The other day, some correspondents, including those on social media, took Simon Busuttil and the Nationalist Party to task for acting as if they don’t have a calendar in their office, hence ignoring the fact that we are in this summer heat. Busuttil and the PN, they ranted, are continuing with their pointed attacks on the government and what it is actually doing or not doing. They declared that Busuttil and the PN are ‘wailers’.

Now I will be the first to reiterate that these opinionists and correspondents have all the liberty in the world to think what they want and to express their feelings to their heart’s content whenever and wherever they like. Having said that, however, I must add that the basis of enlightened journalism – and also a healthy political debate, for that matter – presupposes that one be serious and credible at least about basic facts.

The line of thought of these Busuttil and PN detractors is that, being in the midst of our long hot summer, the PN should not react or pro-act to what is happening around us during this so-called ‘silly season’.

Let’s start by what we mean when we invoke this particular expression.

The silly season is described as a ‘period when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories’.

I very much agree that politicians should give a break to all and sundry, particularly in our local summer conditions, but this has to be mutually agreed between all those concerned. If one side keeps making controversial declarations and taking indiscriminate decisions, it would be extra foolish to keep mum and be perceived either as concurring or not having a stand of your own.

The PN, for all I know, is very much in favour of giving people this break from partisan political propaganda. In fact, the party’s own radio station is, to my knowledge, the only one in Malta to suspend its programmes with political content during summer. But how can the PN lower its shutters and declare a unilateral shutdown while so many happenings are occurring precisely at this supposedly and traditionally quiet period?

It is always better for everyone that political parties declare what their stand is and be accountable rather than operating in stealth mode

If we take, for example, the very first few days of this August we find many serious situations which would have made the Opposition utterly irresponsible – and also irrelevant – żhad it not reacted to them and inform the public about its views and its policies about them. Remember that lawfully-elected representatives of the people must be able to present and discuss alternative policy options even if they are not part of the government and do not have an immediate way of making their plans succeed.

Would any of the correspondents mentioned above and other critics of the PN expect that the Opposition declares itself absent about the following:

the resignation of Manfred Galdes from director of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, allegedly over the fallout from the infamous Panama scandal;

the appointment of a new police commissioner, the fifth under this Labour government;

the Prime Minister’s declaration that he will oppose the expansion of the Freeport;

the Prime Minister’s repeated declarations that Malta’s economy is growing ‘despite’ the practices of local banks;

the Planning Authority board’s decision to give the green light for the construction of five towers, four in Mrieħel and the other at Sliema;

very serious allegations by a topgovernment employee of utter political discrimination at St Vincent de Paul Hospital and

reported cases of magistrates who are allegedly breaking the law by being also company secretaries in breach of their code of ethics.

These are only some of the August instances where the PN would have been useless and irresponsible had it acted like those proverbial three monkeys and, on the pretext of the ‘silly season’, kept its eyes wide shut and its mouth sewed up.

Inversely, the Opposition’s role has to be measured against its responsibilities to the people who elected it and, indeed, the whole electorate.

One can always agree or disagree with our way of thinking but I feel it is always better for everyone that political parties declare what their stand is and be accountable rather than operating in stealth mode.

Finally, I wish all readers a peaceful and serene period during these summer weeks, assuming this will not be dubbed as ‘wailing’ too.

Kristy Debono is Opposition spokeswoman for financial services, IT and gaming.