This is a time of year for wish lists and dreams. For many of us who wish the best for our nation, it is a time to recall that brilliant speech by Martin Luther King about his own dream of a racist-free nation.

This writer’s dream is also of a prosperous, secure and environmentally conscious Malta, a Malta less polarised by parochial political support and an elected government whose superior numbers in Parliament raise the bar in good governance and accountability.

I dream of a Malta where government and opposition parties are less obsessed with populist acts, declarations and legislation aimed at boosting their power base; a Malta where the government acts decisively against the decimation of declining migratory birds; one that does not feel obliged to appease every fringe self-interest group in an effort to avoid the slightest leak of voter support.

I wish for a government that can identify right from wrong and has the intestinal fortitude to stamp its mark. The illegal boathouse issue, for example, is exactly that, illegal, and governments should act against them.

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, Malta’s environment remains unprotected and under siege through the absolute lack of enforcement under this and previous governments. Several of Malta’s once pristine bays are now cesspools of toxic murk, steroids and antibiotics from unpoliced and uncontrolled fish farms.

I have a dream where parties of both political shades are elected to govern for the good of the nation, willing to rebut the bullying tactics of small pressure groups that favour their own particular interests against the general interests of others – governments that are not entirely motivated by extending their own use-by date.

This is not a criticism of any particular government but an observation of what has become an established populist norm in Malta. It is common to both sides of the political divide. An illegal zoo condemned internationally for the sub-standard care of its animals operated for years and it almost took a young life to bring the owner, who had long been thumbing his nose at regulators, to his senses – or so we are at least led to believe.

The authorities, like regulatory eunuchs, failed to act in this and many other matters. Malta’s roads are not just congested but supersaturated with traffic and no amount of underpasses and new bridges will stop the rapid rise in poisonous fumes belching into our faces and lungs on a daily basis. Restrictions on car ownership may antagonise some people and other interests, so the softer “no action” option has always been favoured.

I dream of a Malta where government and opposition parties are less obsessed with populist acts,declarations and legislation aimed at boosting their power base

There is a lack of protection for the rapidly degrading fish stocks around the islands. Bay entrances are strangled with fish nets that capture ridiculously small fry of all species, eliminating future species generation and leading to stock collapse against all sensible considerations of sustainability. This is carried out under the noses of those charged with policing it.

Again, deep water spearfishing with air tanks is supposedly illegal, so as to protect entire colonies of breeding-age deep water reef fish, and yet many leading restaurants offer deep water fish on public display with clearly visible harpoon scars on their bodies.

Respective governments in Malta have been obsessed with their own preservation. Consideration of wider issues relating to the conservation of fish stocks, bird life or even clean air take second place.

I dream of a Parliament bipartisan on at least the environment, a common interest, and a third force in politics, a Green Party, coming on the scene and holding the balance of power. This would force sustainable environmental policies on majority governments, giving voice and visibility to environmental issues and compelling governments to take notice and act.

This is more practical in bicameral systems of government like Australia’s, of course, where the Greens and other minority parties can impose their will and have made a real difference in the legislative changes that go through an elected Upper House. Despite the lack of an Upper House of review in our system, this still is a plausible dream, albeit a remote one in politically polarised Malta.

Those who care should aspire to convert the dreams of change to reality. This is the stuff of which historic legacies of governments and leaders are made.

The last election suggested a significant swinging vote may be emerging, giving hope that perhaps the green shoots of new voting patterns are emerging based more on intelligent and inspired reason than blinkered compulsion to follow class or family precedent.

Perhaps these dreams will come true for the next generation in Malta and a new voice of the silent majority will emerge to address some of these vital issues without fear or recrimination from party whips.

Anthony Trevisan is a businessman passionate about local environmental issues.