It is difficult to sit down and write about mundane happenings in Malta, when the tragic events of Norway eclipse everything else. But what is there to say which doesn’t sound like a cliché or a platitude? There is nothing we can do but watch helplessly when faced with such terrorism. My heart goes out to all those parents who lost a teenage son or daughter attending a Labour Party summer youth camp on the small island of Utoya, and to all the people who lost their relatives in the bomb attack on government buildings in the capital Oslo.
The things that people do in the name of politics, religion and power.
They cold-bloodedly murder others because of their ‘cause’ but they also lie and cheat, betray friendships and sell their soul to the highest bidder.
In comparison to the carnage in Norway, it seems almost an insult to the memory of the victims to write about our own political situation. Yet human nature being what it is, the enormity of such a tragedy only makes us stop in our tracks to count our blessings for a brief interlude. Then we wake up the next day and, inevitably, continue to be more concerned with what is happening in our own patch. For, like it or not, it is what takes place in the country where we live which affects our quality of life. Of course, some beg to differ with this reasoning.
“What have you got to complain about?” we are asked patronizingly by ex-pats who glean what is happening on the island from Facebook. “Don’t you know how good you have it compared to other countries?”
Of course, they do not see the contradiction in their own behaviour – having gone to the trouble of emigrating and pursuing a new life abroad, they continue to obsess about the minutiae of Maltese events with an attention to detail which borders on OCD. I can’t speak for others, but if I had left Malta for pastures new, I would prefer to focus my energies on living a good life in my new country of residence. After all, isn’t that the whole point of leaving this tiny island? To get away from all the so-called pettiness and navel-gazing? Instead, some seem to prefer to while away their time peering incessantly into the windows of people’s lives through the never-ending news feed, to find out what’s going on back on The Rock and dispensing a stream of high-handed advice. Apart from that, it always strikes me as odd that this type of ex-pats hardly ever post anything about what is happening in the UK or wherever they happen to be living. It’s like an ex-wife who has walked out on her husband because she was thoroughly fed up with him, but who possessively insists on knowing exactly what he is up to.
In any case, the image being relayed about Malta to the Maltese living across the globe is that we’ve reached breaking point. From the outside looking in, they wonder why we are always grumbling and why we aren’t all just happy little bunnies grateful to be living on a Mediterranean island where the sun always shines and summer is one long party. My hunch is that this rose-tinted view of Malta is a direct result of living too long in grey, drizzly weather. (People who have migrated to sunny climes, I’ve noticed, only show a passing interest in our riveting breaking news.)
Living here, of course, as well all know, can be wonderful, and yet we are lumbered by authorities that seem determined to piss us off. Wherever I look I see that an almost unstoppable wave of simmering anger against this government and the Arriva/Transport Malta fiasco was what has pushed most people over the edge. Don’t blame me for saying this, I’m just pointing out what is obvious to anyone who is not blinkered by his/her political bias. Honestly, I would have been quite happy to give the government a pat on the back for having reformed the public transport system. Heck, I would have even gone up to shake Austin Gatt’s hand if our paths had crossed (well, let’s just say I would have thought about it). I was one of those optimistic people who were willing for Arriva to work. This country was in dire need of a modern, efficient bus service and Arriva sounded like it had all the answers. Any company that reduces pollution and traffic, cuts down on the traffic nightmare, introduces the concept of courtesy and generally makes our lives less stressful can only be applauded.
But three weeks of chaos and thousands of complaints later, we are now informed that the public was quite right in being upset after all, and that the routes are being revised. The cynic in me says that it wasn’t the vociferous protests of the Maltese commuters which made the difference, but the sudden appearance of our bread and butter, yes, the tourists, who were splashed all over the news bulletins voicing their disgust… and not just on that dastardly One TV either, but on TVM.
I know, I was flabbergasted too, and stopped what I was doing to make sure I was seeing the correct logo on the screen. True, the journalist reading the news report sounded a bit peeved on having to tell us about it, and decided to phrase it in the following odd way, “even tourists know how to grumble when they have reason to do so” This was a very weird way of putting it, as if to imply that normally tourists are so laid-back and happy to be here that they will accept our little quirks, idiosyncrasies and general disorganisation as part of the ‘Malta experience’. With Malta struggling to compete for its share of the tourist market, I trust no one is under any illusions about the standards and quality of service tourists expect on holiday. If they had wanted to rough it they would have gone on safari, not stand for hours under makeshift bus shelters in the sweltering heat for a bus that never comes… in a EU country
So thank you Mr and Mrs Tourists from (judging by the accents) Somewhere Up North… I believe we have you to thank.
After all, it’s one thing to have a little old lady from Zabbar who is not happy with the bus route, but seeing hordes of pink, sweaty tourists up in arms, vowing never to come back, well that must have been enough to make even mighty Austin quake in his boots.
Having said that − this is a politician who never fails to amaze me with his audacity. True to form, when announcing the revised routes he was reported to have said that all this happened because the public did not give its feedback at the planning stage. That’s right Austin, blame the people, you are never wrong.
[email protected]