the area for the better, because where these jobs are created will have a domino effect. The area's prosperity will be strengthened, small businesses will crop up and a long list of positive effects will follow from there on. Needless to say, it was a bloodbath among the different states. Amazon received a ton of offers. 238 in all. Every patch of land with a politician in the US, and Canada, seemed to have submitted a bid. Just days ago, Amazon shortlisted the best twenty. Most of the bids have been made public and the published offers were pretty incredible. Atlanta has offered $1 billion and to install Jeff Bezos, the company's CEO, as mayor in their residing city. Chicago offered $2 billion, mostly in tax breaks, and said it was willing to go beyond that. In Columbus, Ohio the city offered a 15-year tax break, including 100% property tax abatement, together with a 35% income tax refund. There were many others which offered all sorts of tax breaks: Los Angeles, Denver and Pittsburgh among them. All these offers usually include free provision of land, free housing and various other incentives. There was a city which even offered to employ public officials at the sole disposition of Amazon, to make sure each and every need was catered for. Among those not on the shortlist is Detroit, which promised it its 242-page offer that it would give the company its employees' state income tax for 20 years, 28 acres of the city's east Riverfront and 30 years without incurring real estate, personal property, city income or utility user taxes. That offer is worth billions, but it didn't even make it to the shortlist. The most advantageous offer made public was that of Newark which will be offering $7 billion in tax incentives and a string of other attractive propositions. On just that published number, that's a whopping $140,000 in incentives per job created. This is all on top of various other things which the company enjoys, including a recent corporate tax cut from 35% to 21%. For good or bad, this is the game we're all playing. The barriers have dropped and nobody is owed a living. When good jobs, and in some cases just jobs, are up for grabs we must compete and we have to understand that competition is fierce. Malta may not be able to offer land as much as others, but we must have other means to remain competitive. Notwithstanding the fiscal ones, we must make sure we are competitive in terms of skills and infrastructure. What the Amazon bidding war has shown was simply a glimpse of the decision process of big business – a process usually reserved for the boardroom and away from prying eyes. As a country we must make sure we do not politicise investment, because we do not have that luxury. The battle is rough as it is. We must work together to continue bringing investment and jobs to this country. We can either sink in political nitpicking and idealism of a world which no longer exists, or pull up our sleeves and work to make sure we're competitive and bring in investment. As the mantra goes: it is not the strongest or the most intelligent that win, but the ones who adapt most to change. We can either sink in political nitpicking and idealism of a world which no longer exists, or pull up our sleeves and work to make sure we're competitive and bring in investment The next leap forward The world we live in Julia Farrugia Portelli Evarist Bartolo

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