In the Catholic Church, Easter is a time for new beginnings.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, as Catholics around the world believe, brought with it new hope. It is the greatest example that one could use to show that a defeat could lead to a fresh start, if one musters enough courage and determination to get up and move forward.
But beyond the religious aspect, perhaps we should take this as an opportunity to look forward to new beginnings as a country, too. This year, Easter coincided with an election and, with Parliament still to hold its first sitting, it is the time to reflect on what we have collectively done with a view to trying to make things better in the future.
With the general election behind us, this legislature should be an occasion to start a new chapter, using past mistakes to learn from them, and making a strong effort towards establishing a new way of doing things, a new way of living.
When it comes to politics, we hope that things will be done differently, that the new group of MPs, from both sides, will have a more modern, ethical approach to politics and that they will work together for the good of the country. The fact that there are so many newcomers – largely as a result of the additional MPs elected via the gender-corrective mechanism – gives rise to expectations that things will be done differently, and by differently we mean better.
One of the main goals should be for politicians’ ethical behaviour to improve. And the example must come from the top. No form of wrongdoing should be excused or tolerated, and MPs who make grave errors of judgment must do the honourable thing and step down immediately, without the need for prolonged investigations and unnecessary scandals.
If this does not happen, then those who hold power over them – the Prime Minister, that is – should not sweep matters under the proverbial carpet, as he has done in more than two years since he took over the reins of the country.
The way he chose his Cabinet, in particular the people he left out, indicates that his intentions are good. But there will be other occasions in which he will be asked to show his mettle. We will see how he will tackle them.
We must see greater improvement on transparency and good governance. Just this week, a company linked to an alleged kidnapper was formally awarded a lucrative government tender. The awarding agency – Transport Malta – has so far remained silent, and so has the government. We echo the Chamber of Commerce’s call for better vetting of bidders. Companies and individuals with the slightest link to crime cannot and should not be awarded contracts paid for from public funds.
We also look ahead to the time when the Financial Action Task Force will remove Malta from the grey list. It is a humiliation that should not be forgotten, because people who forget tend to repeat the same mistakes. The authorities should make it a point that we will never be embarrassed again.
The environment should truly become a political priority. We hope that the construction boom will abate and that the promises of more open green spaces will materialise. We hope that much-needed projects are carried out without environmental destruction – to the contrary, they should complement the environment we live in and address some of the most pressing issues, like traffic and air pollution.
When it comes to the Covid pandemic, the government has itself promised new beginnings, with the health authorities saying they expect Malta to have a mask-free summer. While the gradual return to normality is something to look forward to, we must not forget that the pandemic is still with us and will remain for a while to come. Case numbers have increased over the past weeks, and the death toll has continued to climb.
The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses says that, despite the low number of patients in the Intensive Care Unit, there has been an influx of patients in the normal wards, and this is leading to a huge strain on resources. Perhaps the ‘new beginning’ in this regard should not be to ignore the pandemic but to start truly acting in a responsible way that does not endanger the most vulnerable among us.
On a wider scale, it is hoped that the hostilities in the Ukraine will stop sooner rather than later, and that the art of diplomacy will emerge victorious. The war is having and will continue to have negative effects on the rest of Europe and the world, and the longer it takes the longer it will take to recover.
Easter should then also be a time for each one of us to commit ourselves to do better. It is only if, individually, we manage this that we can, collectively, have a better future.