I love old houses.  I'm constantly in search of wrecks to unwreck and ruins to unruin.  It simply breaks my heart to watch ancient relics of our past, lovingly and masterfully constructed and adorned by our forefathers, being brutally torn down to make way for modern  soulless constructions. The feeling is one of grief, of mourning for disconnecting from tradition, bereavement for severing continuity, for erasing a part of me, for laying waste my childhood memories, for an irreplaceable loss of part of my being, for deeply wounding my existence.

This attitude to this component of a deeply rooted Maltese past, however contrasts sharply with my approach to traditional Maltese politics, its perception and the implications of that perception.  As you have probably noticed by now, I am striving to deconstruct Maltese political tradition, as much as I am struggling to reconstruct Maltese Architectural heritage.

I am seeking to dismantle the harshness and polarisation inflicted on our people by local partisan politics, with the same vehemence that I'm resisting the dismantling of our natural and architectural heritage.

But rupturing the bubble of tradition that dictates a government's MP unquestioning acceptance of ' facts' as presented by its own, or an attempt at creating a present over which political tradition has no longer a claim, is not as easy as reconstructing or restoring a ruin .

For a ruin is made up of inanimate objects which simply have to be put back in a state of architectural harmony with each other to recreate four walls of character, while a political reality is made up of years and years of human experiences, an infinite number of thoughts and brainwashing sprees suffered by thousands of Maltese, thus conditioned to react to an ever-changing present, which they cannot be sure, in truth exists, because truth itself is doubted.

Liberating a people from the distorting incrustations of tradition from a political perspective is therefore extremely difficult, not impossible (as the result of the last elections proved), and to use that most unfortunate word' doable', but in the run up to achieving such a state, one has to withstand an unprecedented onslaught on credibility, genuineness and ability simply because rocking a boat causes fear, fear of change, fear of being requested to think.

Needless to say, being a woman doesn't help, even if we are now living in a country allegedly more progressive than progress itself.

So when I reacted positively to the Leader of the Opposition's compelling speech on Monday, my status went viral. I'm sure few who know me doubted my thoughts on the speech and just thinking it would have been harmless. But articulating such a statement with raw honesty shook the status quo so much that such an action stole centre stage, simply because it made people, think, react and think again.

The next day I underlined what was to me the crucial gist in the PM speech and thanked him for his work, a statement which in no way conflicted but complimented my statement re Busuttil speech. 

To preconditioned minds however, to minds stuck in traditional political antics, finding the good in both altercations is inconceivable. Many fiercely admonished me through the social media

'iddeciedi ma min int dott, jew m'Alla jew max-xitan: aghzel' (You have to choose, you're either with God or with Satan)

Throngs of others privately, and a few courageously, even publicly asked me to stand my ground and remain on one side, the side of what we have been taught is right and decent. Many were those, notably mothers, who requested me to be their voice because they cannot speak out for fear of their jobs and those of their children!

I must confess that with my actions that is exactly what I'm trying to do. I am voicing people's concerns while asking them to think with their minds, say what they think, debate in a mature, tolerant manner, and play a more effective role in the political evolution of this country.

It is not easy to speak out, even if its Malta 2014, it does attract unwanted attention, it exposes you to the cruelty of human nature.

Ultimately however, it is necessary if we seek to uphold the common good and someone has say it and someone has to do it.

Speaking out with one's vote once every five years is not enough. If we want our government to give us its best, we have to help it keep in shape while it shapes up our present and future.

In the meantime, I am determined to persist in my critical reappropriation of the local political scene as best I can and for as long as I can.

(M'Alla jew max-xitan is a Maltese expression which literally means that one cannot please God or Satan at the same time)