Political Pandemic

I have been heard referring to politics as ‘The Game’ very often. I have said time and again that politics is
the most exciting game in the world since it has the funny habit of testing all the aspects of one’s social
life and intellectual capabilities. However, as time passes I have started to find that there has been an
evolution in the way politics is conduced, or rather a devolution.

Politics is no longer about passing on a message, an idea, and eventually governance through a way of
life based on a set of uncompromisable values and principles. It has become based on a way of life
which is a sham, and which has poisoned all those who partake in it at the expense of those who really
want to make things right.

I have taken some time to try and highlight certain issues in contemporary politics, making them clear
through the use of very familiar examples of conduct. This should help pass on the message.

Lesson One – ‘Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent’

This is perhaps one of my favorite phrases. It was formulated and authored by Wittgenstein, and quite
literally it means that when a person has not got any experience or knowledge on a matter or point,
then he must be silent. It is not required that a person offers an opinion on absolutely everything in life.

We are living in a culturally, or rather culture-lessly, flawed society. We believe that God is a creature of
the past, created for the superstitious and a weak-hearted folk. We believe that we have been
enlightened, and therefore one finds that there is a predominant tendency in many to want to ‘blabber’
about everything, operating under the belief that they may do so. However, this is clearly not the case.

Some would have us believe that there has been an expansion in man’s intellect due to the social,
medical, scientific, and the other what-not advancements, but in reality the mind that been narrowed.
We have all been blinded by the irrelevant that looks good to us and thus our intellectual scope has
been subject to self-limitation.

During the past summer I helped out a friend, academic, and lecturer conduct some research on the
rulings given by all the parliamentary speakers since 1921. This research inevitably demanded that I
spend a number of hours reading the parliamentary debates. There was a mixture of first Italian, then
English, and then a block of debates in Maltese, as it presently is. As I read I acquired a vast knowledge
on many aspects of the social life and evolution of Malta. But the thing which struck me most was how
ignorant I was in the subject I so love.

At one point I read a debate on the constitutional provision dealing with the declaration of the national
religious belief. For the purposes of this essay I am not interested with the outcome. What impressed
me was that only two people debated the subject and it was like they had a reservoir of knowledge to
aid them. The literature was beautiful and it was rich.

This bring me to the point of the lesson. Listening to parliamentarians today, which are by deduction our
chosen group of politicians to represent us, I find that they lack such knowledge to speak, yet they
prance about operating under the impression that they have enough knowledge on the issue to
formulate an opinion, which as any right-minded person will see, is completely false, and in the end it
makes them look like fools. The job of parliamentarians is to pass laws, amongst other matters, and on
this a phrase by Professor Mifsud Bonnici explains it all. He once said that parliamentarians are so
incompetent at what they do that “jaghmlu diarrhea ta’ ligijiet li ma jiswewx solt.”

Going down a step or two we find ourselves on the University Campus. Looking around and listening I
observe the production of a new breed of politicians, some more foolish than our current politicians.
They, as their inspirations, run around, showing off their higher-than-thou feathers, yet once plucked
there is nothing they can say or do which will save them.

Lesson Two – Mudslinging Game

There are few that by the age of seven do not know how Maltese politics operates, or rather global
politics. During the election period one starts to hear all manners of accusations from and to both sides
(however, as of recent times the 3 rd started to emerge quite strongly and steadily) of the political
spectrum.

It would seem that at present, where some of those whom we look up to in order to represent us in
parliament are suffering from such gross ignorance on a range of aspects of social life, mudslinging will
do. But I have news for you! A charm will only get you so far, mudslinging will only get you so far, for the
rest you need your brain. We are all familiar with the previous political situations, and how those who
presented themselves as the 2nd coming fell victim to their own plots.

To close I would like to give an example. Earlier this year I candidate for the University Senate Election. A
few days ago I discovered that they had a go at me. Apparently, “Dak [me] laburist… Tivvotalux!” My
response to this was a smirk, feeling disgusted but too proud to show I have been affected by the
allegation (not because I have anything against the supporters of that political view but because I did not
think that my way of life and thinking gave other that impression) I simply dismissed it.

However, as I sat in the sun thinking about it, instead of feeling anger for such a false and absurd
allegation, I simply asked why would someone pin you to be of a particular political ideal when the task
of the representative on the University Senate is to make sure the interests of the students are not
being jeopardized. The solution to the riddle I came up with, however, is not of any relevance to this
essay.

So my conclusion of this lesson is the Maltese proverb “hu hsieb it-travu li ghandek f’ghajnejk qabel tigi
tghidli bit-tibna li ghandi f’tieghi!”

Lesson Three – Manners for sale! Buy 2 get 3 free!

On this I do not have much to say. A particular scenario keeps looping in my mind whenever I think
about this. I think everyone remembers the comedy on a recent episode on Xarabank when the leader
of the Opposition Dr Muscat referred to our Prime Minister publicly as “Lawrenz” and “Giddieb!”. The
correct terminology is Dr Gonzi
That day I was getting ready to go for a walk but upon hearing what he was saying I could not get my
eyes of the television, and this is something big considering I absolutely detest the TV. I just sat there
laughing my hat off and asking myself what on earth he was thinking when he was depicting himself in
such a negative manner.

However, manners are not only tantamount to good appearances. Truthfulness is key to a relationship,
so when someone goes and publically states something he must make sure that he will perform! And
here I do not refer to the economic situation, because that was not foreseeable and therefore measures
had to be taken to cater for the situation at hand, and my hat goes off to the diligent work of our Prime
Minister in such a troubling global climate.

The conclusion to this is that even if thing are bad, you do not simply blow up. There are a set of criteria
which are non-negotiable and unsuspendable when conducting relationships with other human beings.
A point which I feel is key to safeguarding social stability in a country largely, though not officially
divided in two.

Lesson four – Greed is one of the 7 deadly sins

Erich Fromm once said that “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to
satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” This man knew exactly what he was saying. A
person who only looks at what he can gain gets exhausted and will not have enough energy in him for
the rest, for the people who actually elected him to represent them.

The greedy person is not alien to us. We sit with them, we speak with them, and in cases we sleep with
them. The greedy person tries to grab hold on more than he needs, often to the exclusion of others, and
so I see no reality in which the greedy can rule.

Greed is, I believe, the source of all the wrongdoings of man. Any person who is moved by greed and is
in turn allowed to make decisions where the public at large has an interest, by deduction the decision
will be flawed.

This simple explanation of Greed can be very easily translated into the actions of many of the politicians
of the Islands. I have personally seen examples of persons who, after entering into politics, managed to
buy a house for every season of the year at some of the most unlikely locations.

Without dragging the point further the emphasis I would like to make takes the form of an appeal; an
appeal to the present and future electorate. When someone promises you something, to be given that
thing it is being taken from someone else. So remember, if things go south, the something which was
previously taken from someone else may at some point in time be taken from you. What I am saying,
therefore, is that when one votes one must, before putting his interests first, put the interests of society
in general first.

Similarly, one should not vote for someone who suffers from a serious case of greed; today, perhaps,
you are the one who is benefitting from the greed of that person; tomorrow you might be the one
excluded.