...] iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli / uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim / imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se / continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, / panis et circenses. [...]

(… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses

This Latin phrase, which I came across for the first time during history lessons at secondary school, came repeatedly to mind in the past year particularly on seeing what this government had in stock to commemorate this year’s important historical anniversaries.

OK the Prime Minister might come up with the excuse that the programme was proposed by a foundation that is supposed to comprise individuals from the different spheres of life and the political spectrum. With due respect to all involved, I stopped buying (excuse the pun) such nonsense the minute Joseph’s Malta Taghna Lkoll started translating into obscene appointments on public boards. This man knows how to buy silence, allegiances and support. Enough said on this.

What is obvious is that the programme presented to us will not result in uniting our nation but will only serve as a smokescreen for the obscenities being carried out at all levels. Some of the activities included in the programme of events will serve to insult those who are definitely not on Labour’s side. The inclusion of Labour’s 80s rock opera called Gensna is a case in point. This rock opera was first produced in one of the most turbulent periods in Malta’s political history. It is nothing but a skewed interpretation of Malta’s history aimed at showing what Mintoff’s Labour had supposedly achieved for these tiny islands.

Unless the original lyrics are changed, this rock opera is anything but suitable to mark the 50th anniversary of our Independence. In the original rock opera, the importance of independence was played down big time. One should remember (because not remembering certain facts is a grave sin) that at those times, the socialist government and its allies, particularly the GWU’s l-Orizzont, used to call it Indipendenza farsa (Independence farce). The rock opera itself builds up in a way that points to Jum il-Helsien (Freedom Day) as the most important event in our history.

To be fair, I tried to give the Labour government the benefit of the doubt since lyrics can be changed. I asked Prime Minister Muscat, through a Parliamentary Question, to table Gensna’s lyrics. Dr Muscat answered that the lyrics would be the same lyrics of the production, which was called by someone writing in Il-Mument as “the greatest rock opera of all times”. As if this should make any difference to what I asked for. Whoever writes in Il-Mument has every right to express his or her personal feelings but it certainly does not reflect what the Nationalist Party believes in. What I believe. Why didn’t the Prime Minister table the lyrics, may I ask? Does he have anything to hide? Does he want to keep pushing it as some type of national rock opera whose ultimate aim is to unite a nation? Does he believe that people are so stupid? I dare him to table the lyrics and if what I am stating here is a wrong assessment, I will use this same column to apologize for misjudging Gensna.

Most of the other events announced so far will contribute little if anything to national unity. My impression is that they have been included simply to create a “feel good” factor to show the government in a good light rather than to bring about the national reconciliation. I will not be surprised if the government will also use it to keep a few people happy by giving them a role, a job and a salary, of course. Like many, I question why a concert by Bryan May has been included in the programme. There is nothing wrong in bringing over foreign artistes to play in concerts. There is nothing wrong in doing this in conjunction with the private sector and also to charge an entrance fee. However, including this concert in the programme of events does not make sense to many, including me. How will he contribute to our appreciation of our national identity?

In any case, the main thrust of this piece is not a critical analysis of the events that have been planned for the rest of the year. My point is that this government cannot be trusted with using these events to genuinely bring about a sense of unity in marking our history’s main milestones. The venom that has been injected in the metaphorical veins of this country cannot be extracted just by using such a superficial approach. Had this government used its first year in office to show it had really changed, maybe we could take it seriously. In the present circumstances, few can take this government seriously.

Charlo Bonnici is Opposition Spokesperson for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change