Opposition Leader Adrian Delia in a press conference following his reaction to this year's Budget once again reiterated that the Budget for 2019 had one main defect; that it provided no plan, and does not solve the problems the government itself has caused as a consequence of the economic model which it is following by basing the economy on raising population.
He noted that the island was seeing prices which have kept rising, but wages which have not. There were a number of promises which the government did not keep, and expenses which it had miscalculated, miscalculations which amounted to €50 million over spent, he added. He also noted the government's priorities; "how many social problems we'd have solved had we used the €20 million being paid annually to 700 persons of trust for that", Delia said.
The Opposition leader said that the PN had proposed an alternative vision of a quality economy, which invests in the country's future for an economy from the people for the people and which was built on the aspirations of the people.
Delia said that to understand this Budget one must not just take what was said; but also what wasn't said. He noted that the government speaks of a surplus in its accounts, but not of the deficit in people's pockets.
All new economies need the banking sector, Delia emphasised, and the government has to work towards improving the reputation in this sector which it had damaged itself.
Our recycling system is a disgrace to the country and we are called the dirtiest country in Europe; on this, the government said nothing, Delia said.
Nowhere did the government give a direction of where it wants to go, Delia concluded; "we have seen a model of a government that understands in shortcuts." He appealed to not use numbers and figures, but to see what people and families really need; "Let us not let our social and environmental conscience go deaf, let us give a voice to those who are voiceless and be proud of a country that puts its people first", he closed.
Asked by The Malta Independent how he could say that there were no solutions to social problems when this Budget contained measures such as an increase in children's allowance, free school transport and other benefits which will help the working class, Delia said in the case of the free school transport this initiative had been done in a hurried manner and had left hundreds of students that, due to the government's lack of planning, had no way of getting to school.
He said that what was referred to in the question, even though it had been implemented, was done so in "a very small dose".
He made note of the €2.33 COLA increase, saying that when there is a 4% rise in the price of just food this increase is spent in just a day, let alone a week. Considering this, the cost of living adjustment is not enough, Delia said.
Photos by Michael Camilleri
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