Losing my religion was a single released by an American alternative rock group R.E.M. This song does not speak about religion. Rather, it refers to a popular colloquial American expression. It underlines a high level of exasperation, irritation and enragement. Our equivalent Maltese colloquial expression would be qabbżitli ċ-ċinga!.
Are the Maltese citizens ‘losing their religion’ with our political class? Is Joe the public becoming increasingly disappointed? Is our young generation becoming more disenchanted by the way our political parties are engaging? Is politics still considered the ‘noble art’ of serving one’s community or is it being tarnished by those who merely seek to satisfy their ego trips? Is our way of doing politics devoid from of any ideals, ethical and moral standards?
Are we encouraging trash politics? Is Politics with the big ‘P’ being sacrificed to partisan ‘parochial’ politics? Is the continuous puerile bickering and mudslinging overshadowing real issues that citizens rightly deserve and expect to hear about?
The political upheaval caused by the damning Panama Papers revelations has further contributed to the current political degeneration and mistrust. Panama Papers has confirmed the fears of many. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister’s inertia and procrastination to address this festering scandal has left many, even Labour party stalwarts, bewildered.
We seriously need to invest in good politicians
The irreparable damage has been inflicted not only upon the Labour Party’s credentials, as the former Labour Party leader has highlighted, but also on our county’s reputation and on the whole political class.
Just as the child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church has dramatically undermined its moral authority and eroded further the trust of the faithful worldwide, so our political class is rapidly losing its moral ground. A sense of national irritation and exasperation is fast crawling in. The recent national protests against corruption, attended by people from all political shades, are just the tip of the iceberg.
This is not good news. If we care to live in a healthy and a strong democratic society we seriously need to confront ourselves with this issue. It is in the interest of all three mainstream political forces to take heed of this growing discontent. We cannot keep postponing this soul searching any longer. If we do, then we are seriously exposing ourselves to a democratic vacuum. If the current political scenario continues to degenerate itself further, we are risking a surge in protest votes.
The creation of other ‘political forces’, devoid of any political ethos or worse, the rapid increase of xenophobic sentiments, could very well lure many to their fold. Protesting for the sake of protesting will lead our country to nowhere.
This is all too evident with Cinque Stelle in Italy and Podemos in Spain. In both cases, these were the cause of more tension and division than good for their respective countries.
To counteract this disillusionment with politicians, the three mainstream political forces ought to get out of their trenches and come together with a common front. It is imperative that our political parties ensure that those who will represent them are truly motivated to serve their community.
The Nationalist Party has learned this the hard way. Thus, Simon Busuttil has set up a rigid selection board to vet the suitability of all prospective Nationalist candidates. Through another initiative, established and prospective Nationalist candidates are getting the necessary formation and training.
Although currently all candidates are approved by their respective political parties, may I recommend that the Electoral Commission be the entity which gives the final approval of candidates. As a constitutional body, the commission should seek to ensure the suitability and integrity of all proposed candidates. Not all the so called ‘star’ candidates were/are fit for this purpose. By safeguarding their suitability, the commission would save our country from possible political insanity and embarrassment.
If we want people to stop ‘losing their religion’ with politics, then we seriously need to invest in good politicians.
We need politicians who do not play with people’s minds and emotions. We need politicians who love their country more than their political party, politicians with a high level of maturity and who are well versed in public administration.
We need politicians who are able to advocate for the vulnerable and to stand up to be counted, if necessary. We need politicians who are an asset, not a liability and who continuously seek consensus and the common good. We need politicians who cherish and promote our common values.
We do not need rabble rousers or agitators. We do not need politicians who encourage trash or superficial politics, aggressive or shady characters with hidden agendas.
Basically, we need politicians who, albeit not always in agreement with all others, are still motivated by the same spirit, which is to be ‘men and women for others’ in building a better society for all.
We owe this to our country and to our children, our future citizens.
Albert Buttigieg is a Nationalist Party candidate on the 9th and 10th sistricts and deputy mayor of St Julian’s.