Rescuing Malta from the political and criminal mess in which it now wallows cannot be left to the country’s political elite who designed and who continue to control and manipulate the situation. 

Not only do they have a fundamental stake in it, resolving the mess would simultaneously remove their power base and, for many their raison-d’etre. 

They are the mess, and the mess is them.

Waiting for the Labour Party to rediscover a soul, some integrity, and a sense of duty to all amounts to a forlorn agenda for the immediate future.  The party is weighed down by its corrupt leadership, its own internal political manoeuvres, its greed and its fear of democracy and accountability. 

Little of this will likely be resolved in the coming decade.

Likewise waiting for a broken and deeply divided Nationalist Party to rescue itself, let alone the country seems like another naïve and unproductive option.  Even if the party could get its act together, rebuilding it as a realistic and electable opposition is years hence.

Much of the effective opposition to the current criminality, maladministration and utter incompetence is coming from organisations such as the many environmental and human rights NGOs, from Repubblica, Occupy Justice, Moviment Graffitti (to name but some) and from independent media as well as ADPD. 

Critical opposition is also coming from a host of engaged individuals across many sectors as well as from groups such as the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church.  It also comes from a wide range of institutions and structures internationally. 

And despite what we are encouraged to believe, opposition continues to steadily grow despite the frequent denials.

Sadly for Malta, this opposition is not yet strong enough (in terms of scope and representativity) to reach a pivotal threshold, one that would spark change.  This is especially so given the consistently high (but declining) levels of popular electoral support for the current regime.   

Being fully aware of this, the regime feels no immediate need to change and continues to deny, manipulate, bribe and steal.   

Engaging with this political reality will necessitate the promotion of a broader level of civic culture with wider political participation that goes beyond the confines of Malta’s traditional and narrow politics.  Such a culture is urgently required not just to break the stagnation of the PL/PN zero sum game but also to address the very many pressing challenges the country faces in governance, environment, planning, education and crucially in fighting institutionalised crime.

Reconstituting Malta’s democracy will require a broader menu of tactics and involvement beyond the current round of meetings, demonstrations, and legal challenges (vital though they remain).  It simply must include greater grassroots mobilisation on a variety of issues and fronts.  This as well as applying pressure via international standards and structures.   

Contrary to popular belief, activism isn’t just one thing or one cause, it is a patchwork of elements that together make up a ‘way of life’, or more accurately a way of engaging with the world about us.  It should never be restricted to one set of dominant issues however important and urgent. 

Promoting such a perspective is vital to generating the much-needed civic culture in Malta, one that would/could attract participation from a broader spectrum of people, especially from those who like to see themselves as not being ‘political’ or who do not want to be associated with a particular ‘cause’ or group or set of tactics. 

We will make real and consistent progress in rescuing Malta when people come at the situation in many different ways, responding routinely to what is immediately around them, to what is obviously right and wrong and being prepared to ‘call it’ rather than to opt for silence through gritted teeth.

Too many individuals and more importantly too many organisations in Malta are leaving the heavy lifting to others.  They are happy to deny or ignore the mess, benefit directly and/or indirectly from it and to remain silent, except of course in private. 

Personally, I am fed up listening to people who say they are appalled by what is happening, but…

Successful activism is not just about numbers, who votes which way, who’s numbers are up or down, it’s ultimately about conviction, values, commitment, and a disposition towards action.

Rescuing Malta requires anger and outrage about the agendas and behaviours of the country’s dominant ‘elite’, but it also requires hope and optimism about change. And it requires that all Maltese of goodwill step up; leaving it to others is a dereliction of personal and civic duty.