A large portion of the general public yesterday put their full weight behind another protest organised by the Ghaqda Unjins Maltin to protest against the hike in water and electricity tariffs.

They had every right to do so, this is a democratic country and protests are part and parcel of democracy – it is the people’s way of bringing matters to attention. Of course, the protest was an organised one – it is no coincidence that the Labour Party was to present a motion in parliament on the same night. So yes, one would have to label the meeting as being a partisan one with unions being in cahoots with the opposition. Still… while some might argue that this was dishonest because the protest was ‘marketed’ as a national one, the party, the union and the people still had a right to take part and they still had a right to object to the tariffs which they feel are far too expensive.

Again… they are right. Before delving into the nitty-gritty of the protest, we will add one more thought. No matter how politically motivated or not the protest was; it is clear – people feel as though they cannot cope with the tariffs as they are. The government insists that the price of oil is what it is and must be paid – it is also right. But something has got to give – the tariffs as they are, are exorbitant when one considers what your average Maltese family lives off. Before we are told that we have some of the cheapest prices in Europe, we will invite the government to look at what we earn, what we spend (on goods which are still ridiculously expensive such as cars, white goods and clothes) and what is left in our pockets to pay the bills. It is not do-able for the average Maltese family.

And now, it is time for this editorial to change tack. The behaviour of sections of the crowd at the protest did no favours to anyone. The insults which were hurled at PN MPs as they entered parliament was not becoming of supporters of what is supposed to be a “moderate, progressive and liberal” party.

The PL will no doubt say that it was only there to lend support to the unions, but no one can deny that the vast majority of those who did attend the protest were PL supporters and a good other many are party activists.

Again, it is not fair to tar everyone with one brush. But the elements of the crowd (which were not as small as some are trying to make out) who hurled base insults at MPs, did what they did and this is not the way that things should happen.

It is indeed a shame. This was an opportunity to show the government that the people want and need answers about the recession and for how long they will have to make sacrifices. If the second protest carried on as the first, it would have continued to put pressure on the government to acknowledge that a more equitable solution needs to be found. But no. It was a real case of shooting oneself in the foot. In behaving as those people did, the government was provided with an excuse to label the protest as being partisan, out of context and a detriment to economic recovery, and now no one can fault such reasoning. Another wasted chance.