Why Voting PN is Good for the Environment

 As we are approach the general election on March 26th, we are faced with two choices that will determine how our country will be governed for the next 5 years. We are either stuck with more of the same with Robert Abela as prime minister, or get the true change that our country needs with Dr. Bernard Grech at the helm of our government. The current brand of Labour politics has been far from innovative, stultified in the past, both in the way that it perceives our relationship as a country with the EU and the rest of  the world, and also  the way that our country is governed in general. The truly progressive party in Malta is the PN, with a track record that speaks for itself, and a electoral program that really caters for our country's needs. Amongst the many progressive pledges, one will find that there is a lot about repairing the environment in the PN's program, which also includes our international obligations with regards global warming.  

A good quality of life is what every government needs to cater for, and it is reasonable to argue that the present government has a horrible record on this regard. The PL government has spent the last 9 years in a construction frenzy, senseless planning, and an unprecedented greed for land and money. The mantra is that whatever makes money is acceptable, which has brought our country to a situation in which it is overcrowded due to imported cheap labour, dirty, and with limited open spaces to enjoy. Although the prime minister promised more open spaces in this campaign, the government's track record is there for all of us to see. On the other hand the PN is serious about making our environment one that people could enjoy. Open spaces are a must in a country that is as densely populated as is ours. With this in mind, the PN is pledging an increase of 50,000 square meters of ODZ land. It is important to create urban open spaces. However, it is wrong to come up with a plan that solely creates man made open spaces, without ensuring the existence of our natural environment as PL does. Moreover, every attempt by the PL government to create open spaces has led to more concrete and bland spaces, as is the main square in Paola among many others. On the other hand ODZ under a PN government is better protected, as what is being pledged is that there is a  need of two thirds of parliament for the development of ODZ land. The involvement of civil society on decisions having to do with the environment is also included in the PNs program, which is a step towards democratizing our environment.    

Reaching a target 80% of our country's carbon emission target by 2030 is another ambitious but needed target that a PN government will achieve. This is a pledge by a prospective PN government that will decrease the number of respiratory diseases, as well as contribute towards the fight against global warming. The PN are committed to reach targets not only for our country, but also for the entire planet. The EU made a commitment under the Paris agreement to the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Climate change to reduce carbon emissions by 55%, the PN is committed to this, because unlike PL their politics is about Malta in a wider world.       

Of Thugs and politics

The word democracy is being used a lot during a time wherein decisions need to be taken about the future of the PN. There are those who on the social media define democracy in ways that are worry, and act in ways that is definitely the antithesis of how a truly functioning democracy should be. The definition of democracy by those who vehemently support Adrian Delia is that once a leader is chosen he has to remain at the helm whatever happens. This is no democracy. They fail to realise that a true democracy is an ongoing process, and that if a leader fails to deliver, or his leadership is put to question by a reasonable number of activists, a new ballot is required.

It has been more about thuggish behaviour, crass language on the social media, and no substance at all, than a true debate on how we wish to see our party today and in the future. This opportunity to renew our party has become a platform for thugs to show how thuggish they are, and the myopic to manifest a trait that only brings stultification, and no good to our party and even less to our country. What politicians say about being close to the people has become chaos at its worst. It has become an excuse for party members who support the current leader to attack on Facebook all those who refuse to adopt a myopic attitude, and who are more inclined towards being constructive. Facebook is being used by Delia supporters to attack the activists, MPs and MEPs of our party. They are acting as their judge and executioner, and when all this happens no one in the current leadership bats an eyelid. This is the situation that our party is in. And, whatever the result is this Saturday, things will have to change if any progress is to be made to our party, and its prospect of becoming a stronger opposition is possible.

We cannot have thugs lurking in front of Dar Centrali, threatening journalists, and activists who do not share their unquestioned loyalty to the current leader. Under Delia's leadership, our party has become unrecognisable to what it was under past leaders, and not in a positive manner. The New Way is as negative as we could get. Adrian Delia hasn't brought progress to the PN. He has transformed our party into one in which MPs are followed and spied upon by his closest aids, threatened and ridiculed on private Facebook pages, and humiliated by a mob. He has created an environment in which activists are being called all sort of disparaging adjectives by some of those who have been part of his entourage ever since he decided to contest the leadership election in 2017. A look outside Dar Centrali bears witness to this

This comes with no surprise, when considering that Delia's rhetoric during the leadership election could be defined as nothing other than rabble rousing. When he became leader, his approach did soften to some extent. Yet, those who he holds close to him, his henchmen (so-to-say) still share the kind of bullish attitude that attracted them to him in the first place. His inaction has made the mob stronger, transforming our party from one wherein thoughtful debate happens freely, into one in which mob rule is rife. The idea of being close to the people and opening the doors of the Dar Centrali has become an excuse for mob behaviour. Moreover, the voice of the mob is given priority over that of the elected MPs, who represent not only the party members and activists, but all those who have voted for them beyond the party affiliations. The party is being held hostage by the mob, and their leader is no other person than Adrian Delia. For that reason alone Delia has to go.

Politicians are there to lead. It isn't the mob that leads, but politicians who look into their needs and come up with solutions. Being close to the people doesn't mean that everything they say or do is acceptable, or that politician should take their solutions as the solution to the problem. Politicians are there to find solutions to the problems, and to do so they need to understand what the problem is by being close to the people. Allowing the people to come up with solutions for the party, while rubbishing politicians in the process by calling them the establishment that should be thrown out was the worst thing to do during the leadership election. Delia sought simplistic solutions for complicated problems. This is so typical of the populist movements we are seeing today. The establishment includes the free press who were attacked by thugs in front of Dar Centrali.

