News • 21 September 2003

My religion does not allow me to support divorce

While the media is pointing its finger at the government, Dolores Cristina is pointing her finger back, as Julian Manduca found out While we often try to simplify matters and see them in black and white, we know that the truth of the matter is that life is all shades of grey. Not to say that grey is drab, but to describe someone with only a few adjectives is to do an injustice. We are all muti-faceted.
Dolores Cristina, like most other people, is not conservative in some ways, and very much so in others. She is prepared to take the Church’s authority to task on some issues, but defends it strongly on others. She can be very modern with her ideas, but questions so-called progress and the change of our values over the years. Dolores Cristina is strongly in favour of women’s and men’s rights, but adamantly opposed to divorce, and if that is not a contradiction in terms, I would like to know one.
Walking into Cristina’s office was a different kind of experience: while most people who consider themselves important wait for you at their desk, the Parliamentary Secretary within the ministry of social policy organised a mini welcome party.
Her welcome will put any visitor at ease. Dolores Cristina’s portfolio means she has the responsibility of overseeing a variety of social issues, but the focus is on gender issues and social housing.
Because she was a teacher, Cristina speaks very clearly and it is a pleasure to interview her. She emphasises that her former job has helped her structure her work and speeches and made her very "logical."
While the media and the general public has been wondering what much of the government has been up to these past weeks, Cristina has a clear idea of what she has been doing and believes the entire Cabinet has been delivering.
"I had first to find out what the ministry for social policy is all about. It is a vast portfolio: people who have questions about employment, pensions, social security, gender equality, social housing, the elderly, the disabled, drug abuse all come to this ministry and for our recently set up Secretariat it has been a learning experience."
Cristina has been able to prepare a work plan for the next few years: "We have concentrated a great deal on social housing. It was very necessary that I understand what the issues are all about. But now we are at the policy formation stage and in a month or two we should be able to present the work we have done."
"Social housing is not an issue on its own. Like most problems one has to tackle it holistically, and often I get people coming hear to speak about housing and we end up speaking about family planning, health, and other social issues. Of course we are not customer care here, but meeting these people has allowed me to get a feeling of what our major client group is all about."
Cristina’s work plan over the coming years will see her secretariat working on a variety of issues within the confines of social housing and gender issues.
"In the case of social housing, the targets must be those that really need it. I have already highlighted a number of bad practices that need to be put aside and I have indicated a number of policies, which must change. We are looking at a restructuring plan to answer the need of people who really require social housing. I still think there are a lot of people who should not be eligible for social housing and are getting it and at the other end people that need it are not."
Before becoming involved in mainstream politics Dolores Cristina was active in women’s issues, which she now prefers to see as gender equality: "There are fathers who are having problems bringing up their children, as well as facing other gender related problems, and while in certain areas women deserve more attention, in other we have to concentrate on the men. In the coming weeks a Commission for Gender Equality will be set up to respond to these needs.
"I have highlighted some problems for the Commission although it will be up to the Commission to set its own agenda: I am seriously concerned about the number of single parent families in this country; and am very, very concerned about the number of young people who are having problems because of an active sexual life at a very young age.
"We have 13 and 14 year-olds who are highly active, and while we would like to think that Malta is different from other countries, it is not. We need to teach our children the values of self-respect from a very young age. I am very critical of the sexual education that is given in our schools, it is too little and too late. We are not talking contraception and condoms, what I am talking about is teaching young children the value of leading a responsible life. What I am talking is an improved all round education. It is no use saying the parents are to blame, because we have a strong contender with technology: TV, computers.
"We have failed as teachers, parents, the Church and we need to review the situation. I tend to believe that many parents have given up on their children. Seeing 13 and 14 year olds at midnight in Paceville very much worse for drink. We ought to be asking whether the legal age for drinking should be increased. I would say ‘yes’."
The position of women in society has undoubtedly improved in Malta, but Dolores Cristina was hoping for greater improvement. "I am very angry with the women themselves. What is stopping women from taking a bigger public role. It seems they are still scared to take the plunge. The majority of the women in Parliament have families and worked hard, and I was often very hurt by the questions women ask me.
