Opportunity knocks
To many, today, politics is just a game and matters little more than notching up your level against other players. To others it is of only passing interest, possibly when some scandal has caused enough stir to make you stop what you are doing and read up
Rachel Borg is an independent columnist based in the tourism industry
Today the world revolves around the self and the centre is you, your fame and the money you make, or so we think, in our limited world view. To those who do still bother to be aware of what is happening around them and how it affects them, there is deep concern over the way the political situation has got so terribly out of hand and the depths to which it has fallen.
They see that, first of all, the Speaker needs to set some standard of discourse in Parliament and start to enforce judicious debates and not just diatribe which seeks to mock, pour scorn and make intolerable attacks on those members who are trying to have an intelligent session of criticism, put their views on the subject and do their job of representing the minority if not the people.
This requires in the first place that contracts are discussed ahead of signing, presented when they should be presented, that they are not all blackened out and worthless, that Parliament is consulted as and when it should be consulted and adequate time is allocated to debate.
If respect is not something that comes naturally to some of the members, then it is also the job of the Speaker to enforce it. Without respect, we are no better than a pack of ravenous animals attacking a carcass.
Members of Parliament come to parliament, not just to show off or slouch like a lump of fat uselessness playing with their mobile phones and taking more toilet breaks than a child in kindergarten. There is a purpose and a responsibility to be a member of parliament and it is, again, the job of the Speaker to communicate this seriousness and becoming conduct.
The conduct extends not just to the session, but even outside the building, with journalists who interview them and ask for their views and opinions on matters that concern the public. The statement about waiting for enquiries or that if its ok with the Prime Minister then the MP has no need to hold a view of their own, is childish and a sign of disrespect.
All of this has escalated to a point where we can no longer distinguish between justifiable criticism and unrestrained arrogance. And let’s face it, why should the public tolerate such demeaning and puerile attacks by listening, reading or holding an opinion? Better to go to the gym or take a weekend break.
This government has managed to destroy any last respect and credibility and has excelled in deceit and amateurish behaviour, unfitting for a European democracy.
It matters little or perhaps moderately, if lobbyists donate to a political party, if there are proper institutions whose job it is to ensure fair and just distribution of wealth and power.
The corruption here is taking place not just in Parliament but every time that there is a takeover of power from an institution.
Of course parties and individuals should be judicious and discern between lobbyists and donors. Keeping an account of meetings and watching the political agenda is also necessary and should come naturally to someone who has a good sense of judgement, integrity and honesty. Having an official, such as the party whip or an independent reviewer to keep the candidates, officials, MPs and leaders in line can be of great value in for-seeing and preventing conflicts of interest.
The arrogance and tunnel vision of the country’s leader has now compromised the very essence of public spirit and driven away the critics and stifled the opinions of dissenters who can no longer protest the failure to distinguish between good governance and playing a good game.
Making money at the expense of others is nothing to be proud of and any dim-wit can do it, given the right opportunity. Is it that in this post-modern age, taking the right opportunity is valued above all else? Is government today all about making the right opportunity and is that all the public see, measure and reward?
There was a time when beauty was natural and some had more than others. Nowadays you can change whatever you don’t like about your features or physique and match the world’s expectations of what beauty has become. It is manufactured and can be bought. The same goes for status and making money. It does not matter what you accomplish or how, so long as you have the car and the penthouse. Forget the family and the children, those are also an accessory which can be discarded. Reputation, too, is equal to the weight you can throw around and not conduct and character in this world of instant gratification.
In all of this, Joseph Muscat can be seen to be at the top his game. Others come very close alongside his coat-tails. Admiration comes from opportunists who find that under this administration, opportunities are calculated to deliver to those who share the same ambition and unscrupulous mentality. Apart from that, the country can manage to run itself when basically all that matters is that your bank account is looking good and you can plan as far as tomorrow.
The real world, though, includes several lives that matter. Teachers, nurses, bus drivers, pilots, civil servants, refugees, mothers, fathers, infants, children, clerks and store employees, nature and the environment, identity and heritage, and so much more. They have been ignored, discarded, abused and insulted. Society is plundered and when someone stands up to object to this lack of respect, they are themselves accused of being stupid and accomplices for having participated by watching the film. The audience is now an accomplice of the big screen movie and cannot be said to be free of guilt. You shouldn’t have watched, stupid.
And so, as life itself is turned on its head and gender too is now a choice and a new reality, what does it matter if we feel gratified now and your head can easily be cut off?
Whether or not, the rest of society, not forming a part of this generation of indifference, will be conscious enough to create a new energy and find their individuality, remains to be seen. The way it has been twisted and deviated by the new opportunistic politicians, should be something we avoid for our country. We want a third way, a way that is free, moderate and not about blue or red but conscious of life, past, present and future and breathes normally.