I never imagined my pre-university summer to be like this.  Instead of taking up a part-time job and enjoying it with my friends before heading off to campus, I found myself studying for exams that were postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. 

In the midst of all this, I couldn’t help asking myself the million-dollar question, “What if?”

What if things had been tackled in a different way? What if all stakeholders had been consulted? What if we students formed part and parcel of those stakeholders?

I will be 18 soon but for the local electoral system, my voice has equalled that of an adult for the past two years. The Vote 16 has given us adolescents the right to express our opinion and to choose those whom we would like to govern our country. 

But I want to take a step further: I want my voice to be heard, and not only about issues related to education and employment but on other issues dominating the news, not just locally but also globally. 

Decisions taken now are decisions that will affect us adolescents: the future workforce, the future heads of families, the future researchers and academics. 

Let’s take the environment as just one example. Planning must be long-term; it is not acceptable that certain decisions are partial solutions. 

Adrian Delia does not impose, he listens- Maya Grech

We must act both at micro-level, for example through a focus on urban regeneration programmes within individual localities, as well as at macro-level, such as seriously taking into consideration the idea of a mass transportation system and embarking on regular aggressive cleaning of our water and coastal environments. And why not aim to place Malta at the top of the EU zero carbon countries rankings?

I have to admit that following local politics in recent years has put me off – scandals, irresponsible behaviour and decisions based on populism, nepotism and haphazard environmental laws. 

I used to perceive politics as something dirty, as something corrupt. 

Broaching the subject with my dad made me realise that depicting all politicians as corrupt is wrong, in that everyone will then start accepting this as fact, and reason that “if everyone does it, why shouldn’t I?”

Believing that, yes, there are people who can do politics differently is a great start for us adolescents in getting more involved, not just as numbers but as voices to be heard, as suggestions to be implemented, evaluated and re-implemented.

A few weeks ago I voiced all these thoughts to a politician himself. I met Adrian Delia personally and literally spent fruitful hours speaking to him together with other youths.

What attracted me to his way of doing politics is the fact that he does not just answer our questions. Instead, he puts forward another question, probing us to come up with the answers ourselves. 

He does not impose, he listens. He listens not only to suggestions but also to criticism addressed towards him, towards the Nationalist Party, towards politicians in general.

He made an interesting statement: “Politicians cannot please everyone, but politicians need to go that extra mile to do what is best for the whole country.”

Regarding the environment, Delia shares our vision – sustainability first and foremost; giving back a country that provides serenity, calmness and health. 

Delia represents the true meaning of democracy: making each voice matter, irrespective of to whom this voice belongs. The PN’s Team Start, catered specifically for teenagers, is proof of this. 

This branch within the PN allows us youths to speak up and to help us view politics as a service to improve our country for all of us here and for those yet to come.

As an adolescent on the doorstep to university I want to be listened to, and not just heard. I want my country to become top-notch, where decisions are taken after deep consultation and where the sustainability of the environment is always in the centre of all decision-making and not just put to paper in policies.

I hope that Delia is confirmed as leader of the PN as this country really needs a politician with a vision to lead it. We need a country of equals.

Maya Grech is a student.