Still more than a month left till Christmas. However, for the past days I have been bombarded with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Let It Snow and all sorts of Christmas tunes being played right under my office window. Although it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, it doesn’t feel like Christmas yet.
Republic Street in Valletta is already lit up for the festive season. Quite impressively too. You’d almost think that this year, Christmas will be celebrated in November. Don’t take me wrong. I love Christmas. And I love it for its true meaning – the birth of the Saviour. Moreover, it’s also a special day for my family since it’s my mother’s birth anniversary.
I have loved Christmas since I was a child. I used to see it as a truly magical time of the year with all its tales, both religious and profane. I still recall how angry I was at my sister for having spilt the beans on the true nature of Father Christmas. On a more sober note, I miss those special persons who are part and parcel of my childhood yuletide memories – my grandparents and my uncle in particular.
Hence, my premature Christmas ramblings may be more of an attempt to allow me to recompose myself and provide me with the right predisposition to become imbued with the right mixture of sentiments that would normally be associated with the festive season.
The atmosphere this year may appear more surreal than usual because what we have lived through as a country these past 11 months have brought to the fore many ugly truths about the state of Maltese society today. For instance, we remain a divided nation despite all claims to the contrary. Whether it’s the red or blue of politics or the red or blue or green of our village feasts, we seem to be inherently intolerant of one another. Moreover, this intolerance seems to stem from a sense of superiority vis-à-vis ‘the others’.
Ironically for a country that has made gigantic steps in the area of civil liberties, I fear that deep down, many still have prejudices that transcend what appears to be the situation formally speaking. Thankfully, our laws are in place including that milestone piece of legislation that finally recognised that all persons are born equal and have the right for their relationships to be recognised without any discrimination whatsoever.
I am referring, of course, to the Marriage Equality Act, almost unanimously approved by our Parliament in July this year. However, the debate on this law itself brought to light certain divisions, some of which, in my opinion, are due to prejudices that try to make use of arguments such as ‘acting according to conscience’ in order to impose one’s views on others.
Yet the greatest contradiction for me is this instant metamorphosis that our society seems to experience at this time of the year. It started last Sunday with the annual fun run for charity. It’s suddenly all hugs and embraces after weeks and months of tearing each other apart.
It’s useless speaking about respect for the rule of law in this country when many, if not most of its citizens feel that they are above the law
We seem to live in a country where we have this ability to switch from black to white and then back again without batting an eye. Contenting ourselves with raising record amounts of money for charity and letting ourselves become intoxicated with this sense of altruism that we hear all about at this time of the year, we seem to forget that many of the ills we face as a country are the result of an egocentric, selfish, individualistic and self-centred mentality that, I fear, has become, the order of the day.
It can be seen everywhere. From the greed of those who have raped our landscape to the selfish individual who parks in the middle of the road, right in front of a shop, lest he or she have to walk a few metres to get there.
I risk boring readers to death with my concerns. However, I continue to do so in the hope that someone may be listening and paying some attention because no amount of public investment or government intervention is going to make this a better place unless people start behaving in a more civilised manner.
I can’t even say that we are trying to keep up appearances because we are manifestly blatant in our disregard for others. It’s useless speaking about respect for the rule of law in this country when many, if not most of its citizens feel that they are above the law or can take the law into their own hands with impunity.
No amount of policing will solve this, although admittedly, there is much more that could be done in terms of enforcement in our streets that might eventually lead to an improvement in our behaviour on the roads, for example.
So long as ‘anything goes’ then we can never truly aspire to be among the best. I say so with great regret because we have the potential for being far better. And this is what really angers and frustrates me. The President alluded to this schizophrenic nature of ours when, last Sunday, at the end of the Fun Run, she suggested that the people’s resolution for the New Year should be generosity in respect towards each other throughout the year.
As we embark on a national exercise aimed at overhauling our fundamental law, I believe that the only way this could succeed is if as a nation we rediscover those values that should define us as a civilised and democratic country.
However, no change to our constitutional framework can lead to anything better than what we have today unless each and every one of us realises his or her responsibilities towards others and towards the common good. Indeed, any institutional crisis is a crisis that results from the failure of those entrusted with responsibility for these institutions to carry out their duties to the best of their abilities ‘without fear or favour’.
May these remaining weeks until Christmas become a genuine opportunity for all those who value its true meaning to recall to all persons of good will the reasons why we celebrate each year the incarnation of the Word – the truth that sets us free.