Political parties boast about their environmental credentials, and make it a point to belittle any achievements made by the other side. At a time when we are talking so much about air quality, energy-saving devices and protecting the earth for future generations, it looks good for politicians to say they are “green”. Whatever the shade does not really matter, as long as the votes keep coming. Purple may be the colour that is fashionable this summer, but green is a favourite with politicians these days.

The same goes for the candidates contesting the coming European Parliament elections. The more they appear trendy in the way they speak about the environment, and the more they portray the image of someone who really cares about safeguarding the world we live in, the more they think they are making an impact on voters.

But it’s not what you say that makes a difference. It’s what you do. Parents can tell their children not to smoke, but if they light up one cigarette after another, they are not giving a good example. Likewise, politicians should practise what they preach, but few of them do.

Over the past weeks, and more so as election day approaches, letter-boxes are being jammed with leaflets – and sometimes booklets too, depending on the budget the candidate has – in which candidates promote themselves as being the best choice for Malta in the European Parliament. Only God knows how much money has been spent and is being spent by the different candidates trying to obtain a lucrative post in Brussels. Maybe they hope to recover their expenses when they start earning €84,000 a year. What are a few thousand euros when compared to the €420,000 (and the perks) they will be getting over five years?

The stakes are so high that many candidates are desperate to get to Brussels. Some have gone as far as distributing leaflets and business cards in various public places, including the Gozo ferry. Little did they realise that they were playing a part in contaminating the sea, as most of the printed material could be seen floating in the channel between Malta and Gozo.

This sheer waste of paper contradicts the pompousness with which the candidates brag about their environmental friendliness. Don’t they realise that people are not influenced by smiling faces and a few words of self-promotion, when that same printed material exposes their disregard of the environment?

Other candidates have sent other information, such as the holding of activities as part of their campaign, in sealed envelopes via official postage – again, more waste of paper and this time also of taxpayers’ money, if the candidates are already MEPs and are making use of the free postage the state offers them.

Most of these leaflets are being dropped in letterboxes by couriers employed by the candidates. The only funny thing in this useless exercise is that it often happens that families receive leaflets of two candidates of different parties wrapped up together

– which means that the couriers would have met, exchanged half of the leaflets and went on with the job. They would then get full pay – for 50 per cent of the work (and half the time too). Enterprising, eh? It’s a pity that the five (six, including now PL leader Joseph Muscat) Maltese MEPs have not shown the same level of cooperation in the last five years. It would have saved them – and the country – several embarrassing moments.

In spite of all the efforts to make these leaflets attention-grabbing, most of them simply end up in the waste paper basket without as much as a glance, let alone a read-through. Other more irresponsible people simply pick them out of their letterbox and throw them out into the road, adding to the already shabby look of our streets.

I did not throw them away. I have kept each and every one of them. It’s not because it gives me thrill to see John Attard Montalto or Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas smiling at me before I open the fridge for some orange juice in the morning.

I have kept them for one reason. On Saturday, I will go through them all and check them against the list of candidates – and I will choose one who did NOT send me a leaflet. And I urge each and every one of you to do the same.

Maybe, one day, we will get rid of this annoying and silly practice.

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