I always thank God that my children grew up in an atmosphere of relative stability in this country, where confrontational politics belonged to the past. People my age, the youths of the 1970s and 1980s, will never forget the way politics ruined everyday life for so many people back then because of the “us” and “them” approach to politics in those days and the antagonism, sometimes even hate, it generated towards anybody with a different political opinion.

Let us also be honest about it and admit that both major political parties have to shoulder their fair share of the blame for what happened in those dark days.

I must, therefore, express my very great disappointment at the reappearance in Malta of confrontational-style politics. Obviously, this begs the question: how did we reach this low point given the great amount of progress we had registered in the last few decades?

I believe that one of the main reasons has been that personal attacks on politicians have increased greatly in number. Furthermore, some comments in the social media only serve to inflame passions. When one tries to picture political adversaries as inferior, condemnable, untrustworthy, corrupt, inherently malicious, etc., it is obvious that one is creating the ideal conditions for the “us” and “them” approach to politics.

It is really worrying that what we are seeing today is a total disillusionment with Maltese politics by an ever-growing number of people. Unfortunately, we have utterly torn apart the reputation of politicians in general, indeed so effectively that the greatly mistaken perception of many is that politicians are corrupt, out to get rich quick and without any morals whatsoever. This is not the reality but just a perception.

It is really worrying that what we are seeing today is a total disillusionment with Maltese politics by an ever-growing number of people

The reality is that there are many honest politicians around, always ready to serve the country and to help ordinary citizens. No particular political party has a monopoly on such politicians. You will find them in all political parties.

Still, regrettably, it is the negative cases which are remembered because of the sometimes sensational way they are reported in the media.

We have to be very careful because without consensus in politics, we shall simply be hitting our heads against a brick wall, driving ourselves into a dark alley from which it is difficult to exit. We are a small country and not a rich one. We simply cannot afford the kind of politics where one political party tries to derail the efforts and initiatives of the other.

In this regard, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat should be congratulated on having publicly stated that he will not allow himself to descend into the “us” and “them” kind of politics. On the other side of the hill, leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil should be given credit for the document on good governance which was published by the Nationalist Party and which should serve as a blueprint for raising political standards.

Notwithstanding all this, the present situation of utter distrust between the major political parties cannot be allowed to go on. It is surely not in the national interest to tolerate such a situation. We have to concretely start working on rebuilding trust between the political parties, on creating goodwill and cooperation.

I believe that the ball is in the court of the two parties. The first thing they have to do is to start concentrating on the positive in the messages conveyed to their supporters. Moreover, they have to control a small number of writers whose output is utterly negative and destructive.

Furthermore, all politicians should remember that they are role models. Therefore, certain offensive and divisive words should not form part of their vocabulary. Members of the media should also show respect to holders of high office.

Antics such as chasing the Prime Minister or one of his ministers or parliamentary secretaries and then almost literally poking a microphone into their mouth should be avoided at all costs. The same applies to the way reporters behave with the leader of the Opposition.

Make no mistake about it, confrontational politics retards our national progress. Notice the time that has been wasted on petty animosity during the last few weeks. Observe how normal political incidents are being blown out of proportion.

Much more serious is the fact that even ordinary citizens who are not politically active are being affected by all the animosity being bandied about. We are already seeing several cases of ordinary people shunning others of a different political opinion. This is, perhaps, the most worrying aspect of all. It must be stopped at once.

Let us come to our senses and continue on the road to progress together. Whether you support the Labour Party, the Nationalist Party or Alternattiva Demokratika, Malta needs a united and concerted effort to move forward. Together we shall progress, divided we shall fall behind.

Desmond Zammit Marmarà is a Labour Party councillor in Balzan.

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