The annual Independence Day celebrations organized by the Nationalist Party got off to a wobbly start this time round. Seeing the PN Whip Hon David Agius running around frantically organizing the portable football goalposts, basketball rings and trampoline was amusing. What seemed to irk most was that the PN might have shown lack of respect to the acclaimed Piano designed Parliament building by setting up these momentary sports courts.
Unsurprisingly, the Labour Party milked this situation for all its worth and with the cynicism typical of a party-run media house, in my opinion made a mountain out of a molehill. But this doesn’t come as a surprise because One TV, Net TV and their associated radio stations, newspapers and news portals have turned politics into a dodge. Regrettably when it comes to reporting politics NET and ONE are connoisseurs in guile, providing us with still images of their adversaries carrying funny looks or sharing footage of empty patches when the counterpart leader is addressing the crowd - lame and terribly feeble I must say!
What worries me is that politics is being watered down to a level whereby content and subject matter don’t seem to matter anymore and the main concern is simply based on whether personal interests are safeguarded. All else has significance because it gives us something to talk about during BBQs or when sitting at the pjazza. This, I’m afraid, seems to have been brought about for the most part by the lack of substance that is burgeoning out of the political parties.
Let us take Independence Day as an example - a ‘feast’ we have just celebrated this week.
This occasion seems to mean absolutely nothing to most.
Independence Day hardly denotes anything to anyone anymore. We have turned this day, a fundamental milestone in the development of the identity of this Country, into nothing more than an opportunity to sleep-in or a day at the beach. People were moreover happy that the 21st happened to be a Monday meaning ‘we’ had a long-weekend and an excellent opportunity to chill and organize weekend breaks. Well, I wouldn’t expect us to stay at home and peruse the Constitution but the least we can do is understand the significance of this event.
The irony is that the political party that has labored so hard to champion this cause and for many years had it at the center of its political agenda has watered it down to miserable propositions.
What we are left with is a string of stalls selling rubbish, coffee and whisky. The modern tilt for all of this is that we had armchairs surrounding Grandmaster de la Valette where one could chat till there was no more baloney to share.
Probably apart from the Mass Meeting and the patchy discussions there was nothing political in these activities. Taking this event to Valletta bothered me even more. I for one ‘lived’ the Independence Day activities held in the 80’s. I cannot forget the violence that erupted every year with tear-gas and riots and the police force at the time more interested in facing up to the demonstrators rather than preserving the public order. The Granaries were a symbol of the struggle in the 80’s and gave significance, relevance and importance to these episodes. Yes I admit, times have changed but that doesn’t give anyone the right to turn such a weighty occurrence into a burlesque. It doesn’t give us the right to take away the focus just to make us look modern and up-to-the-minute.
Politics is a serious business and not a game and it is high-time that our political parties act out their role and do what is expected from them. Political parties aren’t there to provide us with entertainment and amusement (even though some of the politicians do give us a share of stand-up comedies, bless their souls). Parties aren’t there either to organise trips to Disneyland or Lourdes or to warp truth and facts. They are there to provide direction to this country. They are the pillars in our society if we want a functioning democracy.
The role that both the party in Government and the one in Opposition should have in common is that of breathing down the Government’s neck and making sure that it delivers. We are already short of political parties, so the few there are need to pull up their socks and instead of focusing on screen grabs of Joseph Muscat smiling in a drolly way or of David Agius wearing a tracksuit getting all wound-up when placed on the spot by One News journalists as he is getting the plastic goalposts organized, is silly. Let’s focus on the core issues. Let’s leave the comedies and sarcasm to the satirists.
For example, Independence Day should be about taking a very important historical signpost seriously. It is about looking at the Constitution and surfacing major debates we have been brushing under the carpet barring a couple of people like Dr Franco Debono who have spoken incessantly about the need to zoom in on this highest law.
This day should have been flooded with events for old and young, discussing not only what happened in 1964 but what direction we are going to give our Nation. It should be more than just looking blankly at a monument and laying a wreath.
We want politicians and political parties to really focus on making Malta a better place, on ensuring that social justice is there to be served. People don’t only want to have more money in their pockets but a stronger sense of citizenship and a robust feeling of engagement.
The purpose of celebrating Independence Day, and any other day for that matter, should be so that the country and its citizens grow in stature.
‘We should lift each other up and not tear each other down’ – Hillary Clinton