Truth is our anchor

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. – Winston Churchill

There is no denying that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it changes that have affected our day-to-day living in ways that were previously unimaginable. It is also a fact that this virus will be with us for quite some time or at least, until a vaccine is finally available and our immunity builds up enough strength to combat the ravaging effects it has on our bodies. Meanwhile, in Malta and Gozo we have been doing our utmost to alleviate and mitigate the ravaging effects this pandemic is having on all levels. Lifting of restrictions according to the dictates of science is being tackled with caution and sensitivity.

The new normal

Our Labour Government has been focusing all its energies on keeping us safe, alleviating our financial and emotional hardships and putting us citizens first. Hard-earned taxpayers’ money is being invested in our NHS, in social support and helping our businesses stay afloat. Most of us – no – the vast majority of the Maltese population is grateful and aware of the huge efforts made by the Labour Government.

Notwithstanding the lifting of restrictions by our capable medical experts, we must be vigilant and must adhere to the basic socialdistancing rules and sanitary measures that have - thank God kept our country relatively safe and out of harm’s way. This is our ‘newnormal’. We need to adapt to a new reality that was inconcievable up to a few months ago.

A heightened sense of uncertainty and anxiety has gripped most of us. It is a natural response to an unknown quantity the likes of which was never experienced before. We worry about our health and the health of our loved one and of course the future of our finances. Social-distancing has frayed our nerves and has brought to a standstill the usual mingling and interaction that is part of the fabric of our society.

Adaptation and transition

Our traditional celebrations and festas are an integral part of our psyche. Indeed, we are missing them and they have left a void that is hard to adjust to. Shopping, getting together in bars and restaurants, visiting beauty salons and seeking basic services such as dental and medical consultations and even banking services are no longer spontaneous normal activities. They now require planning ahead and certain physical restrictions that make these experiences lacking in the sense of community spirit and one-on-one communication.

This government is doing its utmost to alleviate these hardships. We can rest assured that no matter what, our well-being come first and foremost. Proof of this is clear and lauded by countries far larger and richer than our own. We are blessed in many ways - we are a courageous, resilient people and have risen to the occasion time and again over the millenia. This time round we have our backs covered. We are in safe hands. Working together as one will pull us through!

Post-truth democracy

One cannot however, not mention a phenomena that is slowly but surely attacking our psyche both as a nation and as citizens of the world. This phenomena has nothing to do with social distancing. It goes much deeper than that. It involves discourse that puts aside facts and truths in favour of alternative facts of a dubious nature. It is being called ‘post-truth’.

Already in 2016, the Oxford dictionary declared post-truth as the word of the year. It defines posttruth as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ In a nutshell, truth in the post-truth age is becoming irrelevant. Objective deliberation is being usurped and taken over by personal beliefs, emotions and a way of thinking that suits individual self interest and agendas rather than the common good.

One has to realise that a modern democratic society is based on the division of labour. We trust in the expert knowledge, skills and intentions of the people we have entrusted to safeguard our interests. We leave the uncovering of facts to legal bodies, journalists and scientists and engage citzens in democratic debate and deliberation anchored in basic values and visions of what constitutes an equitable and just society.

They sell smoke

Certain individuals and political factions in our country are using these populist post-truth tactics to seed doubt and confusion. They destabilise people’s minds in such a way that they are unable to make objective judgements. Information technology is fast and far-reaching dissemination of information is instant.

We now have experts in their thousands spewing lies, half-truths, fake news and self righteous claptrap. In the hands of those hell bent on climbing the ladders of power, post-truth has become a new weapon of manipulation. The scope of these manouvers is simple and clear. They’d rather usurp democracy than admit that the people have overwhelmingly rejected the way this country was administered pre-2013.

Gas-lighting is another phenomena our country is experiencing first-hand. In simple words, we have persons in our political sphere that say something only to later say they never said such a thing. Their aim is to turn the people into playtings of power because they can no longer trust their own judgement and therefore accept what the manipulators are selling as truth. These high-moral tones, lying, and the use of words such as fake news and alternative facts hide a sinister and frontal attack on basic democratic norms of open and plural communication among citizens.

Although half truths, pseudotruths and outright lies seem to be the only way forward for some, it is clear, most of us have seen through these tactics. This weapon of choice being used by populist groups has caused a very small minority of our society to cast aside objectivity and common sense and swallowed their heresies hook line and sinker to their detriment and to the detriment of society at large.

Popolism vs reality

In the current national and global scenario, instead of casting aside personal grudges and looking at the big picture, this minority is doing its utmost to destroy the good works and collective efforts of the majority of the people.

This majority are observing silently and vigilantly. Modern democratic Malta has shed its subservient fatalistic past. The people are educated, astute and wary of old tactics that have pre2013 caused the country to register the biggest economic and socio-political deficit in the history of this nation-state. The good intentions of this Government and the tangible ways in which it is tackling the current crises is being noted. Selling lies and half truths do not hold water where the lives and livelihoods of people are at stake.

It is however up to each and every one of us to continue to be vigilant and observe social disancing rules - on all counts. Our focus must remain on objective truths that should after all, unite as all as one country with one common goal – a fair society based on the rule of law and geared towards the well-being and common good of all.