Events in Afghanistan in this past week have revealed a shift in global organization and thinking. Mostly there was a sense of shock at the way the Taliban had swept into Kabul in such a short time, easily able to take over and once again impose their law and system onto the Afghan population.
President Biden calmly refuted having let down his own people and the country they had spent 20 years protecting, arming and training.
Aside from the actions in the recent past, by Trump when he was President, in releasing prisoners of war without consulting with the Afghan government, or previously by Obama in saying that he would withdraw the troops, the casual declaration that the American troops would be leaving Afghanistan precipitated a swift response from the Taliban who quickly worked to take over the vacuum and seize weapons from the army wherever they were defeated, possibly made confident by acting on an agreement made with Trump.
The narrative is basically that it was time for the Afghan people to become master of their own destiny. Much was disregarded in this concept, like the fact that the army had been trained to fight under the allied forces, with the air power and leadership created to fit another kind of strategy.
But, like parents who suddenly decide it is time for their sons and daughters to leave the nest and become master of their own destiny, so too, has the world come to the place and point where after huge sacrifice, suffering, mistakes, freedoms gained and others lost, the most valuable resource we can protect is our life and our safety.
Freedom is thus subjective. If you want to have it, if you value it, then it is up to you to defend it and to ensure it. Much of the world now understands what is meant by freedom and democracy. But that same political system is interpreted in different ways in diverse cultures.
In our country, by freedom and democracy, we understand the kind of civilization that has its roots in a biblical and faith based tradition but still with separation of church and state. This vision was strengthened by our joining the European Union as members, with all the protection and legal system it affords.
However, over this past decade or so, we tend to regard the EU as a kind of protector of our democracy, whilst not wanting them to interfere in running our country and making decisions that could impinge on our faith-values and our economy.
Ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat recreated the purpose and usefulness of the EU in our destiny, by allowing the sale of citizenship and having “soldiers of steel” to speak out against any criticism of the way the rule of law is handled in Malta. Any other MEP who went against that intention was labelled a traitor.
Increasingly, and especially after the brutal assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, journalist and mother, more and more Maltese began to feel uneasy at the way things were unravelling in our country and turned towards the EU to do all they could to protect us and hold our state to account for irresponsible and damaging behaviour, against the same EU and against Maltese citizens.
There have been MEPs and Commissioners who gravely did their job to expose what has been taking place in Malta. Most times swiftly countered by eager Labour MEPs and loyal supporters in the Cabinet of Joseph Muscat, his Chief of Staff and the whole institution capture that had taken place.
Today, in spite of all the resistance, with or without the help of the EU, the fate of our islands and of our families is now at a crucial point. One where we either start to assume responsibility for our own fate by standing up against the forces that have brought us to where we are now or we succumb to a life that we could never imagine and from which the EU cannot do anything to protect us.
It is simply not enough anymore to allow Robert Abela to choose when and what he speaks out about, to pick and choose which Ministers are encouraged to resign and which others can remain sprouting their brand of business as usual. He is living in a parallel universe, designed to be primarily the leader of the Labour party and not the leader of a democratic country. It is the programme of the Labour party that we have to live under, with whatever way that is interpreted to suit their popularity and ensure their re-election. The rest is just “foreign”.
It may come as a shock to many, to wake up one day and realize that they must step up to become a master of their own destiny. We believed that the institutions would work. We thought the Police force was there to protect us and that the courts would ensure justice. We thought that our economy was safe and simply measured its success by the number of persons having a pizza or pasta on a weekend night out and the height of blocks of flats.
The truth is that we are far from safe and face an uncertain future. Our security is vague and largely compromised by impunity. Hard facts like the consequences of the grey-listing are massaged and given a coat of gloss. Messed up tourism, resulting in a bill of thousands of euros and a less than expected recovery in the industry, is brushed aside like a bad choice of caterers at a wedding.
The prospect of elections to re-set the whole fracas and patch up any fissures is in full play, whilst we are afraid of looking this government in the eye and seeing a corpse, riddled with worms and unable to speak in the interest of the people.
As for the people of Afghanistan, there will be those who are pleased to see their country under the Taliban and others who cannot recognize their life under such a regime, eager to get on a plane and out of Kabul.
With Britain out of the EU, it has become harder for the Maltese to keep an option of immigration open. Besides, we love our country and are lost to see what has become of it.
Is it too late for us to become master of our own destiny and must we succumb to another half decade of fear and anger, impunity and shame? Shall the time we are in produce the right answer to our needs? We each must do our part so that maybe something can shift and give us back control of our lives and our home.