At this point in time the Labour Party in government has fallen way behind public opinion and continue to justify its vindictive and awkward remarks as scores to notch up on its belt. Maybe they still have that image of Mintoff’s belt and buckle in front of them.
People are growing fed up of having to wait for what is their right of information and national governance, from the ordinary labourite or nationalist to the judiciary and the electorate as a whole. We have had a wide range of unethical, cheap, sexist, opportunistic and condemnable remarks escalating to a barrage and if those were not enough, the only purpose for which some ministers stand up to talk is to try and deliver a shot, however low it may go.
On Smash TV on an interview which was aired on 5th December, Minister Carmelo Abela was asked about the chances of success of the Valletta Summit and what purpose it had served. The minister replied that he was expecting there to be a lot of aggression and hostility between the African and European leaders but that he was surprised to hear the speeches, which were constructive, self-critical where needed and respectful. This must have come as a whole new experience for Abela.
The fact is, that this is how normal representatives behave in civilised countries. Not lashing out and rejecting any questions, comments or initiatives, but responding constructively, honestly and willingly. Serving, not ruling. Not undermining but building bridges.
Because the environment for debate and doing business has now become so suffocated with unproductive sessions, we have had to move to another arena, into the public area where the Nationalist party presented their two comprehensive reports – one on the economy entitled An Economy for the People and the other on good governance called Restoring Trust in Politics.
Vision cannot be supressed and needs will not be put aside. Civilised countries do not wait for secret documents. The public wants to know what and whom it can trust and what direction it is taking.
Both these documents will become the basis for discussion and review. We are not here to judge them but to work with them, evaluate the proposals and generate new perspectives and commitments. For Malta and Gozo’s youth, the document on good governance is timely and a good shot in the arm to revive flagging spirits. Youth abhor bad natured dialogue, dishonesty and betrayal. They support positive attitudes and taking responsibility. They also want to know what their future could hold, what job opportunities they can pursue and they want to go about it without unnecessary aggravation, worry and division and worst of all, discrimination.
Malta remains a work in progress. We had thought that our place in Europe and internationally had become secure. Maybe we grew too confident and too complacent. Now that every step has to be an ordeal, we are coming to realise that each and every one of us is responsible to manage the stakes and ensure that growth and progress can take place, not just on a financial level but as a nation and a generation on a sustainable level. It is in fact, in the national interest that all organisations and public entities, whatever their political views are, get behind the PN’s good intentions in drawing up and delivering these documents. For the youth, this is their ownership of belonging to the European Union. This is the way civilised and mature democracies should operate. Not shouting and banging and employing dubious tactics of vendetta and diversion.
The swing to the far-right that many countries in Europe are experiencing, is a result of the widening gap between what is called virtual politics and actual politics. People today can sense when there is spin and lies, made up scenarios, twisted arguments and hidden agendas. They seek the arguments that present a real version of the current situation, as, for example, with the immigration problem facing Europe. That is giving the far-right a big platform to stand on and a claim to be authentic where the other main stream parties are not. Whether or not the far-right parties are actually authentic is another matter, but they present themselves as being on the side of the people and as seeing clearly what needs to be done to tackle the virtual-actual gap.
The last election was bursting with virtual politics, which we know today, was just that – lots of ideals and standards that were nothing more than an illusion. The issues to tackle are serious and can make a difference in our lives and to the success of our country. It is not just the environment, it is jobs, ethical and moral values, education, health, the economy and investment climate, the climate and present and future generations.
People are going to start asking what is really going on and where the leadership has gone to. The many issues that remain unresolved and without due decisions show poor understanding and realisation of the facts surrounding them. Self-organisation is becoming a reality and will soon overtake the tedious and empty rhetoric which is no longer convincing anyone.
The claim that the Syrian men who were stopped in Italy were coming to Malta to work never got past people’s opinion. The only way that the government can now be seen to be dealing with this problem is by suspending Schengen. Not for any real reason, but because it can be fed into people’s mind that it is being pro-active in tackling the previous failure to respond adequately to the threat. Homeland security is not just an after-thought, especially not in these unpredictable days where new terror strikes anywhere, anytime. A proper risk assessment is needed, not just diversions intended to mislead the public.
In this regard, we will again turn our attention towards the PN and look for a strategy and plan to deal with foreign policy and the interior. Not just on how to confront the terrorist organisation across the Mediterranean, but also on how to protect our well-being and safety whether it is on the roads, in Paceville or at a charity fund raising event or indeed also in case of natural disasters like flooding and explosions such as may occur at the power station and the new cranes at the Freeport. The conference on security with the EPP speakers this evening, organised by the Nationalist Party is a timely one.
Then there is health. As we wait in the dark for concrete projects to take shape, not even the car park at Mater Dei can cope. For many, the only option is to turn back, whether it is from the Accident and Emergency or the outpatient appointment.
Last week it was the tunnel for Gozo which called for solutions, today it is the health service and tomorrow it will be the construction all around our towns and countryside or the level of corruption in general.
The reports are a valuable contribution for now and for the near future. No more secrecy or subterfuge but actual politics.