The need for unity and balanced media – GWU President
In the annual New Year’s Message from the President of the General Workers’ Union, Victor Carachi stressed the need for the government and Opposition to co-ordinate better and set a respectable standard on dealing with matters which are of national interest.
Describing how the political scene is perceived from the majority who are not behind the scenes, Mr Cauchi slammed the current situation where the government takes important decisions without the decency of consultation. He did the same for the Opposition, describing the current practice of nit-picking and criticising just for the sake of it:
“Unfortunately, the perception with the general public is that in some instances the government presents the Opposition with a fait accompli, while on the other hand the Opposition is seen sometimes to be opposing for the sake of opposing. Both sides of the house need to have a serious look at this issue so that there is more co-operation that is similar to the spirit which existed in the enactment of the financial services legislation. Unfortunately, this spirit of co-operation seems to have evaporated a long time ago now and as the saying goes it takes two to tango!”
Turning to the media’s role, Mr Carachi spoke of the age-old critique as to the need for a more balanced media, who do not focus their reporting on bad news:
“The media, too, has a major role to play. Very often the media in general seems more inclined to report the bad news rather than the good news, giving the perception that the country is in a permanent state of a cold civil war. During the Christmas period, however, the reports on the local media seem to be coming out from another planet with all the good wishes and deeds. The media and all those who regularly contribute as opinion writers should strive to be more balanced in their reporting and to criticise the message rather than the messenger and show prudence at all times.”
He made reference to the inauguration speech given by newly elected Josef Bugeja, and willingness “to work with everyone in the interest of the workers’ and their families.”
Mr Carachi added “This important declaration is not just talk. Already a number of meetings have been held with all trade union confederations, Employer organizations and some NGOs with a view of cooperating together on a number of issues of national importance. This is just the beginning of the long road ahead which the GWU has embarked as part of its new Vision and Strategy.”
The scope of this new strategy is to “set a new benchmark and set an example of how we can be different from our adversaries but at the same time work together for the common good of all workers and the people of Malta in general”
He made reference to the current practice of shooting the messenger rather than the message, and the ensuing “personal and malicious attacks.” This led to him focusing attention on the need to update the Maltese Constitution in order to reflect present-day needs, and added that this alone will not be enough to bring the island together and foster unity.