So, Clyde Caruana has finally realised that he needs a plan for the economy, but the only problem is that Baldrick the Prime Minister doesn’t even have a clue. They have no plan and no idea. Clyde is simply in management by crisis mode, fulfilling the orders of the Prime Minister to scour one billion Euros on energy subsidies from government departments.
Robert Abela wants it easy. The guy who never worked an hour in his life intends to pay off the crisis with public debt and by the time he leaves office, his successor would have to clean and organise the massive wreckage left behind. Even his way of governing is literally infantile: make a mess and let your parents clean it afterwards. His ascendancy to the premiership was one of the most irresponsible and reckless decisions in our political history: a man totally unfit for purpose that ends up governing the country during a time of crisis.
So, Clyde wants to blame tax evaders for the government’s financial shortfall. No one denies the reality of tax evasion in Malta but Clyde prefers to put the blame for the country’s problems on others while washing his hands of his own incompetence and absolute recklessness of this government. If Clyde was so concerned about the management of state entities when he speaks about Air Malta, why doesn’t he solve Enemalta which is technically bankrupt minus the government subsidies it receives? Going there, however, would hurt the Labour Party as the corruption with regard to the corrupt deals with Electrogas and Shanghai Electric would be unravelled further, and to add insult to injury these companies are making a profit on the back of a crisis. The government literally acts like a criminal organization by supporting the interests of a corrupt consortium built on the back of the government (Electrogas) instead of seeking the interests of its companies, entities and the general public. Currently, the EU Commission is allowing nation-states to flout state intervention rules as member states re-organise their energy infrastructure and nationalise companies to prepare for the future. Meanwhile, the Maltese government not only refuses to divulge what is doing in the energy sector, it even refuses to hold a proper discussion about it. We are losing a window of opportunity to restructure our energy infrastructure out of intransigent incompetence.
This recklessness does not come from naivety or just incompetence, it is willing, conscious and selfish. They know they are wrecking public finances and the country but they don’t care. Their misguided bet is based on the delusion that Labour will remain politically invincible and whatever happens they will remain in power. They can’t even see beyond the next seven years.
The government has no economic plan. Instead of tapping the potential to bring in more manufacturing industries in Malta on the ticket of cheap energy prices, the government is going to build a race track in Ħal Far to appease a special interest group. It’s all just vote-buying for Labour. Instead of building factories and schools and restoring the environment, we are building race tracks and giving public land to hunters. Instead of building a valuable tourism industry, we are making our towns unlivable as the government allows loud music all night long and subsidises Celine Dion concerts. Our story would have made a great comedy if it wasn’t an insane tragedy.
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