I believe that surviving multiple internal conflicts, and keeping the Self intact, is the hallmark and biggest challenge of serving in public life.

In my case it has never been about overcoming the dilemma as to what or who to put first in my decision-making as a politician. The national/local interest has always come first, firmly occupying centre stage in my entire, unorthodox, turbulent, political career and life. Serving the people, the citizens, residents, has been as much of a given in public life as serving the patient first in my profession as a general medical practitioner.

My conflict has always stemmed from the ability, or rather inability, of giving enough time to my family, friends and personal interests while keeping up a political performance that bears as much fruit as watching a patient under my care recover steadily from an illness of whatever sort, or at least having the satisfaction of sharing the experience of my patients living a dignified life while battling terminal disease.

Patience, compassion and creating hope have been the name of a lifelong career. 

Striking a fair deal with time has been a struggle, a painful conflict, because let’s face it, time is of the essence in anybody’s life. But when one spends over 30 years face-to-face with the vulnerability of human existence, battling the spectre of death which raises its head in the most unlikely places, the fickleness of seconds, minutes, hours, weeks and years somehow manages to burn itself deeper into one’s consciousness, relentlessly feeding the conflict of what to do and what not to do in the little I have left after fighting and beating two aggressive cancers to say the least.

I strongly believe that caring and selflessness can make our country and continent matter, again, and that there’s no better way to do politics than to walk one’s talk

Should I abandon the steadily deteriorating Maltese and European political arena, wrap up my public career and retire to an oasis of peace to enjoy more time in the open countryside engaging in my favourite pastimes with my family? Can I do that and live with the knowledge that I abandoned Malta and Gozo when they need people who put their country first like never before?

Can I abandon our Europe when the impending Far Right tsunami is at its most real since World War II?Will my effort, my contribution make a difference?

Am I going to waste what little time I have left trashing around in this hopeless wasteland? Will I make a dent if I offer the services of my sanity in this madness? Or am I the one who is insane to keep offering my services in this bedlam?Then I think of the children, all children. I think of the 16-year-olds who are casting their votes for the first time, with enthusiasm. I think of all the young people trying to build a life, create a better world, make a decent living, be happy.

I think of granddads and grandmas, great aunts and great uncles, who have given their entire life to make life worthwhile for us in Malta and Gozo, and in the entire European continent.

I think of all this, I think of more, much more, and the decision suddenly becomes easier, less painful.

Being neither brilliant nor in any way extraordinary I cannot offer miracles or magic turnarounds. What I can offer is my deep-rooted love for my country, our continent and our people. 

I can offer the unflinching vision of a dignified life for all, and the determination, perseverance and the stamina to accomplish it with you.

I can offer to help navigate our country and our continent out of the treacherous waters they are currently trapped in.

I can offer what remains of my life to serve you to the best of my ability.

I can do that, and will do that, in the next MEP elections, because I strongly believe that caring and selflessness can make our country and continent matter, again, and that there’s no better way to do politics than to walk one’s talk.

I invite you to join me in this last lap of my political journey.

For Malta, for Europe.

Godfrey Farrugia is leader of the Democratic Party and a candidate for the European Parliament elections.

This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece

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