Malta's demographic challenges need to be tackled with respect to matters such as human dignity, rent, wages, cost of living, language communication, security and urban planning.
Is Malta equipped to meet such challenges in view of Government's lack of planning? Is Malta respecting people's human rights, integration and security rights?
It is exactly the need for dignity that calls for a sober, dignified and rational discussion to be held. A society that cares should tackle such matters through evidence-based policy making.
To me this is what it means to be Maltese: To value what binds us, to adapt, to be resilient as we have been throughout history and to be equipped to meet the challenges of our times. In this regard, I emphasize that the Government of Malta is under-investing in areas such as language learning, social integration, urban social regeneration, security and solidarity. Instead it is fuelling an 'anything goes' economy, a race to the bottom and disrespect towards local communities. To me social cohesion between dignified human beings comes both ways: Respect for diversity and respect towards common values that bind us together.
We become stronger when we value everyone, whatever our origin and our destination. We are all human beings. Not just human resources.
