Malta u l-politika
Ittri ċċensurati u punti ta' riflessjoni politika.
Is-success ta’ gvern ma jigix biss mix-xinxilli li nistghu naraw madwarna. Dak jista’ jkun biss bzar fl-ghajnejn biex jaghti dehra sabiha lil sitwazzjoni mhux daqshekk pjacevoli. Il-faqar huwa problema kbira fih innifsu. Ifisser li c-cittadini waqghu lura, ma setghux izommu l-pass mal-izvilupp tal-pajjiz u mas-socjeta in generali li huma jaghmlu parti minnha. Il-faqar huwa realta kiefra ta’ poplu li qieghed ibati.
L-insult ikompli jikber meta Nazzjonalisti jghidu li mhux veru hawn nies jghixu fil-faqar. Huwa insult ghax min qieghed ibati ghandu bzonn l-ghajnuna, ghandu bzonn minn jghadru, ghandu bzonn min jirrikonoxxi l-problema tieghu. X’qieghed isir minflok? Araw il-kitba ta’ hafna Nazzjonalisti u taraw li dawn ma jemmnux li hawn il-faqar, li dawn in-nies ma jezistux. Imma l-verita hija l-oppost, il-faqar jezisti u dan hu tebgha fuq il-gvern li jiftahar bl-avvanzi li saru meta fl-istess hin parti kbira mill-poplu mhux talli ma jibbenefikax mit-titjib talli l-anqas bzonnijiet bazici ma huma kapaci jaghtu lilhom infushom. Dan m’hu xejn ghajr falliment, aktar u aktar meta n-numru tan-nies li qeghdin ibatu qieghed dejjem jizdied.
Is-sistema tal-gvern ma hadmitx ghax l-ebda sistema ta’ amministrazzjoni m’ghandha twiezen biss lil parti wahda tas-socjeta. X’imkien kien hemm falliment, x’imkien xi hadd zbalja bl-ikrah u ta’ dawn il-fallimenti u zbalji batew in-nies. Nies tad-demm u l-laham li jhossuhom maqtuha mill-bqija tal-poplu li jgawdi minn affarijiet bazici tal-hajja.
Minn halq il-batut
Tessie* placed her microwave oven in storage, no longer uses her toaster, turned off the freezer and rarely irons clothes as she tries to slash her electricity bill. I cant cope
I used to always dress up to go out, she said, as she looked down at her black tracksuit trousers which do not need ironing. I started collecting water from the washing machine in buckets, which I used to flush the toilet, even if its black, she said, as she stood in a queue outside the Millennium Chapel in Paceville yesterday morning. The 60-year-old from Zabbar was among the 200 people who waited for the chapels large garage door to open to collect a few packets of pasta, rice, bread or crackers provided by the EU food aid programme. People in the queue ranged from children accompanying their parents to pensioners all qualify for food aid because they earn less than 6,275, or 60 per cent of the median national annual income. Smartly dressed young women looked out of place as they waited in the queue that showed the reality of a hidden poverty. One woman pushed an old pram which she hoped to fill with provisions for her family. Others were armed with carrier bags and held their identity cards and entitlement papers as they eagerly waited for the door to roll up. Life has become too difficult. Costs are always rising and now the price of gas went up again
Even the price of meat went up. I can only afford 250 grammes and give it to my grandchildren, Tessie said. A 72-year-old woman from Ta Xbiex said she felt as though she had gone back in time to the days when people had to queue for food rations during the war. A 61-year-old woman said she received a pension of 400 a month and could not make ends meet. About 100 covered her rent and the rest paid the bills, food and medicines. Though small, the EU food aid was better than nothing, the woman said, as she expressed concern that the food aid programme might come to an end in 2013. According to EU rules and a
*Name has been changed
The Sunday Times 15.4.2012
X'ma jkunx hawn faqar!
