One of the reasons I voted in favour of Malta joining the European Union was because I believed that by being in the EU, this country would aspire to reaching higher standards across the board. After almost 12 years of EU membership, this remains a mission yet to be accomplished, if ever.
We find many excuses to justify the attitude of being satisfied with whatever comes our way irrespective of the quality, starting from the fact that we claim that it is due to our Mediterranean temperament. We compare ourselves with regions on both the northern and southern coasts of the Mare Nostrum which are not exactly known for their enthusiasm to achieve greatness, rather than to other regions on the European continent where you can expect nothing but the best.
As Sweden is moving towards a six-hour working day, quite a few workers in Malta still take pride in the fact that they manage to skive from work and utilise their sick leave entitlement as though it were vacation leave. In a country where we supposedly uphold traditional values which we are meant to cherish, these values only seem to matter when it comes to opposing measures aimed at strengthening civil liberties.
It always impressed me too how within religious circles the argument about receiving the sacraments is exclusively focused on cohabiting couples or divorced and remarried persons because they supposedly ‘live in scandal’ whereas it is okay for a businessperson who evades paying thousands of euros in tax or for an employer who underpays migrant workers, to stand in the front pews in the most sanctimonious manner.
However, it doesn’t really matter to me what people in other countries do. What concerns me is the fact that we could do so much better; yet this culture of individualism and egoism has become a way of life.
We cannot expect better from our institutions when the goals we set for ourselves individually are so low
Take all cases of people taking the law into their hands – from opening an entire shopping village without a trading licence, or building rooms illegally on public land and taking up pavements and parts of the road to set up tables and chairs outside restaurants and bars, to parking in spaces designated as ‘no parking’.
Just look at our standards of customer care where one gets a big fright every time one needs to get through to, for example, his telephone or cable TV service provider because one knows that it will be a feat to get through in the first place, and an even greater feat to actually find someone at the other end who will even start trying to understand what you are saying.
Recently I mistakenly made a double payment of my monthly subscription to a local cable TV service provider. I emailed them, explaining the situation and that my bank account clearly shows that two payments were issued to the service provider yet, to date, the latter keeps insisting that it received only one payment. It appears that €50 are lost in cyberspace.
What bothers me most is not the fact of the €50 but that the so-called customer care personnel are more interested in trying to convince me that I am showing signs of dementia than of trying to help solve the issue. In this country, the customer is never right.
Just look at our standards wherever one goes – one dares not complain about getting a cold cappuccino or a well done fillet steak rather than the medium rare requested. Well, one could complain though he or she would almost certainly be branded as a windbag, out to make a show of himself.
The attitude demonstrated by many individuals is a reflection of what happens in our institutions or possibly, our institutions are what they are precisely because quite a few of the individuals that run them, are of such disposition. No wonder trust in the institutions is low.
The latest Eurobarometer survey of public opinion in the EU, published last month, provides interesting statistics in this respect. Only 22 per cent of the Maltese tend to trust the political parties with 60 per cent tending not to trust. Trust in local public authorities and in the national parliament stand at 39 per cent and 47 per cent respectively. At 51 per cent, the government is the only institution that ‘passed’ the test.
All this is a reflection of a low sense of national self-esteem. Why is it, for example, that we are still pleasantly surprised when we receive prompt and efficient service because we are resigned to the fact that normally we would not? We can and must do better.
This is not to say that things have not improved and, in certain aspects, improved significantly. Malta is a leading country in terms of e-government services. From firsthand experience I know this to be true. Moreover, certain government services are really top notch. I recently had to renew my passport and the service and assistance I received were first class. The same could be said of the Public Registry. What was really outstanding was the welcoming attitude and disposition to assist of the people I spoke to. I also know many in the public service and sector who are highly professional and really punch above their weight. If they can do it, why can’t others elsewhere?
What is required is a seismic shift in mentality where the individual no longer places him or herself at the centre of his or her own universe. Donating to l-Istrina once a year does not make us the most generous nation on earth. Generosity is also about giving space to others, respecting and reaching out. Selfishness and individualism hinder the human person from being truly human and from making the most of his or her innate potential to make his or her own life as well as the lives ofothers more worth living.
We cannot expect better from our institutions when the goals we set for ourselves individually are so low. The institutions mirror who we are and we have only ourselves to blame if standards leave much to be desired.
I stopped making New Year’s resolutions long ago. However, I wish that we could resolve, as a nation, to do something about trying to reach for the stars by becoming more European in how we shoulder our rights and duties as citizens and, as a result, make this country a better place to live in.