They will win an election, but will they solve our problems

Winning an election is not necessarily because one has the best ideas or the best solutions for our country. If the only criterion is that this country should have a tiger economy and, in the process, lose its soul, then so be it but not all agree.

Voters are fickle but their decision remains crucial in getting people elected. We all know who has the best chances of winning the next election. But will the winner solve the problems and manage the issues? I have my serious doubts.

There is an overwhelming belief that if the economy is not delivering the chances for the Labour government to return to office would be much lower. Any government with an ailing economy faces an impossible task to win over voters.

And in a tiger economy, any political opposition has a mission impossible task to win. But history also shows us that there are always exceptions to these rules.

So, when a tiger economy dominates our life, all other issues are overshadowed. From traffic to overcrowding, from building spree to corruption and nepotism, from a creaking health system to general malaise, these issues will become secondary groans in the face of economic success. But is a revving economy enough?

The economy as we know it, works as it works because this government employs fiscal policies and decisions that catalyse growth and attract more business. People are happy with this because it means more money in their pockets.

This same segment will complain about traffic, building permits and foreigners but they will not stop supporting Labour. To them money is far more important than stopping the complete anarchy.

But there are many individuals who are not of the same creed. They believe that money is not the solution to everything but would still not rock the boat. They are not the majority, but they are a sizeable grouping.

This cohort are not duly impressed with Transport Minister Chris Bonett’s election-eve announcement of an alternative transport system that no one really believes will alleviate the traffic congestion. And even if it did, by the time it is completed in the very distant future we will be experiencing such grid locks that we would not even reap the benefits. But as long as the wheel keeps turning, they are not motivated enough to push for change.

But then there is another cohort of people who are growing in numbers and not small enough to be ignored, who are not willing to argue that if they are well off, then anything goes.

They are furious with the Planning Authority, which they see as a gateway for the development lobby. An authority run by government-appointed officials, who are blatantly pro-development and have no qualms seeing communities and individuals ignored and treated with disdain.  

Fuming is one way of describing what people think of politicians and institutions. Take, for example, the disproportionate over-reaction of Valletta FC simply because Pembroke residents raised their voices on the government’s decision to give the football club public land in their locality. It was a decision that completely ignored the sentiment of the local communities. But it is also a story we hear from so many other localities, proving that the citizen has no say in what happens in their communities.

This cohort want a culture change; a change that starts off by appreciating that politicians must be dedicated people who are well paid. Why Prime Minster Robert Abela, like his predecessors, continues to believe that a minister or parliamentarian should be paid peanuts beats me.

Then we need policy makers who understand what the whole scope of running a country is all about. We do not need political appointees whose first allegiance is to their party and not the country.

A new brand of politicians is wanted, who are not scared to walk the talk and insist that the state cannot squander public funds just because we have been doing so for years.

We need politicians who are able to take tough decisions on work ethic in the public service, on means testing for benefits, on rewarding competence and stamping out incompetence, and demanding real accountability from public officials and elected representatives.

We need politicians who are able to rethink working times for government agencies in summer and scale down so many well-greased authorities with people who are super paid— in some cases three times the salary of the prime minister.

Yes, there are people who want to have a future and a life for their children in Malta. But they want a country that has a soul, not a country that is only driven by lust for more money, more economic growth and more of everything. They do not want a country that resembles Dubai or anywhere else. They want to live in Malta.

In the 2003 EU accession referendum, many of us aspired to see Malta become an EU member state. We dreamt of having a better country that is more democratic, more open, more transparent, better off and more European in outlook.

What we see today is a country that defies the European ideal. And defiance comes from both the PL and the PN.

We are definitely better off financially, but are we happier, are we living a better life, do we have a more beautiful and liveable country? Because beyond all the slogans and political rhetoric, there is this legion of non-voters who dream of a country that is not driven by greed and a political culture that seeks short term policies.

These folk have a vote and a voice; they too cannot be ignored even though they are crying out loudly that they will not vote in the coming election.