There were many protagonists during the recent referendum campaign but the ones that shone above the rest were the unknown elements; the ones who put political prejudices apart and those who realised that the secularisation of Maltese society could not have happened without the grass roots support evidenced during the past weeks
If we really want the acrimonious split that characterised the recent tiring campaign to make way for an opportunity of hope for Maltese society then each one of us – particularly those who like me were taken by surprise by the landslide element of the ‘Yes’ vote – must avoid any recourse to gloating, glee or triumphalism.
Whatever the outcome of the next general election, I am pleased for Joseph Muscat who in spite of various nudging not to dare and risk, chose to stick to his principles and beliefs in spite of allowing each one of us complete freedom of speech as well as a free vote in the House when it came to move the resolution that popped the final question of the referendum.
A word of praise must go to the local media who in their majority were supportive of this wind of change.
They were manifest proof that the movement for divorce was no covert Labour Party plot to destabilise government. Through their persistence and forceful articles and editorials they managed to build a momentum that towards the end became literally unstoppable.
I could detect this in my customary home visits where people came forward to air their supportive views irrespective of their political views and beliefs.
In the final analysis, I suspect that the final twists and turns, the overplayed fear factor and certain statements which were somewhat economical with the truth merely served to galvanise the pro-divorce vote.
To be fair there were some valid arguments made by both movements but things only went haywire when the scales were more than occasionally tipped by arguments that were more befitting of former centuries.
During his TV press conference Joseph Muscat came across as a Prime Minister in waiting, offering a better tomorrow without rubbishing his political rivals. It was a short but very focused address – as complemented by his sharp but smart replies to the questions from the journalists present – which showed that after years of gloom and doom he can rise above the rest and satisfy Maltese society’s collective yearning for optimism which was at the same time based on present day realities.
There was a time when Labour leaders as has been the case in other European countries too, were ignored simply because their audiences did not want to listen. Gordon Brown experienced it in the UK and so did other Social Democrat leaders in Italy and Germany.
This time round Joseph managed to prove to be a catalyst of change, who sparked off the whole debate on an otherwise taboo subject, which was then more than formidably complemented by the Pullicino Orlando-Bartolo private member’s Bill that accelerated the change process.
This week parliament is discussing a motion on the need to strengthen Maltese families through the establishment of a parliamentary committee.
In my intervention I will be showing that for many years on end we have been staring certain problems straight in the face without mustering the courage to address them and put them right. I plan to do so without mentioning divorce in any way. To register my concern that certain elements merely picked up the family cause simply as a front for their anti-divorce campaigning.
Now that the dust is finally setting, and the margins of the result are so wide and obvious, there is no room for any misinterpretation of the result.
The worst that could have happened would have been to have a close shave result with barely a fraction of a percentage point between the two lines of thought.
Nevertheless it is still opportune for one to try and assimilate the strongest arguments brought forward by the ‘No’ campaigners without in any manner diluting the basic tenets of the resolution that the PL parliamentary group saw through Parliament with the backing of the two PN members of parliament – J. Pullicino Orlando and J. Mugliett.
One hopes that although the ‘No’ movement was planning to dissolve the movement in the near term, they will put society’s interest first and make sure that any serious-minded amendments to the proposed legislation are brought to the fore before they do so.
One also hopes that even though an element of preparedness is necessary before government attempts to legislate on the issue and respect the verdict of the electorate, time scales on the debate itself (including the committee stage) will be set, to allay certain already existing fears that government might attempt to drag its feet on the issue in the hope of having kept its word to bring the draft legislation in the House but then leave matters in suspended animation for a new legislature (and arguably new government) to handle.
If we can manage to see the legislation through Parliament with positive amendments that could also prove to be consensual it would be in society’s overall best interest were all elements to rise to the occasion.
After all this is what made Malta such a success story in the financial services sector. All legislation was passed by consensus and positive inputs were invariably forthcoming from both sides in the national interest.
The only thing that saddened me during the campaign was that it reached levels of bitterness that surpassed by far the tensions and bad blood that usually characterise local and European elections in Malta and Gozo.
On the other hand the fact that the turnout proved to be higher than that of local elections showed how extensive was the participatory level.
What saddened me as well was that far too many reports reached us of pressure on voters, particularly the elderly and vulnerable to give a thumbs down to divorce.
I came across such cases in home visits of mine although initially I took some of them with a pinch of salt.
The same way that social networking and the new media played an integral part in the evolution of the Arab Spring close to our shores, the Facebook revolution was pivotal amongst people of all ages – particularly the younger set – throughout the campaign.
This must have struck a chord since many youths I know are far more interested in tracking developments through the web and other applications rather than by reading standard newspapers or following the conventional media.
The fact that Maltese society managed to rise to the occasion and decided to frame and secure a progressive future in these tough economic times, shows that we have mustered the courage to unchain ourselves and turn the challenges ahead into opportunities without any fear, trepidation or hesitation.
Coming from a party that has gone through much upheaval and many electoral losses in recent years, the result offered more than a ray of hope in a better future without allowing any elements of complacency to creep in.
During his recent UK visit, US President Barack Obama has been reported to have warned Leader of the Opposition Ed Miliband that he can only win the next election if Labour embraces a more optimistic vision for Britain’s future.
Whether the PL will win the next election or not still has to be seen. What Joseph Muscat spurred on went far beyond political dogma and beliefs. It was faith and confidence in an irreversible process. To move Malta away from its long entrenched confessional status to that of a fully-fledged secular state.
Although Joseph Muscat pledged publicly to stick to his principles even if he had to fight it out alone in future, it is now more than evident that he was not left alone.
In the coming weeks and months ahead we need to build on the diversity of views not only within our movement but also within Maltese society since I am convinced that one and all are interested in putting the family’s best interest first.
Let us now agree on a common strategy and action plan to make sure that all the rhetoric will inspire society to think of better days in spite of the times of anxiety the state of the economy has created together with the downturns and lapses of the campaign itself.
There might not have been any winners or losers in this campaign except for those who tried to hit below the belt.
I also sincerely hope that the Church in Malta will manage to heal most of its self-inflicted wounds since it still has an important role to play in the new secular republic of Malta and Gozo.
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Leo Brincat is the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development & Climate Change