On being human

Nothing beats the joy of seeing a person who has gone through much suffering in life beaming with happiness for some achievement or perhaps an improvement in that person’s situation.

As a politician and a professional in the management of human resources, I have been blessed with such situations. On the down side, I have also had to go through depressing moments as a result of having to listen to stories which only goes to show how cruel life can be to some people. In many situations, I could only listen helplessly but in others I knew that I could make a difference in that person’s life and I had to do my utmost to help.

I can still remember the words spoken to me years ago by a bright, disabled wheelchair-bound worker who despite his abilities was under-utilised in the section where he worked. The situation he was going through frustrated him so much that he ended up telling me that many times he felt like a piece of furniture being moved from one place to another. His words struck me so much that I decided to do whatever was necessary to ensure that this person be transferred to another section where he would be able to contribute in an effective way. Despite the challenges, we managed to reach our goal and in fact this person remained in this position for many years after that.

I am a firm believer in the potential of every human being irrespective of his or her physical or mental capabilities, social status and other factors that may hinder people from moving forward in life. This belief has always guided me to look beyond what can be seen by the naked eye and explore what previously was considered as unexplorable. Many times, my determination not to shut the door on such individuals paid off, as former drug addicts, former prisoners and persons with social problems made good progress in life after having being given that one chance. Credit goes to other people who shared my belief and assisted me in such situations.

Unfortunately, I also had bitter experiences where, despite my efforts, I failed to achieve what I set out to do. Sometimes, the same person I was eager to assist refused help. At other times, the integration of such persons in a normal environment failed because of the lack of understanding and collaboration of other people in that setting. At other times, people in key positions showed insensitivity or failed to appreciate the need to assist in such cases. It’s useless to promote integration of people with different needs and social backgrounds unless you work on the change of culture that is needed in our society. Maybe this is something I need to contribute more to as a politician.

One area where I certainly feel we are failing as a society is in giving the necessary protection to the youngest members of our society – children. Some stories coming out of the Law Courts or through the media should serve as wake up call to us all, particularly those who perhaps are in a position to do something about it. Other situations do not make the news but are still happening. Stories of parents or family members gravely abusing their children can be related in alarming numbers by teachers and school administrators, for example. Others have certainly been witnessed by social workers, priests and other volunteers who work with children and young people. Although, in all truth, politicians cannot do much about some of the problems, there are undoubtedly a number of areas that have and need to be addressed. These include the full protection of children’s rights, giving children a voice, addressing abuse of the social assistance systems, addressing the parents with low or inexistent parental skills and so much more. Commissioning of reports and the holding of endless meetings of the relevant parliamentary committees is not enough. We need to take the plunge and start addressing the issues.

Our Head of State has a role in promoting this need. As expected, the President has now realised that the ‘executive’ role promised to her by Prime Minister Muscat cannot materialise also because the President’s Office is not equipped to take on such a role. However, this should not keep her from remaining the ardent promoter of children’s rights that she was when she served as minister for family affairs. On the contrary, she should use her current role to push for substantial changes in this area.

We can make a difference to the lives of so many people, especially vulnerable people, who are suffering in silence. Doing our duty or helping voluntarily to assist in such situations will require determination, courage and a lot of sacrifice however, undoubtedly, it may also lead to satisfaction and joy for making a positive difference to the life of a human being.

Charlo Bonnici