Opposition MP urges bipartisan ‘masterplan’ on infrastructure

Shadow economy minister Claudio Grech urged both sides of the House to lock heads and agree on a ten-year ‘masterplan’ on how to upgrade Malta’s infrastructure.

“A quick glance at our roads, and any casual observer can realize that Malta’s economic growth isn’t being matched by improvements to our infrastructure,” he said during a parliamentary debate on the implementation of this year’s Budget. “We talk about six-star projects, but then leave the infrastructure outside them in a third-world state.”

He hit out at the government for reducing expenditure on infrastructure in the Budget, describing it as the “crystallisation of the government’s failure to achieve a long-term vision on the country’s infrastructure”.

“The infrastructure shouldn’t depend on the government of the day, but on the requirements of the public and the economy, and government and Opposition should commit to an initial ten-year masterplan, that we will then update every decade.”

Grech warned that many people working in the tourism sector aren’t feeling the effects of Malta’s recent economic growth, as their salaries have been reduced.

“This is due to our strong shadow economy, with asylum seekers accepting poor work conditions, and due to other foreigners legally immigrating to Malta and accepting lower wages.

 The economy cannot simply grow on paper, but must be reflected in peoples’ take-home pay across the board.”

The Opposition MP argued that the government’s increased expenditure on salaries in the public sector risks draining talent from the private sector.

“The public sector has long offered a higher level of job security, but now that wages in the private sector are slumping, the public sector is becoming an increasingly attractive option,” he said. “The private sector must be the heart of the economy, and the public sector mustn’t encroach on it.”

Citing a Eurobarometer survey that indicated that a whopping 81% of Maltese businesses believe that corruption is widespread on the island, Grech warned that this perception could be hindering potential investment.

“Corruption is effectively a tax on the private sector, and politics in the country must no longer remain an instrument that people associate with corruption. We cannot attract proper investment, so long as this significant perception of corruption remains.”