Muscat launches 'Fair society' proposal for social assessment on major decisions

At a Labour party conference held today at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat announced two new proposals a new Labour government would implement if elected.

Muscat said Labour is committed to commission a social impact assessment on all major economic decisions once it is in government, and new trusts for disabled people and their parents to safeguard the future of disabled children.

In a clear bid to link Muscat's 'movement' to the Labour Party's roots, the two proposals attempt to illustrate the party's commitment to social justice. Talking at length about the party's achievements throughout the years, Muscat said that Labour's biggest accomplishment was in creating a broad consensus on the need to build society upon the notion of social justice.  

The seminar, entitled 'A Fair Society', followed last month's launch of the 'youth guarantee' plan which came under intense media scrutiny. It seems that after focusing on youths in May, the next phase in the party's long campaign will revolve around social justice.   

Announcing the first policy proposal, Muscat said that social impact assessments will provide a new government "with new tools in taking decisions and what impact, both negative and positive, these decisions will have on different sectors of society."

He said this idea was born after witnessing the current administration introduce multiple price hikes in gas, water and electricity bills without holding studies on how this will impact families.

Muscat said this process will ensure that a new Labour government does not commit the same "unacceptable" mistakes the current government has done in "taking hasty decisions" and then introducing reparative measures when it is too late.

Such measures must be introduced before major economic decisions are taken "to avoid creating problems."

The Labour leader said a new Labour government will also invest in such tools which are central in creating a "government which is open and transparent."

"The assessments will be led by a multi-disciplinary team including economists, sociologists, psychologists, social workers and other professionals in order to ensure a holistic result which places a high quality of life at the centre of the assessment," Muscat said.

He added that this will be based on the 'Open Government' concept open to scrutiny and feedback. "Therefore we will not only ensure a top-bottom approach but also a bottom-down approach."

Muscat said this will not add any bureaucracy but will mean that a new Labour government will work "hand in hand" with civil society, businesses and families.   

The process will ensure that better decisions are taken and "build a collective conscience and a sense of responsibility" keeping in mind that all individual and collective decisions affect many people.

The second policy announced by Muscat concerns the disability sector and is the most concrete of two proposals announced today. While explaining that the families of disabled persons are concerned about the future of their sons and daughters after they pass away, Muscat said that "a new government will put their mind at rest."

He said this will be done by reassuring the parents and families of disabled persons that after their death, care and accommodation will be provided within the community or in private houses. Muscat also spoke of creating new models of public private partnerships in the sector and a stronger involvement of the voluntary sector.

The idea sounds uncannily familiar: David Cameron's 'Big Society' was the flagship policy of the 2010 UK Conservative Party's general election manifesto. A cornerstone of Cameron's "big society" is for NGOs to plug a hole left by the withdrawal of public services, by taking over provision of tasks once provided by the state.

However, the stress on the value of the community, social inclusion, public-private partnerships, growth, entrepreneurship, enterprise, wealth creation and social justice are more reminiscent of the Third Way doctrine championed by US President Bill Clinton, UK premier Tony Blair and German Chancellor Gerhart Schröder in the late 1990s and the beginning of the new century. 

Muscat said a new Labour government will also introduce fiscal measures in favour of disabled persons and their families. These incentives include the setting up of trusts and exempt disabled persons from paying property and inheritance taxes. However Muscat explained that the trusts will not endanger the inheritance as "the inheritance will not be taken away, will not be abused and will only be used for the benefit of the disabled persons."

He said nothing from the current care and aid system available to disabled persons will be removed, but what the party is proposing will be implemented over and above the current system.

Muscat said these two proposals are "two important steps in creating a sustainable economic growth that reaches everybody and the wealth created is spread out in a socially just way."

As political parties are now battling it out on the social media field, this morning Muscat tweeted he will announce his 'Fair Society' proposal and fellow party officials and candidates joined a Twitter stream on hashtag #afairsociety this morning.