The right approach
The PN is currently carrying out a socio-economic study in Gozo which will focus on a number of factors, including working conditions, the demographic impacts, the job market, how Gozo’s health service compared to Malta’s and more.
The announcement was made by Opposition Leader Bernard Grech on Sunday. This is a good move by the PN, both politically and also from a policy standpoint. In order to make the best proposals, a political party must first truly understand the situation in the country.
The best way to do that, is to talk to the people themselves and assess the impact of various things on their daily lives. Gozo is going to see some major changes in the coming years after the Malta-Gozo tunnel is built and so it is very important to get a clear understanding of the situation in Malta’s sister island in order to plan the best way forward. Gozo also has its double-insulation issue.
So while a good idea to put Gozo under the microscope before coming out with policies, such a study should not just be limited to Gozo. It might be a good idea to broaden this and conduct such studies on the different regions in Malta. Indeed such a step could help identify problem areas and guide the way forward in policy making.
For example, we know that the number of towers being built in Sliema and St Julian’s will definitely have an impact on the lives of the residents and traffic once they open. But perhaps a more in-depth study of the region, could identify other issues which are unseen, such as whether the cost of living in such areas is being affected by such development, or to identify just how much of an impact the construction in the localities of the region is having on residents. Do residents in these localities feel as though they no longer identify with them?
Indeed there are many forms of studies which should be conducted on the islands frequently, and not just when a project pops up. Now obviously the government would undertake some studies mentioned above, but one must question, has the government given too much importance to the economic aspect rather than the social impact of its decisions? The government does tackle supporting families through social benefits but, for example, was enough importance given to the financial stability of the people working jobs? Did wages rise at an acceptable rate proportionate to the country’s success? Do people truly want Malta to be another Dubai? Were studies on these issues conducted and if yes, what were the findings?
But that is not all, other forms of studies should also be carried out. We need a deeper understanding of our transportation system and, more importantly, on the people’s over-reliance on car use and what it would take for them to change. Right now the focus seems to be on widening roads and improving the road networks. But this mainly serves to reduce traffic time and does not seem to reduce car use.
On a separate note, in the past, there was a proposal to set up a National Geological Service. Geologist Peter Gatt had once made this proposal and said that such a service looks at the natural resources of that particular country, catalogues them, and advises both the government and private industry on the best way to use those resources. The other aspect of such a service deals with geo-hazards like landslides which happen naturally, and also man-made geo-hazards like excavation.” The Geological Service would identify areas in the country that are more prone to geohazards if there is excavation, he said. “The Service would advise what kind of precautions should be made.”