An extreme form of neo-liberal laissez-faire obsessed with growth and credit ratings

Prof. Mark Anthony Falzon

Anthropologist, Head of Department of Sociology

Joseph Muscat is very good at what he does. What he does is, basically, an extreme form of neo-liberal laissez-faire that is obsessed with growth and credit ratings. He also wins elections, usually by landslides. The two are linked – the vote may be huge and popular, but it is also embedded in structures of power and influence. It would, for example, be foolish to underestimate the import of massive campaign funding by super-rich construction magnates. Beyond that, however, and where it really matters, Joseph Muscat has generally failed to deliver. It helps to ask a few basic questions. First, has there been an improvement in standards of public life? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t say there is more corruption than there was five years ago, but there certainly isn’t less. Likewise, meritocracy and transparency are as elusive as ever: what has happened is simply a replacement of one type of crony with another (and I don’t necessarily mean that Labourite has replaced Nationalist – Muscat is too cunning for that). Second, has there been a moral, political, and tangible investment in models of sustainable development? The answer to that is a very big No – as far as sustainable development is concerned, the country is coming apart at the seams, to the extent that the standard coping mechanism is to simply not care what happens beyond one’s bubble. Third, to what extent has all the supposed wealth translated into more money for the population generally, as opposed to a few thousand who were already pretty rich to start with? The answer to this is more complex, partly because the economic resilience of the population is based on the principle of a finger in every pie. Speaking for myself, my salary is not higher today than it was five years ago. I’m relatively privileged and I’m not complaining, but I hate to think what things must be like for people on the minimum wage who do not wish to work five jobs. Fourth, has there been an improvement in the standard of living broadly defined? Again, not really. Many things in Malta are as shoddy and mediocre as they were five years ago. Try using a wheelchair for a day, or cycling to work, or walking in the countryside. So no, Joseph Muscat is not the Übermensch he is believed by some to be.