What do we imagine Malta might be like in 10 years’ time, in say 2031, just one short decade away?

What might likely have changed and just as importantly, what might not? Do we imagine a Malta characterised by more of the same or one significantly transformed?

Why would such an exercise in imagination matter and would various social groups see it differently?

One assumes that most of the hard-core party faithfuls would see little reason for significant change.

But what of others - church groups, women’s organisations, school or college leavers, business groups, artists etc.?

Would they anticipate a minor or a major gap between the Malta they expect to see and the one they might prefer to see? In what priority ways might they argue Malta needs to change and what might they share in common?

Thinking about what Malta’s future economy, politics, society and culture might look like is a necessary and intriguing exercise. Thinking more broadly about what Malta’s image and place in the world might be and how it might be perceived even more necessary and intriguing.

In 10 years’ time, will Malta continue to be regarded with suspicion as an island characterised by the dodgy deal, by petty and grand criminality, by deeply flawed governance and institutions and by high levels of impunity? Will it be a land where journalists and journalism continue to experience ongoing threat?

Or will all have changed and will Malta have put the dark years of the Muscat regime and its network of criminality behind it? Will the other, decent and democratic Malta have re-asserted itself?

More searching still, will much of Malta’s population continue to approve, accept and even applaud official and unofficial corruption and criminality as a ‘Maltese’ way of life?

Together, could we imagine an entirely different Malta, one where the rule of law is treasured and upheld in real life; where citizens hold their business and political leaders to the highest of standards and where the institutions and practices of the state protect democracy rather than dissolving it?

Sadly for most of us our vision of the future is, for the most part rooted in the present and herein lies a fundamental problem.

Our political system lives in the moment, taking short-term decisions primarily in the interests of those in power (or to protect those previously in power) with little if any consideration for the future. Sadly, a great many of its citizens do likewise.

Ethics and morality are seen as subjects fit for a school or college curriculum or a Sunday sermon but as having no relevance in the real, day-to-day world.

So, if we want to go somewhere new and better, we shouldn’t start from here. Today, Malta is rotting from the inside as recent events, reports and interviews have amply demonstrated. Its current politics offer precious little in terms of a way forward except negatively.

The country is in dire need of a healthy dose of ‘democratic deliberation’ not just in formalised settings but, more importantly across the wider society. Malta is a state in search of an ethical public sphere, otherwise the way forward remains hidden.

Malta today is facing the thinnest of democracy. The country badly needs a new and positive future story; today’s dominant story let alone its vision for the future is entirely deficient.

This should be the core debate as we lurch towards an election.