The recent controversy about the personal life of the leader of the Opposition has highlighted what is developing into a major problem in Maltese politics, i.e. the gradual disappearance of values. It has come to a point where many politicians and people involved in politics are openly discarding all moral values in their quest to attain their political goals. This should worry all upright citizens and it is high time that we start doing something about it.

Personally, I am shocked at the abysmal level we have descended into as a nation. We already have the social media with a daily output of shocking and deplorable political comments by ordinary people who seem to have nothing better to do with their time than comment without any restraint on political matters as if their very life depended upon them.

We also now have a problem with certain branches of the local media which report hearsay and allegations as if they were facts. It is refreshing to note that there are still many serious and professional journalists in Malta but a small number, intent on making a “killing” out of a sensational but baseless story, do not seem to bother any longer about the ethics of their profession.

Then there are those actively involved in politics. Some political activists, party officials and politicians are approaching politics in a very negative manner, “no quarter asked and none given”. In other words, politics for them is almost equivalent to all-out warfare where your principal aim is to destroy your enemy, in this case one’s political adversaries. As such, there is no place for morality in their words and actions.

Let me make it clear that not all people involved in politics are descending to this condemnable level but the number is increasing daily. Today, we are increasingly being regaled with stories about the private lives of politicians and, sometimes, even attacks on the memories of those who have passed on.

We must rediscover politics of substance and values insteadof shallowness and populism

Some political activists are fomenting hatred against their opponents, with a number of politicians doing absolutely nothing to stop them, sometimes even encouraging them by their own shameful behaviour.

We have to ask ourselves what has made all this possible? I would start by stating that we have trivialised politics and created an atmosphere of over-familiarity in the frenzied race for votes. In the past, politics was regarded as public service and there were certain boundaries of common decency that were never overstepped.

Even during problematic times of political polarisation, the seriousness of politics was taken for granted. Dom Mintoff would be the first to rebuke any of his supporters who said something stupid or spoke out of turn about political matters. He also discouraged all over-familiarity and fawning behaviour. George Borg Olivier was renowned for the respect he showed his political opponents and the dignified behaviour he always demanded from his supporters.

Today, we have a situation which is totally different. In Malta we have cult politics with politicians being morphed into pop stars and this, of course, is a blow to the dignity of high office and the responsibilities that come with it. For example, I am totally against the use of pictures of politicians and their families by political activists who do so to try and whip up enthusiasm among the party faithful.

The healthy distance one used to keep between people in high office and ordinary citizens has now disappeared. I am not saying that we should put politicians on a pedestal but rather that  we should respect the dignity of their office.

This over-familiarity between ordinary citizens and people in high office, this trivialisation of politics to a politics of the rabble, has created a situation where some people are taking liberties in what they say and write about politics and politicians. It has come to a point where almost anything goes.

The other side of the coin sees some politicians seeking popularity among the electorate above everything else. Theirs is a totally amoral approach to politics. They base their careers on a simple precept: what makes one popular and wins votes is right, what makes one unpopular and loses votes is wrong. Full stop.

We must rediscover politics of substance and values instead of shallowness and populism. Integrity, the national interest, democratic values, ethics and morality have to re-enter our political vocabulary.

We also have to realise that freedom of expression carries with it certain responsibilities. We have to reflect before we express ourselves. How will what I say or write affect a public figure’s family members? Where does the public’s right to know begin and end?

At the end of the day, it is the voter who is in the best position to act as a catalyst of positive change. One should vote for politicians who will act in the best interests of the country and its citizens, who still cherish values, and who do not act only on the basis of what makes them popular.

Desmond Zammit Marmarà is a Balzan Labour councillor.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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