The Antonio Sciortino sculpture just outside Valletta features a woman, who is said to represent Malta. She’s on her knees, seemingly torn with guilt, fear or abject resignation.
She might even be crying and, though Sciortino did not predict this for our times, present-day Malta must surely be crying her heart out at the state of the nation.
Some opinion polls seem to be indicating a change of heart by the electorate. There is a feeling that, somehow, there could be a change in the way our politicians and, more directly, the Labour Party in power are being assessed.
But is it enough? Have the people even woken up from their near paralysis to convert some internal complaints into full-blown rage? Isn’t it about time they take on a battle cry of Issa Daqshekk! (now it is enough)?
This was the battle cry of a General Workers’ Union boss who galvanised the nation against the then party in power – not Labour, of course. The union and other bodies in Malta, together with NGOs and the media, should be doing just that: keeping the government in check and calling, when need be, for a stop to all things bad and immoral and which could further erode the democratic fabric of the land.
That is how the government steers clear of going down the slippery slope to being authoritarian and decreasing the liberties of the individual.
If one looks back at why the union boss had used that battle cry it will surely be seen as petty compared to what is happening and has happened recently.
The most glaring difference between the past and the present is that, 15 years ago, or whenever that slogan was uttered, Malta had a seemingly splendid future. Or, rather, it had a future.
There were problems. Maybe even major ones. But there was hope. People had hope that the country was going to make it, that the problems could be overcome, that Malta was part, and a proud part, of the EU and the world.
This is not whether blue, red or green politics is the best. It’s about our future- Victor Calleja
How proud are we today, or can we be, of what our country represents? What can we tell our youths who want to, or who wish to, stay here in Malta? That what was once a possibly flourishing country has degenerated into an overbuilt, over-congested, over-polluted filthy place?
Slowly, the future now is turning into a miserable and horrific nightmare.
A lot has been said about Rosianne Cutajar. She is not the problem at all. She is a part, an infinitesimal part, of the problem. Like her there are legions more milking the country of its resources and knowing full well that they face no consequences for their crass, even illegal, behaviour.
These people, by their greed, their wrong decisions, their handing all sorts of positions to incompetent cronies, are depleting the Maltese coffers of much-needed funds. These funds could be used to solve some of our soon-to-have-no-solution problems regarding the environment, health and infrastructure.
Cutajar is not the problem. Yes, she is somehow gone from the Labour Party. But what she did and represents was and remains a problem.
The problem is that behind her was a whole cabinet, various MPs and a party machine ready to defend the indefensible. Even when she was ousted from sitting under the Labour ticket nothing was done about her utterances, her connections, her blatantly wrong actions.
Defending the indefensible, saving face for the sake of political manoeuvrings, needs to stop. If politicians are not capable of changing the road Malta has taken, then it is up to the people to rise and say now is definitely the time to act.
This is not whether blue, red or green politics is the best. It’s about our future; a future that needs to be turned into a new dream, full of hope, full of possibilities.
If no one in the Labour Party feels the pain, Malta does and if the party in opposition is incompetent the people need to wake up, grow a spine and call that cliched spade a spade. And use that same spade to bury once and forever the old ways of impunity.
Then, and only then, might Malta stop crying her heart out.
Victor Calleja is a former publisher.