The COVID-19 crisis has been a time of great change and adjustment. So it is perhaps a fitting time for Alternattiva Demokratika Żgħażagħ to have elected its new executive committee. Just as Malta is coming out of a difficult chapter with the pandemic lockdown and the toll taken on businesses, so too has our democracy started undergoing a painful transformation.
Our democracy is under pressure as a result of ongoing shocking revelations, arising out of endless corruption scandals. Now, a fresh generation of young politicians stands ready to start picking up the pieces of our fragmented country. We will put things back together again in a better state than we found them, through legal and ecological justice, internationalism and grassroots democracy.
The new committee underwent its formation throughout COVID-19, and in spite of the limitations imposed by the pandemic, we successfully came together from all walks of life with a similar vision for change. We are a voluntary, autonomous and non-profit organisation, based not only on shared principles but also the belief that friendship will hold us together through the difficult fight for justice and reform ahead.
We hope to lead by example – to create an exemplary community, where one’s neighbour is treated with respect and consideration. We believe in a country with a social conscience, not one where it is every man for himself. Our committee will either succeed together or fall together.
What of our shared principles? We were formed around the principles of mutual aid, solidarity and direct action. We seek unity among all youths who share our vision for an equal society.
We seek to do away with oppressive hierarchies and bring about equality through peaceful reform
It is for this reason that in the process of our formation, our committee has had in mind to serve as the youth wing for the party in the making – which will arise out of the merger of Alternattiva Demokratika and the Democratic Party.
As youths, we understand the needs of the future. Any family may understand the wish to leave their child a country that truly protects freedom and grants equality and true democracy. I therefore ask all parents and guardians, carers and community leaders to think about what kind of country they wish to leave behind.
The problems our country has faced are systematic, and successive administrations have failed to address them. It is because the system itself needs to be renewed – and it is why a fresh perspective is needed. We have the talent and the vision to bring about the needed change.
We will begin conversations which the country has not had. Should prisoners merely be punished for their crimes, or should the justice system focus on rehabilitation? Are people who fall through the cracks victims of poverty and their social context, or are they purely evil? We believe in the goodness of people and want to fix the cruelty of circumstances.
Difficult discussions such as women’s rights need to be held – but with mutual respect. Problems which are swept under the carpet lead to greater suffering, and those who refuse to have difficult conversations are not helping anyone. Refusing to see something does not mean it does not exist.
The new youth wing of Alternattiva Demokratika and the Democratic Party seeks to revolutionise the ways politics are conducted in Malta. We believe in the betterment of not only the citizens of this country but we seek to promote the principles we believe will make the whole world a better place for everyone – including future generations.
We seek to do away with oppressive hierarchies and bring about equality through peaceful reform, discussion and the attainment of a common understanding between different people with different ideas.
Our movement will grow strong by taking inspiration from others while offering our own thoughts in a healthy exchange. Above all, we seek and shall attain a democracy for all, and not just one controlled and reserved for the corrupt and elite few.
Giosue’ Agius, co-chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika Żgħażagħ