If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, speech, Mar. 6, 1956

 

The diagnosis is inevitable.  The spectre of pain is rearing its head again and that cannot be ignored. All sorts of  experiments and medical treatments have been tried.   Symptoms  were suppressed. Signs  were skilfully masked.   More miracle cures were roped in,  and yet the side- effects and complications  multiplied, and the patient got sicker and sicker. 

Some conditions respond to medication, at the right dose of course, because the same medicine can be as toxic as it can be balmy. 

Some conditions need surgery, timely surgery.

Other conditions need both.

Our political reality needs surgery.

Clean incisions, possibly organ dissections, thorough debridement of necrotic, septic tissue, thorough wash out, clean cloture. There will be a measure of post-operative pain, but  also a real chance of healing.

If we want our nation to retain its dignity and hang on to the standard of living it has painfully achieved, Government, Opposition  and our church must find the courage to come to terms with their condition and address it, rationally, effectively.

In the past week the people's trust in authorities and institutions, yet again, suffered another beating.

It is not the failure of individual human beings that perturbs us most. We know how weak we all are, and how many times we choose wrong when we know full well what is right. What really gets to us is the condonement  by action or inaction of  such individual vile behaviour by institutions which we support to maintain on our behalf,  a semblance of authoritative guidance through the strength imparted  to them  by us, in the collective sense.

In one week,   many questions were again put on the credibility of our church (which has done and is still doing so much good ), because of the failure of its leaders to address  disease in time. 

Much damage can be avoided if any other concealed misdemeanors are dealt with immediately, properly and openly. It is an institution made out of humans, who can fail as individuals and receive punishment and that's that. 

Letting  matters spiral out of control  on the other hand is  meting punishment  on the institution itself and on all those who are part of its fabric physically and spiritually.

In one week, the Opposition  has again refused life saving surgical intervention by  committing at least two cardinal mistakes. 

It is condoning selective justice by its approach to the beach shanty town issue.

It is condoning injustice by more injustice by seeking tax payer money to equate its financial holdings to those of the  Labour Party, instead of urging Labour to return requisitioned property to its rightful owners or pay the latter their market value.

PN , like Labour, is showing that it still believes that political parties should come before national interest and the common good.

A good ' level playing field 'as it has been called, would be if the two major political parties return to the people what they have stolen from the people, in order to  empower themselves to seize and maintain power.

Simon Busuttil needs to free his potential (which is there) to shake his party into doing what is right, not what is convenient. Tall buildings never won anyone any elections. Credibility   is going to be the cardinal issue, and PN is already at a huge disadvantage there, unless the necessary dissection is carried out.

Also last week,  it has been acknowledged that Joseph Muscat's  cabinet 's popularity ratings is plummeting, while his personal popularity is holding so far, at least when compared to the struggling Leader of the Opposition.

We have also had terrible news about Air Malta which has been plagued by toxic political interference by both parties in government  throughout its existence. The Chinese  government is again being mentioned in this regard and Selmun has been sold to the government like the Petroleum Division... and there is the Chinese 'Base' in Pembroke matter...

Also, we still do not know what is really happening in  the energy sector. Let's hope that no news is good news in this case.

Not surprisingly,  and also this week, the World Bank has declared us as one of the countries in which it is most difficult to start a business  and make business in, in spite of our solemn promise to the electorate to cut bureaucracy,  and despite  actually using more taxpayer's money to create  a bureaucracy-annihilating office.

Through all this, Moody's rating agency, not only sustained our ratings but  in a report  mentioning our energy plans several times, changed our outlook to positive. That was great news indeed, if we can forget for a moment that Moody's (as well as Fitch and Standard and Poor's) , sustained at least an 'A ' rating for AIG and Lehmann's right up to their collapse and total meltdown....

The good thing about all this is that all these things happened last week. To-day is Monday, a  new day, a fresh start . Who knows, maybe if I learn to suppress my disbelief, I would  believe and everything will be fine,  just like magic.