Malta has always had a problem where a substantial part of the population simply disregards rules, regulations and social norms.

We see it every day. People litter, park illegally, jump queues, drink on the streets, smoke inside buildings. We are a society of rule breakers. But it’s not only about the aspect of breaking rules. It is about the sheer disregard and contempt that some people have towards others in committing acts which could have a negative consequence on others.

People with disabilities have, for example, long complained that motorists simply park their cars in disabled parking spots and go do a full blown supermarket shop. But what happened over the weekend, where an illegally parked car prevented a an Armed Forces of Malta helicopter from landing at the St Luke’s helipad beggars belief. In a nutshell, the army is using that helipad because of potential danger caused by the presence of tower cranes at the partially built Oncology Centre at Mater Dei. Patients flown over from Gozo are then taken by ambulance to Mater Dei from St Luke’s. The helicopter tried to touch down at St Luke’s, but it could not, although a medical and paramedic team was already waiting on the ground. The helicopter had to go back to Gozo and could only land in Malta once the car had been removed

At the time of writing, the government had announced that it would be ordering a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Earlier in the day, the government had already stated that it would take disciplinary action if it found that a hospital employee had parked on the helipad illegally.

There are many issues that need to be addressed here. Just because someone parked illegally, a person could have had health complications or even worse, could have died. That trip has also cost the taxpayer over €1,000.

But that aside, one cannot fathom or comprehend how someone could park a car on a helicopter landing pad. But again, it is symptomatic of our behaviour as a society in general. Shoot from the hip and ask questions later, seems to be the general state of affairs. Do we really live in a society that is so selfish? It ranges from the small things, such as a person leaving their vehicle in the middle of a road while they pop out to buy a loaf of bread, to those who blatantly park their cars in front of people’s private garages. But the malaise goes deeper and deeper on every level, and the greatest act of selfishness that we Maltese constantly propagate is that of driving while under the influence of alcohol. It happens all the time and it is widespread. We are a very giving society in many ways, but we are equally selfish in others. This was just one manifestation of it.