William Golding’s acclaimed novel Lord of the Flies is about a group of schoolboys who are stranded on an inhospitable island after their plane crashes. In the beginning, they try to keep everything civilised and under control. A power struggle, however, develops and the boys’ innate brutality and dark urges emerge.

Although I do not share Golding’s pessimistic view that man is inherently evil, I do see how easily moral norms can be flouted when individualism is given unbridled free rein.

When Pope Francis was in Malta a year ago, he said: “Honesty, justice, a sense of duty and transparency are the essential pillars of a mature civil society. May your commitment to eradicating illegality and corruption be as strong as the north wind that sweeps the shores of this country.”

Sadly, however, our country is losing its moral compass. Money is becoming the ultimate goal. More people are joining mobs that place themselves above the law and society is drifting towards anarchy.

The ravages of unbridled construction and road building have left this country in a desolate state. Our tiny islands, including Gozo, have become a permanent construction site with incessant noise, dirt and dust. Villages and people’s lives are being literally and metaphorically destroyed.

Our roads make driving a nightmare. The roads are already congested and ill-disciplined drivers add significantly to the chaos on our roads. We have too many cars on the road and this is the result of a lack an efficient public transport system.

Residents of Valletta and other popular haunts are subjected to noise until the early hours of the morning. Some caravan owners decide to claim a scenic area for themselves and set up camp where they see fit. Every year, as summer approaches, the problem of uncontrolled beach loungers resurfaces.

If one reports any irregularity to the local councils these claim that they have no powers and refer you to an authority. The authorities, in turn, have no teeth to bite as the people at the top are simply political cronies and the interest of the political party takes precedence over the interest of citizens.

Our regulations are infinitely difficult to understand and burdensome to implement. These regulations are ineffective because they place undue burden on small businesses and individuals, while giving large companies, that can afford to engage experts, ample leeway to evade scrutiny.

We have become an increasingly angry population- Claudio Farrugia

The state makes the erroneous assumption that money can buy happiness. The phrase “il-gvern iwieżen il-familji u n-negozji” (“the government takes care of families and businesses”), which appears in the letter accompanying the cheques, could not be more apt. Our politicians mistakenly believe that bribing us with an annual ‘tax rebate’ cheque will do wonders for the country’s well-being.

Statistics show that we have become an increasingly angry population. People are taking out their frustrations on counter staff, on each other and on the world in general. We can only shudder to imagine what life would be like if we had the same permissive gun laws as the US.

Two recent surveys, namely ‘The State of the Nation’ and ‘The Eurobarometer’, clearly point to the alarming fact that we have a decaying society. The number of people who believe that life will deteriorate or who seek favour with politicians is increasing. And half of the Maltese population is not satisfied with the way democracy works in Malta.

Thirty-seven years ago, St Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis (The Concern of the Church for the Social Order) warned against overdevelopment which, like underdevelopment, is detrimental to the common good.

The abundant availability of material goods of all kinds for the benefit of a few social classes easily turns people into slaves of immediate possession and enjoyment. As the pope had written, “the more one possesses, the more one wants, while deeper aspirations remain unsatisfied and perhaps even stifled”.

If we do not act now, the rule of law, solidarity, subsidiarity, accountability, tolerance and an inclusive economy, which are the foundations of a healthy and democratic society, will continue to erode.

Claudio Farrugia is a member of Catholic Voices Malta.