For quite a long time, I have been noticing that we continuously prioritise those who do not need prioritisation ‒ the big businesses that can open doors everywhere without barely making a dent in their bank accounts and the contractors that have already taken far more land than they should have.
Unintentionally and equally subconsciously I used ‘we’ but it is neither me nor you, the concerned reader, browsing through after sympathising with the title of this article. In modern-day society, guilt has become a sentiment that is frequently passed on from those in power who are able to make a change to the ones facing the consequences of their poor decision-making and inadequate policies.
During the past week, I was fortunate enough, if one can optimistically call it fortune, to hear first-hand how policies that were formulated to supposedly help farmers, fishermen and other skilled workers are not at all catering to their needs.
It is completely understandable that policymaking is an iterative process and consultations take place precisely for that reason. But what is not understandable is how the bureaucratic processes that should be helping workers in such industries are instead discouraging them and pushing them to work longer hours as they seek to earn a living and break even with their expenses.
Policies and current fund allocations are oppressing the very people who maintain, sustain and preserve our traditions. But it would be belittling to say that this is all these people do. They are also incredibly innovative and pioneer solutions that do not fit in the mainstream conventionalities of official procedures.
Because these solutions do not easily slot into the predictably conservative black and white box printed by whichever regulatory administration is responsible for that remit, a series of time-wasting and excruciatingly long back-and-forth practices come into play.
I felt foolish that I could only offer these brilliant people my sympathy when they were recounting their difficulties and distresses.
Organic farming, for example, is still relatively novel. The Malta Organic Agriculture Movement (MOAM) was only established in 1999 and there is still a lot of resistance and hesitation towards going organic, partially because it is simply misunderstood.
The means and ways to run an organic farm are very different from those used in conventional agriculture and, therefore, require different policies and procedures.
Farms that have gone fully organic in Malta are pioneers in their own right. They must consistently combat bureaucratic foot-dragging when they want to implement a new idea or a novel method of operation.
It was motivating to hear what a local organic farmer had in mind for the future of his farm. But this feeling was somewhat overwhelmed by anger at incompetence that inhibit such happenings in a timely manner.
Why is it that monstrous developments with far-reaching impacts are approved at the snap of a finger without any care or consideration yet small-scale experimental ideas are dragged out and disheartened?
The emotion cannot be as effectively conveyed on paper but when a dedicated, hard-working and truly knowledgeable person’s potential is restricted and hindered rather than supported, I cannot help but feel that it is a terrible shame. Why doesn’t the administration do everything in its capacity to bring these ideas to fruition?
Organic farming is a unique celebration of a traditional sector that is constantly breaking new ground by using unorthodox methods to better respect the land and its biodiversity. So why is it that monstrous developments with far-reaching impacts are approved at the snap of a finger without any care or consideration yet small-scale experimental ideas are dragged out and disheartened?
How is it that a booming economy doesn’t spare a penny for these projects? And if, miraculously, there is no penny to spare, why aren’t the necessary procedural changes implemented to, at the very least, make them possible?
Funding is not the only factor at play, however. During a discussion with local fishermen, it was easy to see how having subsidies but no means is still self-defeating.
Few know how to adequately repair a traditional Maltese luzzu given how much maintenance it requires and even fewer know how to build one from scratch. Despite there being subsidies to fix such artisan boats, there is hardly any place to do so.
Ever since the onset of boatyard privatisation and the excessive commercialisation of the Marsaxlokk promenade that is always brimming with tables and chairs, where can artisan boat owners practise their hobby and preserve this most-advertised tradition?
We have already practically lost the old Maltese bus which we now only see in postcards. I sincerely hope that the luzzu won’t share the same fate.
The same can be said for Malta’s small-scale fishermen. It is very difficult to make a decent earning if you are a small-scale fisherman. Industrial fishers and trawlers essentially scoop out anything that is caught in their net, which has led to several Mediterranean species being overfished and consequently lower fish stocks are available.
Small-scale fishermen bear the brunt of this burden as they incur the same, or even higher, costs yet catch fewer and fewer fish.
These fishermen are not the environmental problem, they are fully cognisant of the situation and have a deep desire to safeguard the oceans and help species recover. Because of the situation at hand, their way of fishing and their traditional equipment is at risk of fading out as recruitment of younger fishermen is far lower than the retirement of the older ones.
What effective policies are there to help these small-scale fishermen? Given these grim statistics, I question their efficacy.
Killing tradition and inhibiting innovation will only bring us to an uninspiring intermediate that is grim and devoid of character. Malta is renowned for its rich history, culture, and traditions but if these are not preserved then it may very well be any other piece of undistinguished land.
If innovation is not encouraged, then the true potential of what could be will forever be unknown. Both fates are equally regrettable but both of them are avoidable.
Francesca Grillo is reading for a Master of Science in Applied Oceanography at the University of Malta.