The Prime Minister’s recent concern about the deterioration of the quality of political dialogue in Malta is more than justified and is a real cause for concern. Those of us who are old enough to vividly remember different times when political polarisation reigned supreme in Malta will always shudder at the thought of seeing Maltese politics ever go back to such a nadir, which should only have a place in our memory to warn us about the dangers inherent in intolerance and disrespect towards those with different political opinions.
The point of departure towards a healthier and more mature political dialogue lies in viewing different and, sometimes, contradictory political opinions as an enrichment of political life, as the essence of democracy in practice. This means those of us who enjoy the privilege of being in a position to mould public opinion should also always be sensitive to the need to set a good example. First and foremost, one has to avoid vocabulary which denigrates the dignity and respect that should be accorded to one’s political adversaries. For example, I have often heard some politicians refer to the opposing side as “our political enemies”. This is the sort of language which is harmful and does absolutely no good to anyone. It sows the seeds of intolerance in those who are exposed to it.
We also have to avoid exaggeratedly partisan statements. To distort political history, for instance, only serves the purpose of fictionalising and impoverishing our political heritage. Are there people stupid enough to believe political progress in Malta should only be credited to one particular political party at the exclusion of all the others? Likewise, attacking a political party today for what happened decades ago is simply unfair and undemocratic.
Political parties change and so do the people who form part of them. In the same manner, references to an opposing political party as the one which retards progress is simply shallow and destructive, worthy only of a totalitarian state and not a democracy. Another area where I believe a lot of progress still needs to be made is that of phone-ins during radio political programmes.
The quality of comments in some of these programmes is so poor and so partisan one would be excused for thinking one were listening to a political programme at the height of Malta’s political polarisation, decades ago, instead of today. It is refreshing to sometimes listen to radio political debates which are objective and balanced and where the content of the phone-ins is both tolerant and politically constructive.
The same argument applies to the news disseminated by the media of the major political parties. It is a pity a good part of the news is sometimes nothing else than a negative portrayal of the opposing political party and its leading personalities. It would be much more rewarding, even in terms of political mileage, were such news to be used to report the positive work carried out by the political party supported by that particular media rather than waste it attacking the opposing political party. Floating voters and the more discerning among media audiences will always be more impressed with the positive, concrete work carried out by a political party rather than the destructive criticism of its political adversaries.
Finally, the most important aspect of a more mature political dialogue is that of the quality of political speeches, especially those by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Both Lawrence Gonzi and Joseph Muscat should be praised for their efforts in improving our political dialogue. The Prime Minister should be lauded for having the guts to apologise after an uncharacteristic blunder in which he used highly inappropriate vocabulary, given his exalted position as leader of the country. The Leader of the Opposition, on the other hand, deserves applause for consistently praising the good work of Nationalist governments both today and in the past.
The vast majority of Maltese people today are very pleased with the fact that political violence is a thing of the past. Let us keep it that way through developing a mature political dialogue.