Editorial - Time to show some faith

It is a sad reflection of the state of our country that, on the eve of a major festivity that normally brings people together, a Christmas truce would make no sense right now.

The present situation will have long-lasting repercussions not only on politics, families, neighbourhoods and workplaces, but also on the very soul, mind and heart of the Maltese people.

While proud of our small country, with its great history rooted in a rich tradition of Christian values and faith, at this moment we are also heartbroken because Malta’s name has been tarnished and the image of its people distorted even beyond our shores. The terrible events of the last few weeks have overshadowed even this year’s season of greetings and well-wishing.

We cannot turn the page and start a new chapter, though, if we do not take proper stock of what exactly has happened and why we have ended up where we are now. It is only when we have the courage to walk into our story and own it that we get to write its ending. Still overwhelmed by how corrupt power can be and the extent to which evil can take hold, the country must look backwards before, soon enough, it looks ahead and tries to rise to the occasion.

A dark shadow has been cast on our institutions. In looking ahead it is to those same institutions that we must turn to find our way back to order. The light at the end of this tunnel can hardly be glimpsed but in the darkness we need to recover our inner strength as a people and bravely learn the lessons we need to learn.

One clear aspect of this crisis is the leadership vacuum. We need people with a vision to put our house in order without perpetuating the tribal political divide that is now eroding much of our energy and goodwill.

Another void is truth. The independent media sector needs to be strengthened and broadened, offering the public versions of events credible enough to be embraced and a diversity of visions untainted by blind political interest.

This is probably the worst crisis since Independence. The call for a Second Republic and for the long overdue updating of our constitution can no longer be postponed. However, if we cannot reach a rough consensus on what most of us want for this country, we cannot point fingers and hold our elected representatives accountable. We cannot always hold our politicians responsible for all our political pathologies. There is some collective responsibility to be shouldered.

They say in a dark time, the eye begins to see. The Christmas narrative reaffirms that there is reason to hope and that redemption is possible. This is the moment which calls on all of us to be resourceful and willing to facilitate change.

It is still difficult to envision what our immediate future will be like.

But this bad patch in our history is not some indelible stain, more a wound to be healed. Despite the damage inflicted, it will not cancel out what we stand for as a people or distort who we really are.

This is our hope and firm belief, made more robust by the Christmas spirit that still runs strong through our nation, particularly among those of goodwill.