Kejl ħażin tal-Enemalta

Fl-artiklu li deher fl-aħħar ħarġa ta’ din il-gazzetta ssemma li hemm mijiet ta’ nies li nstabilhom li l-meter tal-elettriku kien qed jaħdem slow. Meta kont nilqa’ l-ilmenti fl-Għaqda tal-Konsumaturi kont iltqajt ma’ żewġ każi bħal dawn fejn familja tkun qed tgħix għall-kwiet f’darha u ssib li tiġi mhedda mill-Enemalta li se jaqtgħulha dan is-servizz jekk ma tħallasx mijiet jew eluf ta’ ewro fi żmien qasir. Dan għaliex skont l-Enemalta l-meter ikun qed jaħdem slow.
L-ewwel diffikultà hi l-biza’ li se jtellgħuhom il-Qorti meta ma għamlu xejn ħażin. Ħadd ma jrid pulizija wara biebu. Nista’ ngħidilkom li għal dawn iż-żewġ familji kienet trawma.

It-tieni diffikultà tkun meta int tibda tiċċekkja u tipprotesta. Ir-raġuni hi li l-kontijiet jinħargu mill-Water Services Corporation. Dawn jgħidulek li għandek tipprotesta mal-Enemalta. S’intendi jgħidulek biex tikteb. Hawn il-problema tikber. Risposta ma tiħux mill-ewwel u l-familja f’dan iż-żmien mingħajr risposta tkun bejn ħaltejn jekk għandhiex tħallas jew le. Fuq naħa tista’ tispiċċa l-Qorti u mingħajr dawl u fuq l-oħra titlef somma flus mingħajr ħtija. Dan speċjalment jekk is-somma tkun kbira. Fil-każi li kont iltqajt magħhom jien, kas minnhom kien fuq l-Lm1,000 u l-ieħor kien fuq it-Lm3,000.
Dawn iż-żewġ familji setgħu jħallsu, iżda d-diffikultà kienet: għaliex għandhom iħallsu qabel ma l-protest tagħhom jinstema’, speċjalment meta jafu li m’għandhomx ħtija? Tara l-ansjetà li tinħolqilhom għaliex fuq naħa jafu li huma m’għandhomx tort u fl-istess ħin jibżgħu li jekk ma jħallsux jistgħu jispiċċaw mingħajr dawl jekk mhux il-Qorti.
Min-naħa l-oħra jafu li jekk iħallsu u jinstab li ma kellhomx tort, flus lura ma jiħdux għaliex jgħidulhom li se jaqtgħulhom is-somma mill-kontijiet ta’ wara. Tista’ toqgħod ċert li għal ħafna, wara li jkunu ġemmgħu Lm3,000 b’sagrifiċċji kbar, ma jiħdux gost li jaraw dawn itiru f’daqqa għax xi ħadd jgħidlek li l-meter li waħħal hu stess kien qed jaħdem slow! Ma nafx familji li jiġu jaqgħu u jqumu jekk jitilfu Lm3,000.
Għaliex għidt li f’dawn il-każi l-konsumaturi m’għandhomx tort? Hemm ħafna raġunijiet iżda l-aktar waħda importanti hi li l-meter hu proprjetà tal-Enemalta u hi responsabbiltà tagħha li tara li dan qed jaħdem tajjeb. Li kieku kien il-konsumatur li għażel il-mudell u kien qed jikkalkula l-ammont ta’ elettriku wżat ngħid missu qagħad attent li l-meter qed jaħdem tajjeb. Imma jekk il-meter għażlitu u waħħlitu l-Enemalta, kif jeħel il-konsumatur li l-meter qed jaħdem slow? U għaliex 12-il sena u mhux 5, 10 jew 20 sena?
L-inġustizzja u l-assurdità ta’ dan kollu taraha jekk timmaġina li għodwa minnhom meta tmur għand tal-grocer dan jgħidlek li għandek tagħtih €500 għaliex il-miżien tiegħu ma kienx qed jaħdem tajjeb għal dawn l-aħħar 12-il sena.
L-inġustizzja hi akbar għaliex jekk hemm meters li jaħdmu slow, żgur hemm meters li għaġġlu aktar milli suppost. Sal-lum għad irrid niltaqa’ ma’ xi konsumatur li rċieva ċekk ta’ eluf ta’ ewro għaliex il-meter kien qed jgħaġġel! Forsi l-Enemalta tista’ tgħidilna kemm il-miljun ewro qassmet f’ċekkijiet bħal dawn!
U hawn terġa’ toħroġ l-ineffiċjenza tal-Awtorità ta’ Malta għar-Rizorsi. X’qed tagħmel biex tara li jkun hemm ġustizzja mal-konsumaturi f’każi bħal dawn?

Published in ILLUM of the

18^th January 2009

Things of 2008

The best books I’ve read were Norwegian Wood and Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and The Undercover economist by Tim Harford.

Haruki Murakami always strikes me as one who can describe human feelings raw as they are. He’s a realist in the sense that his stories are all a sort of unfinished symphonies – just as human relations are. The first book is a science fiction story though one which is moulded within a network of contemporary human relationships. Norwegian Wood struck me as a story of how humans are moulded by their youth experiences.

The Undercover economist, on the other hand is a different type of book. It deals with basic economic principles but elaborates them with modern day business examples. If all economics books were written this way, economics would be one of the most popular areas of study of students. After reading this book I believe that economics is considered by some as a dismal science only because it is dealt by dismal writers. I recommend this book to all economics students.

The worst newspaper article title I’ve seen for years was ‘New energy rates workings – Families will save €27 a year’ by Mathew Xuereb which appeared on The Times (4^th December 2008). I don’t think there is much to say except quote two comments which were posted when this article (?!) was published.

The first was from a certain Mark Fiorentino – “This is a perfect exercise in giving a nice title to a piece of very bad news. Journalism or political spin?” The other was from a certain Joseph Micallef – “At times like this I begin to seriously doubt the objectivity of our press. How can one say one is saving when one is paying more? This is a tactic the government uses continuously, and the press seems to be in on the game.”

This title will haunt Mr Xuereb for years to come - if it was his!

The best article on consumer affairs was the one by Marie Louise Coleiro Preca titled ‘Monopolji u Kartelli’ which appeared in l-Orizzont on the 12^th December 2008. It gives an idea of the charade that we making of the principle of competition and consumer protection. It points out also to one main weakness – unless the regulators stop operating as government departments, serving the government’s interest, consumers cannot expect a fair deal. If anything it shows that Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is still very much aware of the problems in this area.