Who knows who will be next?

If one wants to feel the pulse of the people, especially the young generation, on current issues one need only go through the comments section on the online pages of the media, especially that of The Times and MaltaToday. There, one can find the feelings of Tom, Dick and Harry posted black on white.

It might well serve as a “whistle-blowing” exercise to our representatives in Parliament. There, people express their feelings on the current news, issues or articles they read. Some comments are perhaps intentionally biased, of course, and some even downright crude but you can easily figure them out without the need to undertake a Masters course in political science. The rest is real.

A case in point is the complaint launched some weeks ago by MEP-in-waiting Joseph Cuschieri. I have browsed through the online comments on the matter. It seems many are looking at the issue from a much distorted perspective. For example, some comments concluded that an additional seat (that is, one more MEP) will not make much of a change for Malta. Another clearly pointed out Mr Cuschieri is only complaining because of a juicy EU salary he is still not receiving. For some unknown reason, another even brought Mr Cuschieri’s brother, Manwel, in the picture and another went as far as to mention a terrible sexually transmitted disease that, strangely enough, the contributor associated with the European continent. As if this were not enough, the same contributor even mockingly told Mr Cuschieri to: “Be patient now, dear Joe”, referring to his complaint to get his deserved post.

Is this the level of thinking we as a Maltese nation prefer to sink? Aren’t we talking about one of our own nationals? I wonder how would anyone else have reacted if he was in Mr Cuschieri’s situation?

I honestly think some comments are purely vile. They are certainly aimed to harm the person in question and not just be critical of the circumstances. Apart from meddling with a sensitive political matter that many seem not to understand, such comments are truly nurturing social division which, in this day and age, should have already been eradicated.

I have known Mr Cuschieri for a few years now and can vouch he is not the showman type. His displeasure isn’t easily expressed and money is definitely not his first religion. The man likes helping those in need whenever possible. Partisan politics apart, Mr Cuschieri has been elected democratically to represent Maltese citizens in the European Parliament. He won the sixth EP seat allocated to Malta and was the fourth successful candidate on the Labour ticket. Therefore, he deserves to take his new job in the European Parliament without delay. Period.

Mr Cuschieri’s position is a rather delicate and a purely bureaucratic one. The man is suffering the consequences of some countries’ internal disagreements that have nothing to do with us. Therefore, in plain English, until such disagreements are resolved, even if the EU’s Constitution is ratified, he cannot take his post. So there you have it. The European Union can either make you or break you.

Being part of a team pays only when its players are in sync with one another. If some players decide to play for their own individual interest (as it often happens) then that it’s neither a team nor a union. And here we have a clear proof of this. While 18 additional MEPs had been elected to the European Parliament in 2009 following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, disagreement persists over the selection process at national level in some member states. It is like saying that if some players in the team have some sort of injury and cannot momentarily play, the rest have to sit quietly on the bench and would not play either. Is that fair?

For all the pompous rhetoric about democratic values, the EU is here showing clear signs of deficiency due to its bureaucratic system. It just cannot take the bull by its horns, fix the problem and get on with its agenda. Here is where the role of the Maltese government, the opposition and the greens comes into play. As parties representing the Maltese nation they should make much more pressure, first through their MEPs and then via their foreign political connections so this stagnated situation, which is leaving the sixth seat for Malta empty, can be addressed and settled. Unless there is some fundamental reason involved, this farce has to end sooner rather than later.

Unless we unite as one nation, at least on national issues, we will be minimising our potential to a bare minimum, leaving us struggling as a divided nation until the end of time. This time it was Mr Cuschieri’s turn. Who knows who will be next?