Budget 2018 – a government that lacks a plan

obody could explain the dream except Joseph, who interpreted it as being a prophecy of seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh was thus forewarned and, thanks to preparations made under Joseph’s wise management during the years of prosperity, the land of Egypt survived the years of misery much better than its neighbours.

This week, our Finance Minister stood up in Parliament to deliver his budget speech for 2018. It was his sixth and you did get the feeling of what happens next, when the fat years are over. The problem is that the management of the Joseph sitting next to the Minister while the good times rolled was not as wise as that of the other Joseph with his coat of many colours.

The interconnector, EU funds and the way things were

You see, when it was first voted into office, Labour found its bed already made. Suffice it to say that Minister Scicluna’s first budget speech defended the 2013 financial estimates that had been presented by the Nationalist government in its final months and were defeated in Parliament when Labour voted against. other country, we did things differently then.

Traffic, education and other mounting pressures

Had Labour used its time in office wisely, planning ahead while times were good, this would have been no more than a sad rant by someone involved in doing the heavy lifting while someone else gets the accolades. But the Government’s attitude has been laissez-faire. As the good neo-liberals that they are, they are highly averse to planning, believing that there is nothing better at sorting things out than an unfettered market.

Take the labour market. When the economy is doing fine, it is inevitable that it becomes more attractive to prospective workers from abroad. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but you would expect the government to manage and prepare for population in-flows. This would include attracting those who can fill specific skill gaps and not just about anyone who is ready to work for less – and undercut Maltese workers.

There is mounting pressure on the infrastructure and it is starting to show. On the roads, we are perilously close to total gridlock, many people are being priced out of the housing market and problems which, until recently, we thought were under control – such as sewage disposal and waste manage- ment – look set to return with a vengeance. Education, the best investment we can make to ensure that our workforce stays competitive in the global markets, is also suffering and the failure to ensure that the teaching profession retains the prestige and status it deserves is starting to show.

Quick fixes, the re-hashing of old promises and the road ahead

Having done so little to prepare for the future, the Government is now trying to make some quick fixes. A road-surfacing and widening programme is, of course, always welcome; the problem is that this is way below the most urgent needs in the transport sector. Appreciating the surface of the road while stuck in traffic does not make the wait any more pleasant.

If not quick fixes, then the Budget proposals try to rehash old promises. This year it is promising schools that it already promised in last year’s budget and on which work still has to begin. It adds more to that déjà-vu feeling that six budget speeches in succession have not kept pace but have left everything to chance. With the solid groundwork it inherited, and the more positive international climate in which it finds itself, Labour so far has had a lucky streak. The question is: what happens when it’s over?