Editorial – Page 23 – Voice of the Workers Weekly

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Taking care of the environment and our livelihood

Hermann Micallef 08/07/2020 Taking care of the environment and our livelihood2020-07-08T10:06:39+02:00 Issue 315 Editorial

The world’s population will soon reach the eight billion mark. This translates into the disposal of eight billion single-use items. The need to do something on this issue is critical. Using a private…

Will it be difficult to get back to normal?

Hermann Micallef 01/07/2020 Will it be difficult to get back to normal?2020-07-01T16:28:23+02:00 Issue 314 Editorial

Everyone is yearning for the calm of normality. But can we really define what is normal? If we look at what is happening around us we see, amongst others, several economies struggling to rejuvenate. During the pandemic, a number of workers have suffered financially whereas frontliners were burnt out and sacrificed their time with their families. Some families have lost loved ones and regretted not being able to be with them in the last moments of their lives. This leads many of us to think about normality: when will things return to normal and what will the new normality look like? Normality, as we knew it, is one where the healthcare system and governments were not prepared to deal with crises like COVID-19. The new normality will be almost like the ‘old’ one, albeit the new one will hopefully be better prepared for global pandemics. We hope that the new normality, in other words, will change what was wrong and keep what was good with the old normality. The new normality will mean that many of us will go back to much we used to do before this pandemic broke out. However, our society will be making changes for the better, changes we hope will be good for the livelihoods of our communities. In the coming months, our lives will “return to normal”. For some, this normality is still far away. More businesses and commercial establishments have re-opened; others unfortunately closed down and made their employees redundant. More people may become infected with the virus and there might be individuals who will succumb to it. Meanwhile, the health authorities continue to remind us to remain vigilant and to take care of ourselves. Government has removed restrictions. A section of the population agreed to this decision whilst others are criticising Government’s swift actions very harshly on social media. In addition, we shall continue to face difficult challenges and we might not be prepared for them. Scientists and health specialists will try to overcome these challenges. They will be succeeding in some way, but the challenges will keep on coming.

Involved politicians should shoulder responsibility and resign from their public roles

Hermann Micallef 23/06/2020 Involved politicians should shoulder responsibility and resign from their public roles2020-06-24T10:32:13+02:00 Issue 313 Editorial

The shocking revelations that are being made in court linked to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia are increasing the dosage of harm to our country’s reputation. Investigations, which supposedly were meant to be conducted by the Police but instead were undertaken by the independent media, have revealed more corrupt practices. These latest disclosures show how in the past few years, there was a disparaging relationship between senior politicians and dishonest business people. The recent news of Enemalta’s purchase of shares in a windfarm in Montenegro and its connection with the prime murder suspect raised more eyebrows and to date have given no credibility that the project was legitimate. We have seen or heard that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had no knowledge of Yorgen Fenech’s connection to the above mentioned project. However, one has to be very ingenuous to believe that the former prime minister was not acquainted with the project or else that he was not involved in the due diligence that should have been made. People of goodwill are also doubtful of Muscat’s claims that his then chief of staff was not involved in the negotiations. In these circumstances, it is unacceptable that we, the citizens, continue to be taken for a ride. In the name of good governance, the present Prime Minister should act new and eliminate the perception out there that rogue politicians are untouchable. The people were not impressed when Prime Minister Abela said he was “disgusted”. That is not enough. He has to show that he is really a Prime Minister who wants to wipe out corruption that has continued to tarnish our country’s image in the international arena. Meanwhile, Voice of the Workers calls for the involved politicians to shoulder responsibility and resign from their public roles. They must not be protected anymore. This portal is also calling for the directors of Enemalta to shoulder responsibility for the Montenegro windfarm scandal. In the meantime, international organisations are monitoring Malta to see how the government is going to tackle the issues of money laundering and corruption. Unless drastic political decisions are taken to restore the much needed trust in the rule of law, scandals will increase and shall continue to cause serious repercussions on the country’s reputation. This editorial was written on Monday 22nd June 2020