The role of a politician is far from becoming an idol or being worshipped by people. It is actually the opposite; the politician should worship the people

People with vision start off with a very clear goal in mind. However, along the path towards that goal, there will be obstacles, with bad people trying to take advantage of their good intentions.

Then of course there will be those who start their mission with bad intentions, but that’s a different story. What I want to highlight in this column, is the Catch 22 we have got ourselves in by telling good people that if they enter politics, they will turn into bad people, “just like the others.”

The other day, while doing my yearly Christmas clean-up, at home and not in the Maltese countryside for once, I listened to the song “From now on” from the movie The greatest Showman. One sentence that caught my immediate attention was: “The crazy speed of always needing more, but when I stop and see you here I remember who all this was for.”

It describes how the main character gets blinded by fame, money and the envy of people, and along the way forgets the original reason for doing it all – a good life for his children and wife.

Strong lyrics, and for a moment I realised that we can draw the parallel to the society we live in. I often think to myself how some politicians can take decisions, realising that it will negatively affect society as a whole and even their own children. Construction left, right and centre; disappearing green spaces; corruption and dodgy deals where no one is held accountable... It’s like they are blinded by the money and power, just like the Greatest Showman, and they refuse to acknowledge that they are out of sight of the main path – a better Malta.

Everyone having seen the movie also knows that the Greatest Showman at one point realises that he isn’t that much of a good showman after all due to losing his soul and becoming a man he didn’t intend to be. That is the time he reminds himself who it was all for, first when he hits rock bottom.

Do the leaders in charge of our country ask themselves from time to time how good of a showman they actually are? Or have they all been blinded along the journey and decided to stay on the side path no matter how dark it is?

I have, since the start of my clean-up group, been warned not to go into politics. People in Malta have a general view that a person going into politics will be eaten up by the bad sharks and will become like them. They seem to think that no good can conquer evil. Yet we are complaining that there are no good politicians to cast our vote for. So what is the solution then? We can’t keep on telling the good people to stay out of politics when, on the other hand, we say “I wish you were in a position of power in this country.” Catch 22 needs extreme actions to be broken and solved. We actually urgently need good people to get out of their comfort zone and jump into a sea full of sharks to break the system. We desperately need good politicians who understand that the role of a politician is no more than being a servant to the people. The role of a politician is far from becoming an idol or being worshipped by people. It is actually the opposite; the politician should worship the people.

So, if you are a good-willed person thinking about taking the leap into that sea full of sharks, please remember one thing: all people have their weak and strong sides. If you aren’t aware of yours, people may use them to lure you onto dark side paths. It is not the other sharks in the sea that make you become one of them, it is caused by yourself when you are fooled into identifying yourself as one of them. The only way to avoid this from happening is to be aware of the dangers and remind yourself daily of the initial motivator you had before you jumped into the sea.

The power of remaining good is within you and no one can change that as long as you won’t allow yourself to be blinded by the light. Just like parents bring up a child to be independent as an adult, while taking some bold decisions on the way which will not always be received well from the child’s point of view, being a politician should be about empowering others.

We need politicians with pure intentions and the ones ready to fight the sharks in the sea. By time the sharks will be conquered. It’s time to rise.