Is Maltese democracy live and well? To what extent is Maltese democracy run with the consent of the governed? Do politicians tend to pay lip service to the people’s influence over policy for party reasons? Or is there evidence that the electorate – or the decisive segment of mature electors – is beginning to make its presence felt? If so, is it likely to activate the silent majority and open the floodgates of democratic development?

These are leading questions which have been germinating during the past decade or so.

On the one hand, the electorate has been promised vigorous leadership to liberate it from the burdens of a persistent structural deficit and mounting debt.

Notwithstanding an unprecedented wave of taxation, and associated austerity, there has been no economic take-off for the common people.

The degradation of the environment persisted and is close to crisis point, never mind the repeated promises and declarations of intent by ministers.

Something has to give

For a brief moment in l996, the electorate appeared to rally and to react against the inertia of politicians. A big swing seemed to herald a change of the national outlook. But it took less than two years for the popular will to be stymied following the parliamentary apostasy of Dom Mintoff.

In the turmoil that followed, the Fenech Adami administration made a comeback and was catapulted to office on the crest of a wave of 230 promises. So many years on, most of these promises are still unkept. Under Lawrence Gonzi, the Nationalist administration has lost political ground, and is now behaving like a caravan lost in the desert.

The leadership is tired and exhausted. The people are overtaxed. The steep increase in revenue is not enough to sustain the government’s financial needs

We are nearing the point where something has to give. Will the administration change course, assuming that there is time for an overhaul in the Nationalist Party? Are we on the eve of a democratic shake-up, where issues of policy will give way to the instincts of the popular will for survival?

The ways of democracy

The ways of democracy are infinite. While it is true that, in democracies, the people get the government they deserve, it is equally true that democracy is able to provide the key to survival, particularly in moments of disarray.

Looking back, the Maltese democratic adventure since independence has had its ups and downs. On the positive side, there has been an upsurge of social reform and an overall improvement in the condition of the average elector.

This was no small achievement considering that we had to switch, under stress, from a fortress to a market economy.

On the negative side, we have proved to be allergic to consensus and partial to political polarisation.

As a result, there have been long stretches where headstrong political or party leadership prevailed over electoral preferences. Alternatively, there have been equally long stretches where political inertia and incompetence took their toll on an inert electorate.

During such periods, Maltese democracy lost precious opportunities.

Sensation of change

Experience is a great teacher. Although large swathes of the electorate may have been slow in the uptake, voters have been gradually learning their lessons. They showed that they were coming into their own during the last electoral consultations. They swung the political pendulum in an unmistakable and consistent manner.

The sensation of change emerged only when the ballot boxes were opened. Next time round, the sensation is likely to be clear even during the electoral campaign.

Politicians and their parties are not likely to be allowed to go to the polls with a free hand on such issues as the future of pensions and social services, the destiny of the agricultural and fisheries sectors, the sanitation of public finance, and the state of the environment, without the sanction of the electorate.

The people’s direct influence on national policy will be a specific requirement. The electorate will insist on high principles and vigorous, constructive leadership from the political class.

Although political manifestos will not be free of special pleadings, the political parties will be expected to be responsive to the people’s real aspirations, as more voters are emerging in the political daylight to claim their right of participation at the policy-making stage.

Democracy can never succeed without an electorate genuinely interested in politics. That interest is perceptibly beginning to electrify the Maltese political firmament.

The key question is: Has the time come for the silent majority to assert itself?

My feeling is that that stage has now been reached, in which case certain politicians have good reason to tremble.

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