In the past few days, some debate was triggered by the Leader of the Opposition’s suggestion to do away with “Sunday sermons”. That Dr Busuttil is proposing a novel approach towards politics on the island is remarkable in that he has, with this idea, anticipated his counterpart. This is not easy to accomplish especially if the Labour party does not heed the proposal, and retains the Sunday gathering as an essential activity. It remains to be seen how this will play out, but removing political party activity from Sundays would be a positive step in breaking an existing mould.

Are politicians really free to change traditions, if not eliminate them? Is society receptive to change? Surveys would perhaps shed light on such questions and maybe help to change political behaviour. But unless politicians take the bold step to rewrite the rules of the game, we will keep having more of the same. This is why a break from the Sunday diatribes would not only be welcome, but desirable, in a society that is now expressing forms of political disenchantment. The voting behaviour in the last round of EP elections showed signs of fatigue and alienation, though it remains to be seen how these will play out in future elections.

A mention of some other traditions is appropriate here. Whilst being the most contentious issue in post-cold war Malta, accession to the European Union has now been accepted, endorsed and supported by the majority of the country. This act of maturity spares the country from an unnecessary waste of energy and places our European vocation on solid ground. The “Erasmus Generation” as Italian Prime Minister Renzi called it, will grow and live in a Europe that shapes their life. But why do we still stand divided on two key episodes of our national history: the acquisition of independence from colonial rule, and the departure of colonial forces on Freedom day? This is no place to enter into the merits of this division, and legitimate reasons on both sides exist to substantiate each respective position. But isn’t it time to mark both days as days of national unity without the respective festivities of political parties? Can we have a new generation of people celebrating two defining moments in our history with just one flag, the red and white Maltese flag? Placing the wreath of flowers, as protocol requires, on the day is not enough. Political leaders ought to give a stronger signal, and with courage bring people together. 

We have, for the last two decades been living in what has popularly been coined the information age. But parties, though embracing social networking and new trends in communication, still retain their numerous clubs (‘kazini’) scattered all over the island. In this digital era, where a tweet or a facebook post reaches most of the island, are clubs still relevant as centres of political activity?

One other conspicuous difference in this country has been the development of TV stations of the two main political parties. TV stations have been a blessing and a curse for political parties especially due to the financially taxing requirements to run them in a professional way. The most pertinent question however remains - do we really need them? What would happen to parties if we had to revert to State television and a number of privately run TV Stations? Are our broadcasting laws inadequate to regulate and monitor the impartiality of a public broadcaster? The notion that parties would never trust this is a very sorry state indeed. Malta is the only country in the EU28 where the parties in government and opposition have their respective TV Stations. Stories of debt and sustainability (and financing) continue to haunt political parties, yet it remains to be seen whether one of them will eventually pull out and broadcast its message using any other tools available. Podcasts, youtube, radio, social media, networking sites and other media offer a platform that reaches out to anyone incurring much smaller costs (though less effectively one may argue).

Remaining in the realm of costs and outlays, one cannot omit the rather anachronistic practice of bringing eligible voters over to Malta to vote in our elections. Is it still acceptable that officers (for example) serving in our diplomatic representations in the United States, China or Australia have to travel to Malta to vote? Isn’t Malta capable of proposing a system of voting at our Embassies, thus sparing the cost from our state coffers?

The traditions that characterize this country are many, and so are the ones in any other society in the world. As Jeremy Boissevain remarked after 50 years observing this island, many traditions remain and withstand the passage of time. Others evolve. A few cease to exist.  A common occurrence in our political life, and a rather sensitive one, is the enmeshing of religious ritual with political life. Every session of Parliament starts off with a prayer whilst mass remains an important appointment in national festivities too; Independence day, Republic day, the first day of the legislature, the appointment of a new President of the Republic, all start with mass as thanksgiving, whilst the Presidency (with the exception of the last) starts and ends with a visit to the Pope. If anything, this shows a surviving affinity between politics and religion in this country and continues to forge a Christian identity in our political leaders. The question is, is tradition prevailing over conviction, or does the latter retain the upper hand? Should religion be a private matter or shall it remain a public manifestation (mainly during secular festivities)?

I don’t envisage any clear breaks from the past in the immediate future. The political process takes time and leaders may be comfortable with retaining an element of status quo. However, a dynamic society, one that learns, moves, enquires and evolves may be more ready for change than we expect. Let us not be afraid of accepting change where the situation warrants so, lest as Mark Twain warns, the less there is to justify traditional customs, the harder it is to get rid of them.

Dr George Vital Zammit is a lecturer at the Department of Public Policy, University of Malta.