Depoliticising everyday life in Malta

Unfortunately, Malta is one of those countries where politics pervades all aspects of everyday life. This is quite different from the situation prevalent in many European countries where citizens do their utmost not to let politics impinge upon their everyday lives. In Malta, it is almost impossible to shut politics out of your everyday life because many people, through their actions, introduce it into your life whether you like it or not.

Over the years this invasion of politics in everyday life has led to the development of farcical situations. A friend of mine recently bought a house in a typical Maltese village. Well known for his political opinions, he was informed on arrival not to shop at a particular outlet because the proprietor was not "one of ours".

On another occasion, during a social function, I heard a person telling his listeners he must have been born under an unlucky star because his daughter had married a person of a different political opinion and he could not bear the indignity of his daughter's "sleeping with the enemy"!

There are schools where one finds the staff-room of the "reds" and that of the "blues". Perhaps, in future, we shall also have the staff-room of the "greens". Shifts at certain workplaces are organised in such a way that all the members are of the same political opinion, otherwise friction might arise between them which would hamper their performance.

The most negative aspect of this farcical situation is probably that of political patronage and clientelism. It is becoming common for several people to try and further their interests through canvassing for particular political candidates in the hope that, once in power, the latter will compensate them for their efforts.

I recently met a person who boasted that whenever she needed a job for relatives of hers, she would phone the minister and advise him to take care of her, otherwise he would lose all the votes of her extended family at the next general election, a question of about 25 votes! How the minister reacted to all this, I was not informed. Hopefully, he ignored her.

So, what can we do to depoliticise everyday life in Malta? The cornerstone of any progress in this direction lies in education. We have to remove once and for all the taboo where discussions about politics in schools are concerned. Social studies and history lessons should serve as fora where the correct approach to politics is inculcated in the students. How can this aim be achieved if we are still so backward in our approach to teaching about politics in schools?

Educators, especially administrators, whose policy is based on "no politics" where teaching is concerned are not showing that they are politically impartial, they are instead showing they are downright stupid.

If all educators today agree that education has to be related to the life-experiences of the students how can we educate students and, at the same time, leave out politics when this is an everyday part of daily life in Malta? That is why so many Maltese are politically immature and why the farcical situations mentioned above still form part of everyday life in Malta.

The media also has a major role to play through objective reporting and the avoidance of highly partisan content that promotes political polarisation among the people and which produces highly-charged emotional reactions.

However, nothing compares with the impact of the example set by the politicians themselves. Politicians should praise the opposing party's achievements for the national cause. Malta being a democracy, they should desist from denigrating the opposing party's position on matters of political controversy. Above all, they should never insult the supporters and institutions of the opposing political party.

The greatest responsibility of all lies with the leader of the country, the Prime Minister. Certain public statements made by the present Prime Minister and by his predecessor in regard to the opposing party's media and supporters were unfortunate and not befitting the dignity of the holder of this prestigious public office.

desmondzm@waldonet.net.mt