So, there we have it, we are an angry, grumpy lot, top of the EU charts, according to Gallup. Well, Labour did vow to make us the best in Europe, or was it the world?
Hang on, something must be seriously wrong here. Wasn’t this supposed to be L-Aqwa Żmien, everyone positive, ecstatic, displaying zero negativity, lest critics and biċċa bloggers be branded Holier than Thou, even assassinated if they ventured to threaten this unparalleled success story; foreigners, jealous creeps, green with envy at our economic success, daring to bad-mouth the Panama Gang stalwarts who brought us heaven on earth.
Are we to believe that all is not hunky dory, that the emojis, god blesses, etc., pervading social media are a mask? Isn’t this the land where everyone has converted to the ‘movement’ becoming filthy rich in the process, keeping up with the Joneses, going for facelifts, weekend breaks… So, pray, why the anger, worry, stress?
Far be it for me to make any sociological or psychiatric analysis. But of one thing I am sure. Our state of mental well-being and contentment has steadily deteriorated over the years. And I believe that this decline can ultimately be traced back to this country’s political evolution. Granted, there are new realities, lack of space, environmental degradation, pressure of work. But why have we opted for such lifestyles in the first place?
In the MLP years of the 1970s and 1980s, the Maltese were a deprived lot. We ‘illegally’ smuggled in chocolate, pasta and toothpaste, computers were banned, people scrambled for outdated colour TV models at exorbitant prices, bulk buying was sacrosanct, democracy, human rights and freedom of speech trampled upon.
The political landscape was transformed in 1987 with the PN voted in, a societal transformation ensued, the economy liberalised, the country modernised. EU accession accomplished, the PN lost its vision, fraught by in-fighting. People grew dissatisfied, craving more luxury and wealth.
In steps Joseph Muscat, aware that large swathes of the Maltese population are there for the taking, their avarice insatiable. How to do it? Create a core group of accomplices, militate within a political party until you hijack it, dupe the Laburisti sal-Mewt and switchers and, crucially, make a pact with the fat cats that control business while promising everything to everyone in the name of the movement.
Money poured into the PL coffers. The party, structurally a loss-making venture, suddenly possessed millions to splash out. Deals were struck on the fourth floor at Mile End, fat cats promised a bonanza. The propaganda machine went into overdrive, the perception created that it is cool to join Labour, to be ‘in’, to become rich overnight, aspire for lucrative jobs even if an ignoramus.
Social media was gripped by this ‘positive’ gospel according to Muscat. One could self-advance effortlessly, merely supporting Labour. Principles and values went out of the window, chunks of the population sucked into this utopia. Our traditional values were jettisoned, converting many of us into pigs at the trough, desperate for more, while those that fail to make it fall below the poverty line, unable to make ends meet.
When political parties become a vehicle for business interests, business ends up financing corruption which spreads like wildfire- Sandra Gauci
Business interests now predominate, open spaces gobbled up, cheap labour imported with all the social and economic repercussions. Lifelong visitors to these islands note how the Maltese are now unrecognisable. Of course, youths went away. Who aspires building a future in such mayhem, a maze of corruption, people trampling upon each other, with good governance and the rule of law hamstrung?
The rot set in when business interests via Muscat took Labour over, thereby infiltrating the political system. Why was this allowed to happen? Because party financing laws in Malta are inadequate, flawed and unenforceable, overwhelmingly through PLPN collusion. When political parties become a vehicle for business interests, business ends up financing corruption, which spreads like wildfire, bringing initial gratification but then rapidly morphing into desperation.
The pursuit of wealth becomes a societal addiction. Labour thrived in this scenario, proceeding to shut out dissenting voices through a combination of coercion and buying off opponents.
Outwardly, we appear a cheerful lot but inside many of us are consumed by artificiality and emptiness, which lead to anger and stress. All sense of proportion is lost. We no longer know what we stand for. Wrong becomes right, right becomes wrong. The never-ending quest for money stripped us of empathy and turned us into soulless robots.
The latest stage of Malta’s political evolution has, courtesy of Muscat et al., seen business take over the political arena, the likes of Joseph Portelli becoming the country’s de facto rulers. We need to wrest power back from their claws. But, to do so, we need to get back to basics and fast. And the first step must be to dump business out of politics via the complete overhaul of party financing legislation and practices.
ADPD’s position is clear. Based on watertight legislation, regulation cannot be entrusted to the Electoral Commission, which empowers PLPN to self-regulate. Scrutiny ought to be completely independent of the parties, transparent and credible.
Financing by the government must be extended to smaller parties. Crucially, donations from any individual must be slashed from the currently permissible €25,000 to €5,000 and the sums received declared, including those by business entities.
All is not lost. As explained in a Times of Malta editorial recently, a sense of altruism subsists, evidenced by the number of voluntary organisations. This spirit needs to be nurtured and sham players of the Portelli ilk exposed for who they really are, usurpers of the common good.
It is decision-time for Malta: continue to pander to big business, allowing it to rule the roost in politics and across the economy, entrenching materialism and egoism, which angers and stresses us out further or put a stop to this nonsense, kicking business interests out of the political arena, re-dimensioning what money stands for, and regaining a modicum of sanity.
The Malta we bequeath to future generations is at stake.
Sandra Gauci is deputy chairperson of ADPD.