A recently-published book, Riflessjonijiet dwar il-Ġid Komuni (Reflections on the Common Good) by Alan Xuereb, brought once more to the forefront this very important concept.
This book contains a historical perspective of the concept by focusing on the development of political philosophy over the centuries. It also discusses the concept of the common good in the present scenario and relates it to the policies of Malta’s two major political parties.
It has a prologue by former minister Louis Galea, an introduction by Rev Charles Tabone and an epilogue by the leader of the Nationalist Party, Bernard Grech.
The book is easy to read and certainly has a didactic element. However, my intention is not to write a review of the book but to focus yet once more on the common good, using just one pointer Xuereb wrote about.
One of the points made by the author is that the common good is both a collective and an individual responsibility. The collective responsibility would imply that the institutions and organisations that represent the population’s various interests (so not just the branches of government, like parliament, but also the organisations representing civil society) need to balance their own sectoral interests with the needs of society.
We need to relook at our economic model and make sure that future growth is truly subservient to the common good
For example, it is useless promoting further building and road infrastructural development if this is taking up open spaces to the detriment of the population, even though the economy may be benefitting from such a development.
The individual responsibility would imply that the promotion of the common good starts with each and every one of us. Although it may be appreciated that businesses seek to maximise profits and individuals would seek to maximise their income, they cannot do this at the expense of the rest. The boundary of my freedom to maximise my income lies at the point where I cause harm to the rest of society. The example of building development applies also here.
Within this context, the initiative of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, led by President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, to develop an index to measure national well-being, using not just economic but also social and political indicators, should be given all the support it needs. In my opinion this initiative promotes the common good because it focuses on national well-being
What comes to mind is the quote from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. He wrote: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times”. I feel that somehow we are in this situation. Putting aside for a moment the coronavirus and its impact on our economy and our society in general, we certainly can say that the Maltese economy has never had it so good.
However, the longer-term social and economic costs at which this economic growth has been achieved makes one question (again to quote from Charles Dickens), whether it is a “spring of hope” or a “winter of despair”.
Income inequality, the harm to the environment, issues related to mental health, the number of people at risk of poverty, the high cost of residential property, high exposure to bank loans, all point to a “winter of despair”, while the growth in the gross domestic product points to a “spring of hope”. We need to relook at our economic model and make sure that future growth is truly subservient to the common good.