Archbishop Charles Scicluna echoed the conviction of many when he argued on Independence Day last week that politicians should not use politics for “social climbing”. The term denotes someone who seeks social prominence, which often goes hand in hand with personal enrichment, in this case through politics.
He contrasted this attitude with “the great generations of Maltese and Gozitans who, through politics, dedicated selfless service for the common good; that is offering to serve without expecting anything in return”.
If there were a single formula for making politics and democracy work for ordinary people, it is that.
When public service is not characterised by what the archbishop described as “a sense of decency, love and charity and dialogue that is sincere, honest and faithful”, ordinary people are not served and democracy is crippled. Democracy is all about putting the interests of citizens first, not second to politicians’ own interests, whether that takes the form of ostentatious social aspirations or the accumulation of hidden personal wealth.
In his homily, the archbishop did not ignore the complex socioeconomic challenges faced by Malta, just like some other EU member states.
The primary focus of elected politicians tends to be economic success but “politicians have a duty not only to manage the economy, for the benefit of the common good, but also to correct the market rules that can often cause those who lack means to be left behind”.
Neither did Scicluna shy away from the painful dilemma of how to deal humanely with those seeking a better future by risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean. He appealed to the political authorities not to “turn a deaf ear and harden their hearts when they hear a desperate cry for help”. These people too are our politicians’ responsibility, however distant our leaders might want to keep themselves from such issues for populist reasons.
The need to protect the environment, so often mentioned by Pope Francis, spurred Scicluna to appeal to all Maltese to do more to safeguard this “silent protagonist in our lives”.
While creating wealth is a legitimate objective, this should not be achieved at the cost of damaging our cultural, architectural and natural heritage, he insisted.
What we have seen instead, however, is recent generations of politicians who fail to acknowledge that, to some people, trees, natural landscapes and the inherent beauty of old buildings are more important than wealth.
In a way, politicians can’t be blamed: they are a product of the electorate. They know that, in large part, they are elected based not on their vision for the common good but on their patronage and the granting of personal benefits.
But, then, one cannot blame some citizens either when they disengage from the political process. They have lost trust in their political leaders to do what is right, farsighted and wise. No wonder so many young people, still idealistic in their outlook, want to leave the country.
Political engagement is not helped by the prevailing political culture either: a lot of people feel beholden to those who have provided them with personal favours, so why should they bother with ephemeral issues like environmental and heritage protection?
Is politics about bettering people’s lives? Then it should be about trying to improve the lives of all people, not just a section of them, broad as that section may be.
The archbishop put his finger on one important quality that would give true meaning to the term ‘public servant’: humility. We don’t need social climbers to occupy seats in parliament, we need humble servants of the people.