We would not have thought that things could get any worse for Malta but unfortunately, they have.

Whether it is about the environment and Mepa or about the change to the Embryo Protection Act, the new power station and LNG tanker and the guarantee of the loan, or health workers, this government is seriously on a collision course.

The situation is alarming.  Public opinion and that of recognised organisations, NGOs and other official Representatives, besides institutions, is being simply disregarded and brushed aside on one hand and deliberately provoked or ridiculed on the other.

The protestations that have been made in Parliament and outside of it, by the public in large numbers and by official representatives, are reaching critical levels.  In the case of the Embryo Protection Act, being candidly referred to as the IVF law, the amateurish manner in which the subject has been approached by the administration, is extremely worrying.  This is not a question of having a check-list of “what we must do to impress” or “#let’s forget our values”.  In not just this case, but particularly in this case, it is literally a matter of life and death. 

Not less threatening is the assault on the Outside Development Zone, with not a week going by without some new application being approved, or building permits issued without the proper impact assessments or other reports normally required.  And not just on ODZ.  Even core villages are at risk and the distortion of what once was a historic centre is forever lost.  The manner in which the Environment is being treated in the demerger of MEPA needs no further argument, since the act itself is sufficient in making clear the purpose behind it, enabling the government to take control of lands and building without interference or hindrance, in a manner more commonly seen in third world countries.

The risk to the economy and to human life posed by the tanker in Marsaxlokk and the black out on the contract to do with Electrogas, Bank of Valletta and Shanghai Electric is a symbol of the arrogance prevailing towards public opinion and the highest institutions of the country.  If this were a big wave that would come in and flow out again, causing damage but not having a permanent place it would be bad enough. But here we are facing long and possibly permanent damage which will remain for years to come, provided we are not all carried out to sea with the wave. 

We are not alone as a country to have issues with the way our Government is administrating.  In a landmark ruling in Holland, the Dutch court ordered the state to reduce emissions by 25% within five years to protect its citizens from climate change in the world’s first climate liability suit.  886 Dutch citizens, including teachers, entrepreneurs, grandparents and students united to sue their government for its inaction on climate change. Urgenda, the group that brought the suit on behalf of the citizens said “There are moments in history when only courts can address overwhelming problems.”  The court also ordered the government to pay all of Urgenda’s costs.

“This is the first a time a court has determined that states have an independent legal obligation towards their citizens.”  The case was brought under the Human Rights and Tort law.

Such consciousness is lacking in Malta.  We have not even reached a level wherein the local council can stake itself on behalf of the citizens who elect it.  Protests in some localities about lack of cleanliness, unregulated rubbish collection with garbage bags lying out on the streets right on the footpath of pedestrians at any time of day, lack of parking space, the bad state of pavements, noise abuse or building infractions are mostly met with platitudes, due to an inept system.

But people are starting to take measures and come together to create a platform for protest or action.  The government of Joseph Muscat will hopefully realise that the tactics and abuse of the seventies and eighties is no longer tolerated.  We do not have to create a Far Right party to galvanise public opinion into rejecting the failed politics of the past.  The UK is getting ready to elect Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party.  The supporters do not care whether he stands a good chance to be elected as Prime Minister or not.  They simply want someone who speaks out.  Whether or not he is able to deliver is another thing but the Labourites in Britain are fed up of platitudes. 

This really is not the time for Malta to return to a state of corruption and to ‘80s plunder.  One, we cannot afford it, two, we will not stand for it.  Switchers or no switchers, nobody in his right mind or conscious can ignore the behaviour and threat around us and honestly say it’s ok. 

This government is knowingly contributing to the destruction of the environment and threatening that of human life in the embryo.  We are not at playschool here to hear that children will be woken up at 5.00 am in order to try and alleviate the traffic congestion.  We are not left standing at bus-stops for 45 minutes and giving up on our journey without seeing the failure to deliver a service to the public.  The anguish of patients and relatives left on stretchers in corridors with rolled up sheets for a pillow is not swept aside with a statement of “the others did it too”.

We are now in the age of civil-rights era-style legal challenges.  If people in Europe say they do not want hunting in another country to affect their right to enjoy birds or nature, then they will present a challenge in court, no doubt about it.  Practices that stood in the middle ages are no longer valid no matter if there are some persons who still maintain that they have a right to hunt, for example. 

The world has moved on, people have moved on.  But moral values, the right to life, freedom of religion and fundamental human rights are to be protected more than ever.  The outpouring of sympathy towards the people driven to seek refuge in Europe, effectively changing the course of action of the European Union is another example of how people feel these days in the face of arbitrary laws that do little to reach a meaningful result.

It would be deceptive of this government to cover its potential abuse of human and civil rights by protecting selective groups and making a case out of them.  Without entering into the debate of whether it was wrong or right, the adoption bill is showing how careful one has to be when tampering with such intrinsic values.  Some countries and possibly parents who would normally consider giving up a child for adoption are now thinking twice and it has been stated that no new adoptions have taken place since the enactment of the bill.  These matters require serious debate and the consequences are to be carefully evaluated.  They are not just topics to play pin the donkey with and administering a country is not just an election to be won.

The effects of decisions being taken around us will remain with us for the coming decades and more. 

It is up to the public to sense when a limit has been crossed or not enough is being done to ensure the preservation of the environment, life and human rights.  It remains to be seen whether one day in Malta we will ever reach that level of consciousness that pertains to the planet and humanity and not just to no. 4 Privit Drive.