We condem Labour administration for having followed the Nationalist Party’s footsteps with regards to dodgy agreements with the private sector that sell off some of Malta’s most important assets.
by Moviment Graffitti
Moviment Graffitti is alarmed at how the country’s public assets and public land are being handed over to private companies through deals that constitute a rip-off for the public. These shady privatisation deals are jeopardising our right for transparency with regards to publicly-owned property, workers’ rights, decent health services and the quality of our environment.
It is now clear that the Labour administration has followed the Nationalist Party’s footsteps with regards to dodgy agreements with the private sector that sell off some of Malta’s most important assets. Among the assets given by the PN administration under very suspicious deals, we find the Mid-Med Bank, the Enemalta Petroleum Division, Maltacom and the shipyards, as well as land in Kalkara given for the SmartCity scam, Manoel Island and Tigne Point, Portomaso, and Fort Chambray. In continuity with this pattern, the Labour administration has during the past few years conducted a number of senseless privatisation processes.
The so-called “American University of Malta” (AUM) has been given prime sites, including natural land in Żonqor, in the name of enhancing the educational sector, even though this is a private University for the exclusive use of the global rich. It is being developed by a company with no experience in education and is not even managing to attract students.
The ITS site has been transferred to Silvio Debono for a pittance – €15 million. On this site, a monstrous project which will have a deleterious impact on residents living in surrounding areas, is now being proposed. From the sale of apartments alone, Silvio Debono is expected to rake in over €200 million.
Particularly worrying is the privatisation of our public health sector. Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH), a shifty company with no experience in healthcare, has been given three hospitals through a contract that is not available for public scrutiny. Government is expected to pay billions of euros to this company, in return for some investment. The question is – why couldn’t Government carry out this investment itself, instead of paying billions to a private company? Moreover, it is now transpiring that this contract is a veritable scam. The company has not even carried out the investments it was obliged to, and Government will have to pay €80 million to take back two of the hospitals if it does not renew the contract after 30 years. St. Luke’s hospital is theirs for the full 99 years.
These privatisation deals are symptomatic of long-standing politics in our country that disregard public interest and the common good in order to please the wealthy few. It is unacceptable that private companies get rich off public resources. Moreover, widespread privatisation poses a huge risk to our social and economic structures since private companies are primarily concerned with increasing profits, not the public wellbeing. Moviment Graffitti states that we urgently need a different kind of politics – politics that put the people’s wellbeing, and not the wealthy elite, as its foremost concern. This privatisation-at-all-costs policy must stop. Deals currently in force should be investigated and, possibly, reversed.
Il-Moviment Graffitti huwa allarmat għall-mod kif l-assi pubbliċi u l-art pubblika qed jingħataw lill-kumpaniji privati permezz ta’ ftehimiet li ma huma xejn ħlief serq ta’ riżorsi pubbliċi. Dawn il-ftehimiet xejn trasparenti qegħdin jikkompromettu d-dritt tan-nies li jkunu jaf x’qed jiġri bil-propjetà pubblika, id-drittjiet tal-ħaddiema, is-servizzi tas-saħħa u l-kwalità tal-ambjent tagħna.
Issa huwa ċar li l-amministrazzjoni Laburista qiegħda tkompli fuq il-passi tal-Partit Nazzjonalista fir-rigward ta’ ftehimiet suspettużi mas-settur privat li jbiegħu uħud mill-iktar assi importanti ta’ Malta. Fost l-assi li ngħataw mill-amministrazzjoni tal-PN permezz ta’ dawn il-ftehimiet nsibu l-Mid-Med Bank, l-Enemalta Petroleum Division, il-Maltacom u t-tarzna, kif ukoll art fil-Kalkara li ngħatat għall-ingann ta’ SmartCity, Manoel Island u Tigne Point, Portomaso u Fort Chambray. L-amministrazzjoni Laburista kompliet timxi fuq dan il-mudell u, tul dawn l-aħħar snin, mexxiet numru ta’ privatizzazzjonijiet li ma jagħmlux sens.
L-hekk imsejħa “American University of Malta” (AUM) ingħata siti ta’ valur, inkluż art naturali fiż-Żonqor, f’isem it-tisħiħ tas-settur edukattiv, anki jekk din hija Università privata għall-użu esklussiv tas-sinjuruni globali. Din hija ta’ kumpanija li m’għandha ebda esperjenza fl-edukazzjoni u li lanqas qed jirnexxilha tattira studenti.
Is-sit tal-ITS ġie trasferit għand Silvio Debono għal ċuċata – €15-il miljun. Fuq dan is-sit qed ikun propost proġett mostruż li se jkollu impatt negattiv ferm fuq ir-residenti f’dawk iż-żoni. Mill-bejgħ t’appartamenti biss, Silvio Debono mistenni jdaħħal iktar minn €200 miljun.
Hija wkoll ta’ tħassib kbir il-privatizzazzjoni li qed issir fis-settur tas-saħħa pubblika. Il-Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH), kumpanija suspettuża bla ebda esperjenza fis-saħħa, ġiet mogħtija tlett sptarijiet permezz ta’ kuntratt li ma tpoġġhiex għall-iskrutinju pubbliku. Il-Gvern huwa mistenni jħallas biljuni ta’ ewro lil din il-kumpanija, u l-kumpanija hija obbligata tagħmel xi investiment fl-isptarjiet li qed tmexxi. Il-mistoqsija hi – għaliex l-Gvern ma setgħax jagħmel dan l-investiment hu stess, minflok jagħti biljuni lil kumpanija privata? Issa qed joħroġ ukoll li dan il-kuntratt m’huwa xejn ħlief scam. Il-kumpanija qas biss għamlet l-investiment li kienet obbligata tagħmel, u l-Gvern se jkollu jhallas €80 miljun sabiex jieħu lura żewġ sptarijiet fil-każ li jiddeċiedi li ma jġeddidx il-kuntratt wara 30 sena. L-isptar San Luqa se jibqa’ tagħhom għal 99 sena sħaħ.
Dawn il-privatizzazzjonijiet huma sintomu ta’ politika, b’għeruq fondi f’pajjiżna, li ma tħarisx l-interess pubbliku u l-ġid komuni iżda takkomoda l-interessi ta’ ftit sinjuri. Huwa inaċċettabbli li kumpanji privati jistagħnew mir-riżorsi pubbliċi. Din il-privatizzazzjoni mifruxa qiegħda ukoll tipperikola l-istrutturi soċjali u ekonomiċi tagħna għaliex il-kumpaniji privati jimpurtahom, l-ewwel u qabel kollox, mit-tkabbir tal-profitt u mhux mill-ġid tan-nies. Il-Moviment Graffitti jgħid li hawn bżonn urġenti ta’ politika differenti – politika li tpoġġi l-ġid tan-nies, u mhux l-elite ta’ sinjuri, bħala l-ewwel prijorità tagħha. Din il-politika ta’ privatizzazzjoni-akkost-ta’-kollox hemm bżonn li tieqaf. Ftehimiet eżistenti għandhom jiġu investigati u, possibbilment, mreġġa’ lura.
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