Power with no responsibility
In the film ‘Spiderman’ the character of Uncle Ben tells young Peter Parker, who had just discovered his super powers, that “with great power comes great responsibility”.
It is a very wise quote in a film which is otherwise all fiction. Youn g Peter Parker takes a while to understand the significance and importance of the super powers he has been endowed with. In the beginning he uses them wrongly, thinking that these powers are for his own benefit. But, eventually, the wise words of his elderly uncle serve him to understand that the powers received put him in front of a great task. Politicians too are invested with power by the people who elect them. We, as politicians, have been entrusted with legislative and administrative power; a power that burdens us with responsibilities. I am, obviously, in no way comparing super heroes with politicians, but simply observing similarities in attitudes towards power and responsibility.
A party in Government has a lot of political responsibility, since it is elected to power to exercise its legitimate mandate to run the country. But political responsibility does not stop with Government. The Opposition too has a responsibility to shoulder. The Leader of the Opposition has not yet realised the responsibility that comes with his constitutional role. He has, so far, not understood that whatever he says and does has consequences. By way of example, only yesterday we had yet another discussion in Parliament about the American University of Malta. Adrian Delia, clearly following in the footsteps of his predecessor, wants the Government to breach the contract signed with Sadeen and take the Zonqor land back for no valid reason. He thinks this is the right thing to do simply because his party is saying so. He is trying to score political points by giving the wrong impression that the American University is a failed project. The underlying message here is that all those who are investing their money in our country, and are acting within their rights and obligations derived from legal agreements with Government, are not safe should Adrian Delia be elected to power. For the Leader of the Opposition being a foreign investor during a Labour administration makes you outright bad. What Dr. Delia is failing to grasp is that one day he could be the person in charge and he would then have to face the same investors he is vilifying today.
The opposition’s attitude and behaviour should make us all reflect on power and responsibility. Responsibility is an important word in the political glossary because it is a result of awareness. It derives from the Latin verb “responsabilis”, to respond, that is to say, to commit oneself to responding to one’s own actions and the consequences that derive from them. Power should always be lived as a means and not as an end. Politics and politicians are subordinated to the principle of fairness, willingness to do what is proper and an understanding of what is good for the country. If power is sought as an end in itself rather than the means, then one opens the path for the distortion of the truth.
Each country has its own values which reflect how its citizens deal with challenges and their aspirations. The Maltese are a smart people, and they have shown it over time with their democratic choices. The Nationalist party failed all political tests it had in the past nine years. It has lost the moral authority to speak for and on behalf of the people. The Nationalist party lost credibility because it refused to accept responsibility for its behaviour. This is not an honourable approach because it does not respect the democratic process.
The people aspire that those they trust to represent them and to run the country make a difference. They want politicians to believe in a set of values and to be driven by principles. They do not want politicians who, for the sake of power, are ready to damage our country. The people expect those who aspire to lead the country to assume responsibility for what they say and do.
Faced with all this, the best way forward is for the Government to keep focused on the needs of the people and carry on with its work in the country’s best interest. This administration has clearly shown it believes that each politician must be accountable for his actions. The Prime Minister did not shy away from taking the hard decisions when it came to making a politician bear the consequence of his decisions and shoulder responsibility. On the other hand, the opposition is failing to learn this lesson. It has repeatedly chosen not to take responsibility for its actions, past and present. The Government has a clear mandate and moral obligation to hold on dearly to the value of responsibility. Our people deserve and expect nothing less.