One of the most difficult decisions I have had to make was when I was asked to contest the general election on behalf of the Democratic Party. That night, I lay awake in bed poring over the implications. What held me back from immediately rising to the challenge was the adage that one must never show one’s ‘colours’.
To be political in Malta is to be exposed. Even supporting a third party is questionable. Malta is a country where the party you support is often not a question of ideology, policy or principle. It is a question of tribe. One inherits one’s party from the family, much like religion.
Today, I am quite sure that party comes before religion for most voters. For me to expose my political opinion for all the country to see, and in support of – shock and horror – a third party, without hope of rewards, was either a brave or foolish thing to do, especially at the fresh age of 25.
What would the implications be for my career? I suppose I have yet to find out, particularly as I have no intention of being intimidated into silence. In Malta, you are either punished harshly or you are richly rewarded depending on which party you support.
How can one talk about good governance and the rule of law if we do not address this climate of fear which revolves not only around personal safety, but also job security?
This problem makes people afraid of vindictive transfers, contracts and tenders given preferentially to insiders, or a cold shoulder socially and professionally. The situation is so bad that we take it for granted.
Not only that, but the major parties are unlikely to ever really oppose this state of affairs. Why would either of the major parties stop rewarding those loyal to them, in a system where votes have to practically be bought across the country?
We cannot have good governance if people are afraid to voice their political opinion.
The day I was invited to stand as a candidate for the Democratic Party I stayed awake all night thinking it through. It should not have been a difficult decision, given my values and principles. It presented a platform to talk about ideas such as these and to address important issues that are commonly ignored. I chose not to be silent.
It is about time that when we talk about stopping corruption, we take a good hard look around us first. If we are really going to protect free speech, then we have to stop punishing people for thinking differently from us.
Similarly, a carrot on a stick approach for having the right opinion is indeed speech, but it is not free. Nor does it come for free. Perhaps with patience and dialogue, people might be won over to another way of thinking, or even scarier, people might start to think for themselves.