Dr George Vella is the kind of politician who slid into the role of President of the Republic so naturally, that it looked as though he was born for the role. His calm demeanour and professionalism helped bring a new flavour to the office. His introduction of the State of the Nation conference, which reached its third edition this year, will no doubt be one of his testaments.
The conference brings together leading exponents to discuss and propose observations about determinate issues that characterise life in Malta. A scientific survey provides a basis for the discussion. It would be immensely useful to continue this initiative well into the future and map out trends over time.
Trends such as 43.2% of Maltese people declaring family as the most important aspect in their lives. This is almost expected, since as a society we have always put a great emphasis on the importance of the family, sometimes even promoting it as a value within itself.
The Catholic church continues to be shown that it has its work cut out for her in the coming years, with a steady decline in faith and church attendance being noted. In fact, though more than 88% still declare they believe in God, non-believers have gone from 3% to 6% in just two years.
In younger cohorts, only 37% consider religion as an important element in their lives, with just 17% thinking of religion when taking important ethically sensitive decisions.
Party loyalty has also been noted to be on the decline, with younger people taking less interest in politics in Malta. Once again, just like religion, fewer people are considering political party opinions when making important decisions in their lives.
Referring specifically to party loyalty the amount of people who declared they have always voted for the same party all their lives, fell from 82% to 67% in just two years. Voting for a different party in fact is on the cards for more people, and those adamant to stick to their original party line fell from 55% to 39%.
More chillingly, only 70% said they would vote in the next election. Probably this is not a bad statistic when compared to other Europeans but it is a far cry from the voter turnouts we are accustomed to.
Admittedly our young democracy suffered from an unhealthy obsession with politics and seeing that it is on the decline is healthy. Gone are the days when families would break down political lines and friendships ruined due to party allegiances. But we need to examine why this trend is happening, as I have a suspicion that it is a good thing happening for the wrong reasons.
When talking to young people, I find that so few of them are interested in politics, because they are grossly disappointed by the state of affairs. Politicians in office are simply not inspirational to the young generation and stories of corruption, collusion and general misbehaviour are an immense turn-off for the young.
Political parties are failing to tackle the issues that really matter to people in a realistic manner, while creating storms in teacups about non-issues. When will we really discuss and take real action about the environment, over-development, the impending grid-lock and many other sacred cows?
The statistics we are seeing today will result in a dire situation tomorrow. Our political class is already suffering a relative brain-drain when comparing our current crop to the giants of not so long ago. And while our politicians may think that they can get away with scraping through, they are wrong. Young people are incredibly perceptive of these things and can see them for what they are as clear as day.
Naturally this vastly burdens all of us who have political aspirations. We need to be an inspiration for those who will come after us, by being honest with ourselves and our values, honest with what is right and honest in everything we do.
I am extremely grateful for this year’s state of the nation which continued to shed light on how we can make life in Malta better. I hope it is continued way into the future.