The PD Christmas Special

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas. It has been another difficult year riven by partisan fury in Malta’s endless tribal war.

There is, therefore, no better time than Christmas to remind everyone that, indeed, those of us living on these small islands have far more in common than we have differences. Even foreigners who visit us or come to stay are quickly swept into the Maltese and Gozitan flavour of living and historical memory, which in a country as rich in heritage and atmosphere as ours is impossible to avoid. Maltese and Gozitan people of all distinction share a tight-knit community, truly unique in the world. We are known for our hospitality and kindness, a reputation which sometimes jars with the aggression brought on by bubbling hatreds. There are many deeply ingrained reasons behind the identity-fuelled conflicts between segments of our society, but there are many more reasons to look beyond them. Having said that, there are sources of great tension in Malta which go far beyond partisan politics, and the vast majority of people should be able to easily band together to defend themselves on certain issues.

The core issues which keep us divided should instead be reasons to unite. For example, the overdevelopment of Malta stands first and foremost as a symptom of the fact that a handful of powerful businessmen and politicians are disenfranchising the general public. We are expected to accept the destruction of our country due to poor planning and backroom deals because we are told that it generates wealth. Our desire to live in a clean, healthy environment is rendered invalid by the fact that these private interests buy the consent of decision makers. Voters are left with little alternative between the two major parties, because whichever of the two they vote for, they will get the same businessmen controlling everything. Therefore, it is in the interests of both major parties to set aside their tribal differences and bring about genuine and lasting reform which will cut the strings of these manipulative enterprises buying and prostituting our public land and heritage.

The concept of wealth generation probably means little to the pensioners who cannot find a spot to sit down on a crowded bus, or to children who get sick due to air pollution, or residents who have to live in the shadows of megahotels built to enrich foreign investors and local elites living in high castles. Certain heritage buildings, such as Villa St Ignatius, one of the first buildings in St Julian’s, also serve as reference points for our collective memory, and their demolition due to crony interests is like a national lobotomy. It is inevitable and ultimately desirable that there is a backlash. This reaction is not tribal, but a reaction to society being attacked. It is collective self-defence. Yet the people elected to champion the common good refuse to do so.

Corruption is similarly a plague most people seem to have decided is unavoidable, inevitable and irrelevant. I have often heard the argument that it does not matter if politicians keep a cut for themselves, so long as the country gets richer and most people have more money in their pockets. However, besides the fact that with less corruption comes more money to benefit the general public, we also have to look at it on a case-bycase basis to see the real damage.

Having said all this, I want to end this article on a note of hope and encouragement. It is precisely because everyone living in Malta and Gozo has so much in common that we should look beyond arbitrary distinctions to pursue our common interests. Even outside of politics, there are NGOs which desperately need help. There is plenty that we can do and should do to set aside our differences and unite to save our common inheritance.