Expensive puppets on a string

We have just had a striking example of how the energy regulator – the Malta Resources Authority – is no regulator at all, as it can be manipulated by government when it is politically convenient for government do so.
Last week the MRA had worked out the new prices for gas cylinders according to a pricing mechanism that it has used regularly for some time now.
With the price of gas reaching 1,187 dollars per ton (Platt’s) the new prices were worked out and the new price of a 12kg cylinder of €18 would have increased to over €21 and that of the 25kg cylinder would rise from €30 to over €40.
MRA was not ready to increase the prices by that much and had recommended that the gas prices would be lower. Instead of charging €21.40 for a 12kg gas cylinder, suppliers were to charge €19.60.
But an order came from government: leave the prices as they are. With the local council elections just round the corner, government did not want a new wave of gas price rises that would certainly had brought an angry response from the families and businesses that are already badly-hit by the water and electricity bills.
MRA, therefore, had to stick to the gas prices, even though the pricing mechanism which it uses to establish prices month by month showed that the price of gas cylinders had to rise.
Last Friday, MRA issued a press release saying that it had decided to suspend this pricing mechanism “until verifications of the costs are completed by an independent audit firm. The exercise is expected to be completed over the next few weeks”.
This is a very lame excuse. MRA did not increase the gas cylinder prices simply because the local council elections were held this weekend and the government did not want to anger voters.
Why have expensive regulators that simply serve the government they were set up to regulate and to be independent of? Expect similar manoeuvers from MRA and other regulators as the general election approaches. If they are ready to be manipulated and serve the government for local council elections, imagine what they are ready to do to win the general elections.
Stop the fratricide
Joseph Muscat gave a brilliant speech last Sunday in Qormi. He really believes that we should put a stop to tribal politics.
For many years now, instead of moving towards “the cherished goal… of brotherly democracy” (as promised by the PN over and over again) we are being treated to more of the same winner takes all and one party state politics.
The country has for far too long been run by politicians described by Cretan novelist Nikos Kazantzakis in The Fratricides.
This is a moving novel about a village priest trying to heal division and hatred in a small community during the Greek civil war of the late 1940s. He castigates politicians for “not having the whole of their country in their heart… all of them have her divided, cut her in two as if she were not alive”.
But he also castigates partisan voters for supporting such partisan politicians.
Muscat wants to stop this fratricide.
It is our duty to support him in this very difficult task. Let us be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Muscat said in Qormi: “If we gain the trust of the people in the general election, we will govern in a totally new way. What makes us different is that we are going to be a government of all the people of good will, of all those who are ready to work with us for the common good, we will be a government even for those who are not going to vote for us and who will run a personal campaign against us.”
“We want a government of all Maltese and Gozitans. I believe with all my heart and absolutely in an open movement, a movement that will not die once the votes are counted. This is our challenge – to lead the country for the common good, making the most of all the talents of everyone for the common good.”
 “When I heard those words of hate and political discrimination I felt a mixture of anger and sadness. The easiest thing to do was to reply in kind and fan the flames with the politics of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This wins you some votes in the short run but is it good for the country? How will this language of hate and division that takes us back to tribal politics benefit our country?” Muscat asked.
He said he wanted to share this moment with the people and ask: “What kind of country do you want to leave our children? This is something that goes beyond politics and is about loving our country. Not only have our adversaries needed to learn from what is going on, but even ourselves.”
Muscat said that: “In this difficult moment in Europe and Malta we cannot run our country with a heart that can only embrace half a country.”
There will be those who tell him that after so many years of suffering injustice and discrimination that they cannot be denied what they deserve, but we must not inflict on others what they have inflicted on us. “We must have justice not retribution. Those who deserve justice will get it.”
He said that the electoral result is an insignificant moment in the history of humanity. “We need to look forward to see what kind of country we want to create for our future. We are going to inherit a country with huge problems and enormous challenges that can only be compared to what Malta faced in 1971, but challenges that we are convinced we can win.”
Muscat said that Labour will not simply grumble about the problems that the new government will be saddled with but will tell the people frankly what the situation is and how the problems are going to be addressed.
Muscat said that a new government would be aware that to address the enormous problems under which neighbouring countries collapsed, you cannot run the country using only the talents of half the country.

Evarist Bartolo is shadow minister for education.