A while ago we thought Malta had joined the rest of the world when we got the Divorce Act up and running and then we hit mega heights with all the civil rights in the LGBT community. You could feel the gushing pride from above too when the blasphemy laws were amended and now it was permitted to say whatever you want against your religion and God but not against the political leader.
The image that was being portrayed by the Labour party was that they were way ahead in thinking and unstoppable in the progress being made for the country and its people. Actually, each time they faced a problem to do with one of their Ministers or corruption or money laundering allegations (the list is long), some new controversial piece of legislation was brought up and quickly signed into law. Attention was diverted and brownie points added to their war chest.
But progress is not easily defined these days. The expansion of the construction industry is often linked with economic progress. The increase in the population is another measure of progress as is the surplus in the fiscal accounts. On a local level, purchasing power as seen in the large supermarkets and the fully booked restaurants are another sign of progress for some. Crossing the two million figures in tourist arrivals could be another.
A change, though, is taking place in the human consciousness around us. People are becoming increasingly more aware of the negative effect that so-called progress can have on our quality of life and our health. We see there are those in society who fall victim to many of the side-effects created, such as high rents, higher cost of living, poorer health services and education. Criminality becomes more widespread and law enforcement whether in trying to cope with all the different work of agencies, such as the Building Regulations Office or the waste disposal, slips into insignificance.
It has recently evolved in such a way that what was previously seen as a necessary evil and could even be boasted about, is now on the rubbish heap. Our attention is no longer diverted by waving the abortion paper or quoting the economic ratings.
Not that we are not fed the propaganda. Certainly, the national broadcaster is down there with the rest of the cadavers of free media, especially now with the Head of the PL station One, moving to TVM with a view to replace Reno Bugeja. That kind of move is no longer a credential to the Labour Party. It is actually a really bad throw-back to the times of Lorry Sant.
The problem is that Labour has become a puppet of their own manipulations and megalomaniacal strategies. They are in a hole and they have to keep digging. That does not mean that the rest of us belong in this decades’ old mentality, where nepotism & favouritism, greed and fear, envy and vindictiveness are once again the divide & rule and our political alliances fall on the wrong side of democracy.
The expiry date on all anti-environment, anti-life and full-on corruption activity is way past now. As are the ingredients. There is a rejection on the part of many in society who no longer wish to be associated with the tree-ripping, the land appropriation and re-allocation to the private sector few elite, the sick-minded removal of the memorial to Daphne at the Great Siege monument and the failure to take responsibility and to stop with all the corrupt agreements and hidden documents.
Not even a matter of waste collection is managed. We cannot continue as we are any longer. There is nowhere left to walk on the pavements with all the piles of black bags or rotting organic bags. Telling people not to leave the bags out before collection time is like telling them to stop crossing the road before the truck comes. Its garbage. I brought out my organic food waste 1 hour and 15 minutes before collection time and it remained on the pavement, uncollected. There is a wild west in rubbish collection and no one takes responsibility and proper measures to alleviate this problem. The cosmetic changes introduced this week will be as useful as a paper bag with a hole in it. Perhaps instead of widening the roads for cars, now they will start to widen the pavements for the bags. Honestly, a walk of a few meters will confirm that there is no way that a pram or push-chair can be used on a pavement. That’s besides the cranes and hoarding in-front of building sites and the tables and chairs of the restaurants and bars. It is simply not cool anymore for Labour to dish out the permits so they can be “business -friendly” and destroy our health and safety, our right to clean air and seas, to free movement in our streets (without face recognition technology), to open windows, to raising children who have somewhere to be creative and enjoy their space.
This government has often bandied the virtues of Dubai or Singapore as models for development. Yet, whether it is in China or Dubai, you will find much more family-friendly activities and spaces than here. The pressure of the cost-of-living and providing education and entertainment for children is driving many couples to either put-off having a family or causing them stress. Yes, we have the work-life balance EU law to help sustain a better life for families but what use are those if couples cannot afford to buy a flat or move to a bigger apartment and raise a family or spend relaxing outdoor time with their children?
And what about caring for the elderly? Normal life comes to a stand-still when you have to take care of your parents or relatives. Even getting a carer from abroad is a night-mare of bureaucracy and will require all of your time and patience. The carers themselves who have come here at great personal expense are torn between looking after their employer and getting up at 5am to get their visa and papers, only to have to repeat it again or get sent back to their country.
It is clear that the Labour government are putting party before country, themselves before the citizen, their personal ambitions before the good of the country and they have taken a whole host of dubious practices into the main-stream, such as cutting trees, widening roads without consultation or regard to the environmental cost and becoming totally detached from the realities being faced by families and ordinary people.
It is so much better to walk beside the NGOs and the brave individuals who remain committed to a better society, a safer country, a more just law enforcement and a new way of life that does not seek to harm or destroy but to promote growth and work collectively for the common good.
It is not incompatible to be rich and to be conscious of the needs of others and to enjoy your wealth whilst taking into account the demands on our environment and the limit of our size. Wealth and employment can be generated without corruption – even more so – and growth can occur in a sustainable manner with good planning. We do not have to choose between some hippie society and mass development or between traffic and clean air.
We have gone past the seventies and fought for a better life. It would be nice if we can join the 21st century again, not just in civil rights but in fact.