The Labour party and Maltese ageing policy : past, present and future

Abstract

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since, in their anticipation of a Turkish invasion, the Order of St. John perceived the eldest island inhabitants as ‘useless civilians’ and evacuated them to Sicily. Malta nowadays holds a key place in the history of international ageing policy. The Maltese Government made Malta the first nation to raise the subject of population ageing as an issue of world concern. This occurred in 1969 when it successfully appealed to the United Nations for the theme’s inclusion on the agenda of the 24th session of the General Assembly. This led to unprecedented awareness on the effects of population ageing. The United Nations eventually organised a World Assembly on Ageing in 1982 where, to Malta’s credit, the designated chairperson was a Maltese citizen. However, as Brincat recently highlighted, the history of the modern Maltese welfare state awaits detailed study. This is especially true with respect to policies relating to later life. Historical analyses of the development of social policies in Malta tend to focus on general health, educational, and labour issues, and hardly any attention is awarded towards the foundation of those services geared towards older persons. Given the space limitations, and specific focus of this publication, this paper does not seek to address such a lacuna. Rather, its goal is to conduct a critical overview as how the development of local ageing policy was stimulated and influenced by the values and judgements of the Labour Party in Malta.