"Democracy is inherently self-destructive," one of the many professionals backing Partit Demokratiku, but keeping a low profile, told me after the vigil on 16 May. "As soon as most politicians are elected, they are thrown into survival mode, thinking about the next election, and will do anything to hold on to power."

Those words rung particularly true, as earlier that day the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament had shelved the proposal to investigate SmartCity. That proposal, submitted by the MPs of Partit Demokratiku, was meant to shine a spotlight on both the land transfer of SmartCity itself and the application to the Planning Authority to radically change the local masterplan, so as to increase floor heights. The letter by Partit Demokratiku MPs pointed out that the government has a 10 per cent stake in Smart City through Keith Schembri. Despite a number of dubious connections, the proposal to investigate was shelved indefinitely. Yet, the Public Accounts Committee is made up of members from both the government and Opposition.

What does this have to do with democracy? SmartCity was a Nationalist project, but its questionable and dubious fruits are now also enjoyed by the new government. One would think that any sort of shady project – whatever it might be, and wherever it might be – would be dismantled when a new government takes office. Why inherit baggage? One would think that on its election in 2013, the Labour Party would have uncovered all the Nationalist skeletons in the closets of businessmen and politicians alike. Instead, they chose to adopt their mistakes. Today, the government today has a vested interest in the SmartCity project moving ahead. So it seems we are dealing with a hydra. Similarly, the Nationalist Party may occasionally be critical of the IIP scheme which sells passports, but many of its members are actually making a lot of money off the scheme. When one has two parties which have been around for about a century, they have ample time to carve up the pie between them and make everybody and everything in the country dependent upon them, in some shape or form. I scratch your back, you scratch mine.

People stick to old habits and give a free pass to politicians to do whatever they like, in government or in Opposition. They do not vote for the things they actually believe in. They vote to keep out the bad guys and go for the lesser evil. Yet if we want to see our ideals and values reflected in politics, and our dreams for our country realised, then voting for the lesser evil is no use.

If people vote for the same party all their lives, or switch for economic gain, then the positive changes we want are forever out of reach. Democracy is not perfect, but as Churchill said, it is the best system we have. That does not mean that it cannot be improved and that we should not make the most of it.