“None of us can say: ‘I have nothing to do with this, they govern.’ No, I am responsible for their governance, and I have to do the best so that they govern well, and I have to do my best by participating in politics according to my ability. Politics, according to the social doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands. We all have to give something.”

This is the clear thinking of Pope Francis on the reason Catholics should be involved in politics. Humbly, this might be a good answer to all friends and acquaintances who frequently ask us how and why we – husband and wife with a very young daughter – decided to enter politics and, furthermore, being candidates for the next general election.

This has been an extremely eventful year for both of us, now that we are approved candidates for two totally different constituencies. One can only imagine thesacrifices needed to dutifully perform this task we took on but experience is now showing that careful planning is the only solution to most problems.

We both feel inclined to perform our political work mostly through meeting the public. We are finding that the best form to talk with constituents is through home visits where we can engage properly without undue interruptions or distractions.

Both of us, however, have political experience on a different level, either at national party level or parliamentary experience and this also requires time and dedication. We consider that a complete politician must be well-versed with both facets of politics: national and local. We are of the opinion that one cannot be an effective and Sfruitful politician without being exposed to these realities.

There are other aspects and traits needed, expected and helpful for a complete politician such as participating in the dialectical debate in all its different forms whether it is broadcasting or writing in the press and on the social media. We endeavour to be present as much as required, and as frequent as possible in the media without in any way trying to force our opinions on others though we always try to put through our way of thinking.

It is an established and accepted fact that present-day politicians have to work in a materialistic ambience of ‘here and now’

We are not saying this to single out ourselves and imply that we are some sort of protagonists but rather to extol the work being performed by hundreds of fellow political colleagues of all colours and creeds. On the face of it, being a politician is, nowadays, not a very much-appreciated sphere of work not only in our country but, we would say, rather worldwide; and this for obvious reasons.

Cases of abuses and scandals abound but this should not be the only yardstick to measure politicians, even those relatively new. Admittedly it is considered to be one of the foremost criteria to ‘judge’ or even to choose a politician to vote for, but there are also other important factors to be taken into account before driving to a reasonably good decision.

It is an established and accepted fact that present-day politicians have to work in a materialistic ambience of ‘here and now’ with high expectations where the individual interests might be in conflict with those of the collective. Let us be clear. This not a local malaise forced on us because of our insularity.

We read a vivid example of what we are saying in Hillary Clinton’s autobiography Hard Choices. Clinton mentions a meeting, while being State Secretary, with Myanmar’s then leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi. This is her own account: “As much as she [Suu Kyi] was focused on the high drama of national politics, she was also obsessed with the minutiae of constituency service and solving problems. I remembered feeling exactly the same way when the voters elected me to the US Senate: If you can’t get the potholes fixed, nothing else matters.” It seems that everywhere plays out similarly, whether it is the US, Myanmar or Malta.

This has to be spelt out because, sometimes, in our collective predisposition, we are not very clear about what the politicians’ contribution towards our well-being should be. By all means politicians should strive to help their constituents but obviously – though sometimes not so obvious – they should work in definite parameters the chief of which, as recommended by Pope Francis, being the ‘common good’.

We are mentioning these situations not to, somehow, play the part of sanctimonious budding politicians, but to try to explain our own raison d’être for being so active in local politics.

It is only reasonable to expect quite a hectic year ahead of us and this is why we felt the need to put across these few simple thoughts about our direct participation in the local political arena.

May all mankind, but particularly our country, have a truly prosperous New Year. We intend to work in that direction and finish off with another quote from Pope Francis: “Catholics must get involved in politics even if it may be ‘dirty’, frustrating and fraught with failure.

“Given today’s ‘throw away’ culture and so many problems unfolding in the work, do I, as a Catholic, watch from my balcony?  No, you can’t watch from the balcony. Get right in there!”

Kristy Debono is an economist and Nationalist Party MP.  Jean Pierre Debono is PN assistant secretary general and general election candidate.