Changing our modus operandi

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that “we cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. This column for the past weeks has spoken on the need to move away from an economy that needs large input of persons, to an economy with much higher technology investments to increase productivity. Additionally it has highlighted the risk of overtourism, which is not only straining our infrastructure, but is also affecting badly the spend per tourist.

All of these issues stem from the same root cause. As a nation we seem unable to take corrective action in good time. We appear resolute in resorting to reactive measures only when we reach a desperate point with no other options available. One only needs to have a look at our recent history to see how this nation was forced to tackle longstanding problems in public entities like the Drydocks and Airmalta to realise that this was and remains our main modus operandi.

The capacity problems this country is facing have long been in the making, be it with regards health services, drainage, energy distribution or traffic congestion. For many years we continued with our usual modus operandi, despite knowing that the numbers at all levels indicated that we would inevitably hit a brick wall and encounter significant obstacles. This means that time and time again our country ends up in full reactionary mode, trying to then patch up things. Needless to say, when ministers attempt to convince us that this isn’t crisis management, they end up insulting our collective intelligence.

To focus on a case in point, let me use the statistics of registered motor vehicles in Malta issued by the National Statistics Office on 30 July. These statistics, as shown below, indicate that in the past 3.5 years, from 1 January 2021 to 30 June, Malta had 79,463 newly-licensed motor vehicles, meaning a running daily average of 62 newly-licensed vehicles. Luckily there were some scrapped cars and so that stock of licensed motor vehicles, for the same period, increased by 35,860, meaning that on the balance of everything, the stock of licensed motor vehicles increased by 28 vehicles per day.

It doesn’t take much to understand what these numbers are indicating. They are telling us that unless we reduce the amount of vehicles on our roads we will never even begin to solve the huge traffic congestion problem in Malta. We are already at the stage that one rather major accident in an arterial road, leaves large parts of Malta fully congested. The numbers are speaking clearly. Soft touches here and there will not deliver the bacon. Malta needs to clearly disincentivise private transport and incentivise public transport. Such measures may be unpopular, but without them we are literally going down the same path of our energy distribution problem, with an eventual total gridlock situation, resulting in significant economic and social costs.

Yet the mantra that the next budget will be one of “no new taxes” and more generous than the previous one, is already in full swing. I was hoping for a budget that addresses Malta’s immediate problems, that are grinding it to a halt!