During a political campaign like the one now proceeding, little time is left for a considered reflection about the general situation of the country. One finds little scope or appetite for it.

Still, it is becoming clearer that the substantial and sustained economic improvements of recent years have brought in their wake fundamental changes to Maltese society. Or possibly, the trigger has not been just economic change by itself, but also ongoing developments in the technologies of communication which have altered the ways by which citizens relate to each other. Mostly they lie in the digital area, and also beyond it.

We need to reflect about what is happening in order to understand all changes as part of a full narrative, and not simply focus on every element of change to rank it as either positive or negative. Indeed, while a number of sectors are being affected by change and as their transformation goes on, they themselves end up having an impact on other sectors.

The list include sectors like the labour market, education, lodging, transport and traffic, tourism, the infrastructure, Gozo...among others.

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Teachers

A campaign controversy arose regarding the situation of teachers in Malta. One aspect covered the question as to whether the number of teachers has increased recently or decreased. The Leader of the Opposition claimed there has been a decrease. It appears that factually, he committed a gross mistake.

However, the debate continues about whether Maltese teachers are well positioned or not; whether they are satisfied in professional terms; whether they are servicing well the educational needs of our children.

I have heard contrasting comments. Some teachers feel that the financial remuneration they get has declined in comparison with that of other professionals, so that some teachers have migrated to other jobs. They also refer to the problems posed by classes attended by children from diverse ethnic communities – the management of such classes is quite difficult. Another point is that too few young people are being attracted to the educational sector, with the biggest problem occurring in the teaching of maths and sciences.

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Rabin

As Israelis and the citizens of Gaza have once again gotten drawn into bitter clashes, I could not help remembering (as I am spending my weeks in Malta now) the small monument that I visited almost every week in Brussels on my way out of the European Parliament.

It is located in the Parc Leopold and consists of a slab of black marble with Yitzhak Rabin’s name on it. He was the Israeli Prime Minister, assassinated in the first half of the 1990’s, who had offered the greatest hope that the conflict in Paelstine could come to an end. His proposals for this were courageous and I believe made in good faith. No doubt, those who arranged for his assassination believed he could succeed and did not want this. After his death, the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation continued to deepen till it has reached today’s tragic proportions.

Every week, somebody places a small bunch of fresh flowers by the small monument in Parc Leopold dedicated to Rabin.