In the hurly burly of Maltese politics, there is never a dull moment. Nevertheless, it emerges that, as this long hot summer drags on, every moment is dull.

Malta is becoming increasingly aware of the real menace of proliferating pollution. The rape of the environment seems to be gathering momentum, and the sickness is only matched by official inertia. The inability or seeming reluctance to deal with the problem of black dust in the southern part of the island is a reflection of the paralysis of the powers-that-be.

This reference point highlights the yawning chasm that exists between reality and the past promises of politicians.

Growing resentment

Reality is staring us in the face. Air pollution has become a real menace. Water quality is deteriorating. And we are still years away from implementing a satisfactory waste management programme for these islands.

On top of this, powerful speculators seem to have taken over, and the construction industry is rapidly raping residential areas and virgin land alike, provoking a groundswell of public resentment.

Public reaction to this situation is gathering momentum. There is no denying that the steadily growing pollution of the physical environment presents an alarming problem, which is now nearing crisis point.

It is not enough for public opinion to understand the magnitude of the problem. The point is to summon the will and the resolve to solve it.

Political pollution

I submit that the real nature of the rot springs from moral as well as political pollution.

That there has been a moral decline is undeniable. This is neither the time nor the place to dwell on the decline in the number of churchgoers and the increase in the number of broken marriages.

But crime of every kind has multiplied. Our traditional Christian ethics have been submerged in a jungle of hedonism and permissiveness. We hear more about unaccompanied under-age children on the loose at nighttime in high-risk areas like Paceville, and about minors served with drinks at nightspots in flagrant violation of the law.

In a number of areas, particularly where it concerns the protection of the young in a permissive society, the law is at best rudimentary. It needs tightening up – urgently. But the rudimentary provisions that exist are not enforced with adequate efficiency.

Emerging picture

The emerging picture suggests that the powers-that-be are irrelevant and increasingly ineffective. Law enforcement has become a joke, which largely explains why discipline has gone to the dogs.

There is an explanation for this: pollution that has seeped into the sphere of politics and public administration.

Politicians know best how to blow their trumpet. They are skilled at appeasement and at pampering their constituents at public expense. But, once elected, politicians are invested with responsibilities beyond their constituencies. Their main role is to ensure that the social fabric is sane and healthy, and that the virus of indiscipline must not be allowed to sap our ability to move ahead.

The electorate will not submit indefinitely to bureaucratic destruction of its businesses, lives, jobs and way of life. The rule of law is the most valuable of our national assets from which we benefit in countless different ways.

There comes a point in the history of any society when the cost of submitting to wrong and destructive politics becomes unbearable. In a democratic environment, this problem is resolved at the ballot box.

There is no way of sweeping under the carpet the cries of deep disgruntlement that are increasing in intensity and are beginning to spill over in the form of street protests.

Once this malaise surfaces in this way, politicians lose control of the game. If they are locked in internecine party struggles, and, worse still, if they prefer to give priority to battles of vituperation – such as the ongoing demonisation of Alfred Sant – the stagnation will persist, and the downward slide cannot be arrested. Not before election time.

There is no reason why this political pollution should not be arrested.

Awakening

It is the Prime Minister who holds the key. He has to assert himself over his government and his party machine that is leaking all over the place.

In fact, he is best advised to distance himself from partisan politics and to refuse to allow anybody to use him as cover for decisions, thereby making sure that every minister will stand up for himself and face the consequences of maladministration and mismanagement,

What’s more, the Prime Minister could usefully be accessible to the whole electorate that has grown cold and is distancing itself from the ruling government party.

Malta deserves democracy. If the prevailing general disgruntlement proves anything, it shows that the electorate is awakening to the realisation that, in the long run, it is the people – not the politicians – who will have the last word at the time of reckoning.

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