Today's article is inspired by a situation reported some days ago in Australia.
Like many countries around the world, Australia is taking extraordinary measures to maintain its economy ticking over, even limping along, while the storm being caused by the COCID-19 virus remains at its best.
One of the measures taken, called JobKeeper, taken by the Australian government was to subsidise worker wages that had been on the books of organisations, commercial or otherwise, up till $1500 per fortnight. This measure, that started in April and is intended to conclude by the end of September this year, was estimated to benefit 6.5 million person and cost the country's coffers $130 billion.
That's what they thought.
The mistake was undoubtedly massive, but I say, who'd blame them? Just imagine, that in a few days you'd realise you'd have to quickly put a stop to a large part of daily life in your country, to avoid deaths of many thousand of citizens, and mitigate this take financial decisions without precedent in the history of your country.
While doing so, you'll make mistakes. Sometimes afterwards, you realise you should have done more. Other times, you should have done less. Things don't always turn out as planned, or rarely do so. And so?
I see that in many cultures and societies around the world, also in Australia and when I was in Malta, there is a problem of how we deal with mistakes. When someone admits making one, or one be revealed, you can almost guarantee that somebody will jump on this fact to harshly criticise the poor fellow making the mistake, painting him or her as ignorant, incompetent, careless etc.
As a consequence someone who realises he/she is responsible for a mistake probably would do anything possible to hide the fact, or deny this had happened, or try to spin the fact to highlight some positive aspect, as far fetched as it may be.
Perhaps the people who usually go to extraordinary lengths to avoid admitting a mistake are parliamentary politicians, whose actions are always pre-planned and studied. Mistakes? Those are only made by the other side! Lest faith in us is lost by our supporters!
Not to mention the Church, whose laws are coming straight from God Himself, sent by fax from the heavens to mankind. How is it even possible for there to be a mistake? Beyond the realm of possibility.
How I wish to see a bit more maturity and space afforded, so that someone making a mistake would feel comfortable owning up straight away, and in an open dialogue with some level headed person, learn from the incident and strive to do better next time.
I believe wholeheartedly in this principle. Wouldn't it be better than hiding and lying, and after all, doesn't the truth come out, eventually?
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L-artiklu tal-lum huwa ispirat minn sitwazzjoni li ġiet irrappurtata xi ġranet ilu fl-Awstralja.
Bħal ħafna pajjiżi madwar id-dinja, l-Awstralja qiegħda tieħu miżura straordinarji sabiex l-ekonomija tagħha tkompli tiffunzjoni b'xi mod, anke zzappap, waqt li l-burraxka li qed jikkawża l-virus COVID-19 tkun għadha fl-aqwa tagħha.
Waħda mill-miżuri, imsejħa Jobkeeper, li ħa l-gvern Awstraljan kienet li jissussidja l-pagi tal-ħaddiema li kienu fuq il-kotba ta' organizzazzjonijiet, kummerċjali u le, sa $1500 kull ħmistax. Din il-miżura, li bdiet f'April u hija intenzjonata li tintemm fl-aħħar ta' Settembru ta' din is-sena, kienet stmata li se jibbenefikaw minnha 6.5 miljun persuna u tiswa lill-kaxxa tal-pajjiż $130 biljun.
Jew hekk ħasbu.
L-iżball kien oħxon bla dubju, imma ngħid jien, min ilumhom? Immaġinaw ftit, li fi ftit ġranet tirrealizza li trid malajr malajr twaqqaf il-biċċa l-kbira tal-ħajja ta' kuljum ta' pajjiżek, biex tevita li jmutu ħafna eluf ta' ċittadini, u biex ittaffiha tieħu deċiżjonijiet finanzjarji mingħajr preċedent fl-istorja ta' pajjiżek.
Waqt li tagħmel dan, se tieħu xi żbalji. Kultant wara, tagħraf li kellek tagħmel iktar. Drabi oħra, kellek tagħmel inqas. L-affarijiet mhux dejjem joħorġu kien tippjanahom, jew rari jagħmlu dan. B'daqshekk?
Jien nara li f'ħafna kulturi u soċjetajiet ta' madwar id-dinja, fl-Awstralja u anke meta kont Malta, hemm problema ta' kif nittrattaw l-iżball. Meta xi ħadd jammetti xi żball, jew jiġi mikxuf żball, kważi b'garanzija li se jkun hemm min jaqbeż fuq dan il-fatt biex jikkritika bl-aħrax lil min ikun għamlu, u jpinġih bħala injorant, inkompetenti, ma jimpurtahx eċċ.
Allura li jiġri hu li min jinduna li għamel żball jispiċċa jara kif ħa jagħmel biex jaħbih, jew jiċħad li sar l-iżball, jew jipprova jdawru b'xi mod biex joħroġ xi aspett pożittiv, imġebbed kemm jista' jkun imġebbed.
Forsi l-iktar nies li jdumu jitkawġu biex jevitaw li jammettu żball huma l-politikanti fil-parlament, li dejjem dak li jkunu qed jagħmlu kien ippjanat u studjat. Żbalji? Dawk tan-naħa l-oħra jagħmluhom! Mela, ma jmorrux jitilfu l-fidi fina l-partitarji tagħna!
Biex ma nsemmix ukoll il-Knisja, li l-liġijiet tagħha ġejjin dritt dritt mingħand Alla, mibgħuta bil-faks mis-smewwiet lejn il-bniedem. Kif jista' biss ikun hemm żball? Lanqas huwa possibbli.
Kemm nixtieq li nara ftit iktar maturità u spazju mħolli, ħalli meta wieħed jieħu żball iħossu komdu li jammetti dan minnufih, u fi djalogu miftuħ ma' dawk tal-affari tagħhom, jitgħallmu mill-inċident u jfittxu li jagħmlu aħjar darb'oħra.
Jien ngħid għalija, dan il-prinċipju nemmen bih fis-sħiħ. Mhux aħjar mill-ħabi u l-gideb, u wara kollox, iż-żejt mhux dejjem jitla' f'wiċċ l-ilma?
1https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-23/coronavirus-jobkeeper-bungle-a-good-thing-for-budget-bottom-line/12278432, retrieved 26/5/2020
2https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/60b-jobkeeper-error-worst-case-scenario-20200526-p54wk3, retrieved 26/5/2020
3John 8:7
1https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-23/coronavirus-jobkeeper-bungle-a-good-thing-for-budget-bottom-line/12278432, retrieved 26/5/2020
2https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/60b-jobkeeper-error-worst-case-scenario-20200526-p54wk3, retrieved 26/5/2020
3John 8:7
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