"There were times when I went home with an enormous guilt complex as I felt I was neglecting my family and I am very upset also by messages from other institutions that put a burden of guilt on women. The Church is one of our foremost institutions, and I think we should be working to make things easier for our families, but this is not happening."
Gender equality has much to do with education, and Cristina would like to see all students studying to become teachers should be well versed in gender issues.
The parliamentary secretary is adamant that teachers cannot keep themselves without constant revision and re-training and suggests that every ten years each teacher should go on a one-year sabbatical to refresh their teacher training.
She also agrees that boys and girls should be separated during their secondary school years. "I used to believe not but now I am convinced of this, and believe separation is better from the point of view of socialisation, which also affects academia."
Coming from an all-boys boarding school myself, I questioned the benefits of separation from the point of view of socialisation, but Cristina explains: "Nowadays the opportunities for socialisation are much greater, there are possibilities which were perhaps not available before."
Malta has not experienced the feminist revolutions of other countries and has no women’s groups that are making a strong visible impact on society, but Cristina sees the work of the National Council of Women, of which she was president as having brought about a silent revolution.
"I don’t see place for strong vocal women’s groups. This society has changed silently and now I see a process has been set in motion. What Malta really needs is for a certain legislation to be introduced to Parliament: "I am embarrassed and ashamed that it has not been done before: the domestic violence act." Cristina expects the legislation to be in place soon, and says: "over the past few years we have been working on other aspects of domestic violence and we have not allowed ourselves to be paralysed by the legislation."
Malta is experiencing a deluge of failed marriages, people who live long suffering lives and would like to get out of contracts they no longer want, but Dolores Cristina will not support the idea of divorce. "I sometimes have ambivalent feelings. When one listens to stories of failed marriages one thinks, "Oh my God this is the reality of life. Unfortunately I don’t think divorce will solve anything. I would vote against divorce in parliament, I am a staunch Catholic and I have never made a secret of it. If people want divorce they will have to vote for someone else."
It is difficult to see where the compassion is here, and I ask Dolores Cristina what would be her reaction if she was approached by someone who said they were suffering because of their marital situation and wanted to end it.
"I have my own principles. I cannot often them the solution."
I insist that politicians can provide the solution. "My Catholic beliefs would not allow me to vote in favour of divorce. I also believe people should be better prepared for marriage."
So you would let the person suffer? I put to her. "No, I would not let the person suffer, I would do the best to help in their current situation. I have my own personal religious beliefs. Having said that I do think divorce is going to be an important issue and believe it will be introduced in Malta in the not too distant future."
Realising that my line of questioning was taking me nowhere I change the subject completely and ask Dolores Cristina how she would defend the accusation being bandied about over the past weeks of a government that is asleep. Her reaction: "I think the media had nothing to write about in the silly season. There were two lovely summers, two electoral campaigns recently and then suddenly nothing. I remember an editorial in MaltaToday saying where the hell is everybody; we have nothing to write about. I honestly think that it is the media that is bored and not the people out there in general."
"The government is working very hard to deliver. There is a lot of planning going on. All my colleagues have been working very hard and over the next few months we will see the results of this work.
"A lot of things are not seen to be happening. We seem to have a communication problem; it has always been the case with the Nationalist Party. I have always been very critical of our communications strategy. But I think that there is a great deal happening in the education and social sectors. I often think ‘why is this question not being asked.’
"I have heard so much subtle and diplomatic criticism from members of my party to the government, but only those that are loud and dramatic, are covered in the media."
"I think there are many messages that should be conveyed by the ministry of social policy. First and foremost the idea that we are here to help those that need help most.
"For a very long time in this country there have been many people who believe this country owes them something. That abuse must be stopped. Not gently but not in a heavy-handed way. There are ways of getting messages across and we have to be careful about how we do this, but the public should be behind removing abuse."
Women are still not making headway is certain areas of society and Dolores Cristina would like to see the first Maltese woman judge. More women politicians at this stage does not seem a very strong likelihood and when I ask her what could help, her reply is brief: "prayers, perhaps."