19 June 2013 | 21:25
Latest headlines:
- A 54 year old man hit by a car in Gozo
- Two men injured in a firework factory explosion
- Courtesy visit to Archbishop Paul Cremona by ‘The Priests’
- Energy Minister visits new Auto Liquigas station
- Malta: Second highest of irregular immigrants in a decade
- EU: Construction sector on the rise
- Man arrested after high speed chase
- MEPs critical on OLAF director in Dalli case
- MEPA catches contravenor red handed in Gozo
- Communication technology subscriptions register rise
- Head-on collision at Xghajra
- Justice portfolio moves to OPM
- ONE goes up in the world
- Over 105 tonnes of foodstuffs destroyed in May
- 18 prisoners on hunger strike
Amongst the dreams of an oil well in time for the general election next year and all the talk about the creation of 20,000 new jobs over the past four years, am I, as a father of a disabled adult, not justified in asking why such a large portion of the Maltese population that totals 27,400 (almost as many as the whole of the population of Gozo!) have not benefitted at all from the alleged past and promised future creation of wealth by Government.
Both political parties should note that the 27,400 disabled and the people who care and worry about their welfare ( say 5 extended family members per disabled ) total 150,000 , which is a significant 37% of all the
Maltese population and that this sector is very much aware that they are being ' left behind ' , economically speaking.
It should suffice to mention that:
1. whilst less than 4% of the DISABLED are gainfully occupied, over 96% of the ABLED working population appear to hold full time jobs!
2. The disability pension appears to be set at around 60% of the National Minimum Wage perhaps signifying that Government considers them to deserve an inferior quality of life to abled persons?
My question:
If 96% of the working population of GOZO (roughly equivalent in number to the total of disabled in Malta + Gozo) were UNEMPLOYED, would any incumbent National Administration stand any chance of re-election?
The time has come for those concerned about the disabled to insist by their vote that this Christian nation invests as necessary (whether or not oil is found) and makes significant moves towards the creation of a FAIRER SOCIETY...one in which work opportunities include the whole of the population such that wealth is likely to be better spread, albeit quite fairly on a meritorious basis rather than as a result of charity.
Philip Rizzo
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