I am not pointing my finger at any one person or body. I am not blaming anybody. I am just expressing my thoughts on how Malta could be and should appear in the eyes of those whose opinion should matter to us.
Malta at the moment is going through a general boom. Why not? Why shouldn’t it? It is centrally situated slam bang in the middle of the Mediterranean and an integral part of the European Union.
No matter which government is running Malta, it has all the assets to be very successful.
Malta should stand out as an example of good leadership, great business acumen, environment conservation and a bastion of Christian ethics and morality.
Our country is beautiful, really beautiful, with an amazing coastline, an abundance of historical buildings and an intelligent population that could set an example to the rest of the world.
But why doesn’t it?
Well, perfection is extremely difficult to achieve.
We should aim for perfection. We could be. But something stops this happening. What is it? Greed? Corruption? Lust for power? Selfishness?
It is all these vices in different proportions. But why?
Take three types of people. Those, who enter political life or some other organisation in order to help the people in the country, those who are prepared to take a risk and go into business, and those who are prepared to work for others.
All are an important ingredient for a flourishing country and a successful economy. Unfortunately, when things go well, corruption rears its ugly head in all directions and in all segments of the population, in small ways and sometimes big ways.
When things go well, power also seems to become more and more important.
We have seen this in many countries throughout the years, and when Malta’s fortunes have gone up and down, we have seen it happening here too.
Why do people go into politics? It can’t be for the money. Or shouldn’t be. It must be either for the power, or else the desire to want to be of service to the country.
Everybody’s needs and ideas are different, so it is not an easy thing to be a politician. In fact, it is a pretty thankless task, but those members of society, who choose that path should do the job as diligently, honestly and as transparently as possible.
Why is it so difficult to do this?
When a country like ours is split down the middle with regard to political views, no matter what the governing party does, the party in opposition always tends to give its own spin on the situation to suit its purpose. It must be a nightmare.
We are an educated, and reasonably honest people. We are quite capable of being fair andjust to everybody
For 50 per cent of the electorate you can do no right, and for the other 50 per cent you can do no wrong. Bearing in mind this scenario you have to run a country and try and be fair to everyone.
At the moment, it surely must be the ideal moment to try and be fair to everyone. The country is making money.
We can plan our country properly. We can be leaders in morals and ethics.
We can be transparent in all our dealings because all the dealings should be for the benefit of all the population, irrespective of which political party the citizen supports.
We are quite close to near perfection that attaining perfection is not beyond us, so long as we make a concentrated effort to stick to the right path and avoid anything that could tarnish our reputation.
Taking the best decisions for the good of the country as opposed to benefitting a few is just one example. We can and should lead the world in being an honest, safe, successful and pleasant place in which to reside and visit, with an active and caring government that is fair and just to all.
The majority of the world is in a mess. We can lead the way to common sense.
What should happen is this.
Every politician, whether in government or in opposition, should only act for the good of the Maltese people in general. He or she should be transparent in their actions and never even speak or listen to anyone who would wish them to do otherwise.
This is of course what every politician in every country should do. But here in Malta we can do this. Our politicians can be easily seen to be acting in the interest of all of their countrymen, no matter which political affiliation they practise.
Our business community can act honestly and still be very successful. Our police can act diligently, efficiently and fairly towards everyone.
If the rest of the world wants to lead their countries into a path of injustice to their population in general, let them. But it doesn’t have to happen in Malta. We are better than that. We are an educated, and reasonably honest people. We are quite capable of being fair and just to everybody.
Our leaders, even though from a small country, can meet their counterparts abroad, with heads held high. Leading the way in how real democracy should be practised, giving true prosperity, health and happiness to the whole population, without exception.
It can be done.
Why am I even writing this?
I will tell you. Because I want Malta to be seen as upright and honest, among our foreign counterparts. I want our leaders to be respected all over the world because of their correct decisions and wise and honest governance.
I want Malta to be recognised for the Christian values it upholds. I want these things because they are attainable. And I want these things because that is how it should be.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece