There are many stereotypes of what Mediterranean culture is all about. Some are flattering, others very much less so. Our cuisine, at least the traditional one, has global admiration as it arguably explains our longevity. Still, our allergy to consistently good civic behaviour is, undoubtedly, one of our worst traits.
Over the years, we have learned to arduously clamour for our civil rights thanks to better education and the impact of social media on how public opinion is moulded.
A sizeable minority also insists on holding our political leaders and public officials accountable for their actions and how they spend our money. As consumers, we have become more sophisticated. Many rightly expect to get the same level of services that our brothers and sisters in northern Europe take for granted.
However, it is a very different narrative when we scrutinise our commitment to perform our civic duties. We still have a lot to learn from countries where citizens respect civil obligations hardwired in their daily behaviour. The most finely crafted laws that regulate civic behaviour are worth little when they are routinely ignored. This is partly the result of whoever is responsible for their enforcement, closing one and often both eyes.
Many have difficulty accepting that they must obey the law simply because it is the law. We generally acknowledge this respect for the law on some significant issues like not committing murder. But when it comes to observing perfectly reasonable norms of civic behaviour, we are still nowhere near meeting the standards of good citizenship.
Many of us, for instance, use the roads practically every day. Like most countries, we have a clearly defined highway code and regulations that aim to ensure that those who use the public highway do so safely. Just spend an hour observing how many of us use the roads to understand why it is so stressful, if not outright dangerous, to drive on our roads or walk on our pavements.
For instance, our Coast Road keeps being used as a racing track by petrol heads on their motorcycles or overpowered cars on weekends. Enforcement by traffic police and wardens is only sporadic and certainly not effective in preventing the safety risks to road users caused by the way a few irresponsible drivers use their vehicles.
When it comes to observing perfectly reasonable norms of civic behaviour, we are still nowhere near meeting the standards of good citizenship
Some will argue that these amateur racing drivers have a right to practise their hobby on public roads. By their inaction, the law enforcement authorities seem to agree to this dangerous and irresponsible line of thinking.
Perhaps even more worrying is the tolerance of drivers using their mobile phones while driving. This is a common abuse that keeps occurring because there is little commitment from law enforcement agencies to punish this unlawful behaviour.
The environment is another victim of our lack of commitment to observing our civic duties. There is no shortage of political rhetoric on the importance of protecting our environment to enhance our quality of life and support our economy. However, the dynamics between citizens and the government agencies officially charged with enforcing environmental laws are simply malfunctioning.
Quick research on how visitors view our commitment to protecting our urban and rural environment will likely give some depressing results. Air pollution, shabby project management of property development projects, dirty streets, especially in tourist hubs, and fly-tipping in some rural areas are just some warts that evidence our collective insensitivity to our deteriorating environmental heritage.
Lack of enforcement is one of the enablers of uncivil behaviour by a substantial minority. Some believe that the lack of political will to enforce perfectly reasonable laws that regulate civic behaviour gives them the right to take risks and abuse the rights of many others who believe in observing the rules even when they may cause some inconvenience.
Many suspect that enforcement agencies are overly susceptible to the influence of business or private interests they regulate. Others attribute lack of enforcement to bureaucratic inertia. This happens, for instance, when some citizens with an inflated sense of entitlement squat permanently on prime seafront public land to set up their summer residence.
While we rightly emphasise the importance of holding public officials accountable for their actions, we also need to keep responsible all citizens who ignore their civic duties and deprive others of their rights.
A democratic society requires the active and consistent enforcement of civic duties by all citizens. We should be just as concerned with our civic responsibilities as we are with our rights.