This week marks the first centenary from when our beloved nation was granted its own Legislative Assembly or better still its first ever parliament. The 1st of November should be enshrined with gold lettering marking the beginning of a new era in Malta’s political history. For the first time representatives of the Maltese archipelago were elected to that Legislative Assembly.
It is noteworthy to point out that the granting of such a fundamental human right by the foreign ruler, Britain, came about as an aftermath of the riots that had occurred a couple of years before, namely, the Sette Giugno riots. They are still referred to as such till today bearing the date of the riots 7/6/1919. Four had been shot dead by British soldiers with another two dying a few days later as they succumbed to their injuries.
Plenty of pomp and circumstance were organised to mark that important milestone in this nation’s rich history. So much so that the then Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII visited Malta delivering the inaugural speech. Following that speech, Prince Edward bestowed the honour of knighthood on Filippo Sciberras, considered to be the architect of Malta’s first ever constitution.
The political, social and economic milestones that followed since then have contributed even further into enriching the history that is entrenched into every corner of these islands notwithstanding our limited size. So much so that I would dare say and hold that our educational curriculum should be re-designed in such a way that our younger generation be exposed much more to Maltese contemporary history. Without demeaning the previous episodes in this nation’s history I strongly feel that what occurred these last hundred years has more relevance to our present daily lives.
However, beyond the educational curriculum it is also safe to ask what sort of parliament do we have today? What sort of parliament do we desire to have? Does the emergence of social media with its pros and cons augur that competent and valid people get entangled into our political process? Given today’s rushed life with plenty of wants and increased economic commitments, is it financially rewarding for anyone to come forward, do away with their current income streams and depend solely on the parliament’s established honoraria?
Whilst being objective in my argumentation I have no inhibitions in saying that it has become ridiculous that simply because one happens to be a journalist or newscaster one is automatically qualified to be a politician. Like any other profession or vocation, it entails training oneself to become a politician. I have always looked up to the late Lino Spiteri as a role model of what a politician should look like.
Whilst governor at the Central Bank of Malta, Lino Spiteri furthered his education by reading for Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Oxford. That course formation at such a prestigious University was key for his eventual political career notwithstanding he had been elected for the first time in 1962. It is noteworthy to point out that one criticism levelled at Theresa May in her tenure as Prime Minister of the UK was indeed that she studied geography at Cambridge!
I also feel that the time is ripe to have all current representatives in our parliament to be full-timers! With all the current hype of good governance we cannot afford to have a part-time parliament! The time is ripe to revisit the issue of salaries in the public sector starting off with our parliament. Early last year there had been calls by our current President of Malta, Dr.George Vella for engaging our members of parliament on a full-time basis meaning that they have to be adequately remunerated. I fully concur with His Excellency’s train of thought.
In doing so, our back-benchers as well as members of the opposition will then be able to fulfil their duties even more within the respective committees. Thereby, ensuring that we have more rigorous legislation going through parliament. Furthermore, having decent salaries will also entice members of the public, considered to be technocrats to come forward and offer their services for the betterment of their fellow citizens.
Another consideration which is attracting a lot of debate is that of revisiting the whole electoral process. Should we simply vote for a particular party, with its leader automatically becoming prime minister? Thereafter, giving the PM full autonomy in choosing whom to appoint as members of cabinet? Also, should we do away with having 13 electoral districts and stick to treating Malta and Gozo as one electoral territory as happens with the election of our MEPs? All of this merits serious debate and discussion, especially when valid people are left out simply because they are not good at selling themselves but still they have a lot to contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of our islands.
Yet, the over-riding consideration for anyone to decide to engage in politics is the onslaught from social media. The ever increasing negativity emerging from social media which, I am afraid to say, is only vomiting hatred on both sides of the political spectrum, cannot be taken lightly! Indeed, this is not only a local problem but also an international one. Notwithstanding that in recent years we have seen increased prosecutions in this context yet, the best line of defence is education!
Surely our ancestors that struggled so much to give Malta its much deserved status as we know it today – a sovereign democratic state – would be thoroughly disappointed that our ‘modern way of life’ rather than attracting puts off talented people to take on politics. Only time will tell what actually happens!
Dr Ivan Grixti is a senior lecturer in Financial Accounting at the University of Malta