Candidates behaving badly
In recent weeks, the country has been experiencing a different type of pandemic, one that is essentially political. It has become widespread, it is difficult to avoid and there is no vaccine for it.
The pandemic is characterised by politicians or ‘would-be’ politicians who are doing their utmost to be noticed by the public and the media.
Of course, that is par for the course in an electoral race but we are increasingly seeing candidates making utterly irresponsible or false statements to appeal to particular interest groups or voting cohorts or to get their five minutes of fame.
It matters little to them that their comments and speeches appear dishonest and lacking in integrity and might even cause distress to others.
This verbal dishonesty is but one strand in the broader dishonesty that characterises so much of our politics currently.
It is one of the great ironies of our modern politics that leading politicians complain about the decline in public trust in politics and political institutions while simultaneously engaging in irresponsible mythmaking that undermines their own credibility.
A recent minor example of the trend is Labour MEP hopeful Marija Sara vella Gafà who argued, contrary to all logic and fact, that environmental rangers were operating in “exaggerated numbers” in the countryside.
Claiming that “many people” were speaking to her about this, she said she stood for “balance” between environmental protection and people’s right to their “pastimes”. The political signalling here could not have been clearer – the candidate (who works in the environment ministry) was blatantly seeking the votes of hunters and trappers, while potentially putting rangers in danger.
vella Gafà has every right as a candidate to canvass these votes but the deceit is evident in attempting to dress up her pitch in terms of achieving “a tangible balance” in environmental protection. It was further evident in her attempt to assert an entirely false conflict between the “rights” of landowners, the public, the environment and Maltese “pastimes”. Cue: a litany of other Labour MEP hopefuls, including Steve Ellul (who, ironically, headed Project Green) have been lining up to voice their support for a lobby that often makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The attempt to resort to populist, headline-grabbing comments are sometimes disrespectful and span the political spectrum. For example, Nationalist MEP candidate Lee Bugeja Bartolo has every right to stand against abortion, but calling a European Parliament vote on the matter as “bollocks” has sparked anger and accusations of misogyny.
Likewise, Ivan Grech Mintoff is well within his remit to highlight his concerns with the country’s neutrality but his stunt of throwing eggs at robert Abela’s feet in protest during the Freedom
day celebrations was an exercise of a gimmick gone wrong. Ultimately, it was the ABBA leader was the one who ended up with egg on his face.
Labour’s Claudette Abela Baldacchino does not miss an opportunity to take selfies with the people making the news, climaxing with an incident where she got trampled upon as she stood in the way of statue bearers running with the statue of the risen Christ as she attempted to shoot a video selfie.
Arnold Cassola and Peter Agius are two of the most persistent and omnipresent candidates. While their complaints and calls for investigations are important, they have sometimes risked their credibility with unsubstantiated claims.
Candidates need their space in the media, traditional or otherwise, to get noticed by the voting public. But clamouring too much media attention – or resorting to cheap tactics – will only debase public life and, possibly, end up harming their chances in the long run.