    



  

Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese Society, and Partisan Politics

 Journalism is one of the most important pillars of our democracy, there is no denying it, as journalism is what guarantees that those who are supposed to live up to our democracy - those who are in power as are politician and influential individuals of  our society - are held accountable for their actions. Politicians should accept and also respect that journalists are going to be critical of them when there is the need to do so, and that it is their (the politicians') responsibility to prove to the journalists that they are wrong about what they are saying about them. And, if politicians are unable to defend themselves against what is being said about them, about their honesty and integrity, then they ought to resign from their respective positions. There should be no doubt allowed about the integrity of  politicians by those whose country it is their duty govern, nor should there be doubt on the integrity of those who are on the opposition benches in a liberal democracy, as doubt is what will subsequently bring a lack of trust of the political classes, which will not happen without repercussions to that same liberal democracy. Moreover, it also boils down to an issue of competence: imagine how competent politicians are at living up to the interests of their country and society, if they are unable to live up to their own interest in portraying their true selves as honest persons  (i.e. if what is being said about them is not true). And, it goes without saying that people who lack honesty and integrity should not even be trusted on more trivial matters, never mind politics. Daphne Caruana Galizia had written in her blog allegations that are more than unflattering towards some politicians, corroborated by documents, that albeit inconclusive if some want to make them so, make the position of certain politicians untenable. The untenable nature of their positions still stands today even that Caruana Galizia is dead, and even if these politicians decide to withdraw their libel cases against her, possibly to cover up their own alleged wrongdoings. From allegations of brothels to money laundering to failed promises of credible audits, accountability runs very low in our country,  too low for us to consider ourselves as a normal EU country. For this reason, one trusts that  Daphne Caruana Galizia's family will continue to seek answers, by being exigent that all the libel cases by politicians on her are brought in front of the court as planned. They have already done so with a minister, and for we should all be grateful to them for that, as they continue the fight that Daphne Caruana Galizia had started.  


 Malta is a hostile country to independent and investigative journalism, and also to journalism that requires some kind of thinking or discernment, as people are more inclined to being impressed by what they hold at face value. For this reason, some kinds of radio programmes go down pretty well with the general public, especially if these are of a partisan nature, and require no discernment at all, as opinions are fed to them ready cooked in the form of what one may define as propaganda. Unfortunately, certain kinds of blogs or newspapers (including foreign newspapers) that require more thought and discernment are only read by the very few, and there are some who would read them, because of the allegations they make against the foe of the party that they support. These blogs and newspapers are read by some when they are endorsed by the politicians who they support, and are attacked if they are attacked by those same politicians, or others who they have come to support. It is easier for people to listen to a one sided attack on the party, politician, or journalist they disagree with and come to hate, than to adopt an attitude of true analysis of a situation. And, moreover, we are a country that is happy with sermons and dogmatic speeches on the radio stations, and frown upon free thought or speech, especially when this goes against our parochial and partisan attitudes. People adore politicians, as if they were statues in our parish churches - demigods of an infallible sort, who ought not be questioned, as it would sinful to do so. The same attitudes of scantily dress young women on the shoulders of men of a macho disposition in parish feasts, is seen in mass meetings of our political parties, as these consider politics as if what matters are the piques that lie deep in our culture. With this kind of attitude, and with an inability of some form of discernment, what we get is an attitude that says that the only important aspect to politics is to win, over and above what is best for our country and for the future generations, as it is good to celebrate in the way they do in their parish feasts, and the more satisfactory to spite one's own adversary. Our choice of a leader is based on whether our party will win or loose under his/her leadership, not on the principles that should guide our choices for a common good.

Some people find Caruana Galizia's pictures taken of random individuals at mass meetings or elsewhere, and her comments on the way that they were dressed and/or even behaved as unacceptable. Those who are critical, especially those on the left of our political spectrum, believe that this kind of journalism is prejudiced and brings class hatred into the equation. I am sure that that wasn't the intention of Caruana Galizia. Albeit there might be some truth in their criticism that it isn't right to invade one's own privacy, I can also see a failure on their part to understand what stood behind those pictures i.e. a critique of and against the parochial attitude ingrained in our culture - the macho culture of some men, and the submissiveness of certain kinds of women. She never limited her critique to class, as one may see from her commentary and photos of ministers, members of the opposition party, as well as businessmen/women. Caruana Galizia was critical of the same aspects in society that her own critics were also being critical of. The difference was in the way she did it.

We may see how some politicians do thrive on the attitudes that Caruana Galizia used to hate. The problem is that that kind of attitude is widespread and dominant in our culture, and that it is difficult for any journalist to promote a kind of position in society that goes against this ingrained culture. During the past decades, Caruana Galizia's blog was perceived as if it were a beckon of truth by people who supported the P.N, and was seen as the opposite by those who supported the P.L. Some of those in the P.L who were against what Caruana Galizia spewed hatred against her, calling her a witch, threatened her, and used all kinds of violent adjectives to describe her. Then came the leadership election of the P.N., and some in the party stopped supporting what Caruana Galizia had to say before the general election, and blamed her for the P.N.'s drubbing in the 3rd June general election. Rightly or wrongly, she was  critical of Adrian Delia who then became party and opposition leader after winning the leadership election. At that point we began to witness the same kind of violent attacks on the social media by the supporters of Delia. The attacks were no different to the venom that spewed out of those on the other side of fence, it was the same kind of venom by different people belonging to the same culture of parochial ignorance.
 


         

Who is harming the P.N.?

Sometimes I expect too much from people. Then I am befuddled by what they say, and I think to myself - and sometimes think so aloud on the social media - that there are people who are just unable to grasp things as they stand. We can all see  - i.e. if we are not too  myopic to do so - that there are a significant number of people who are just not convinced by Adrian Delia's leadership. This is a fact that cannot be denied, and whoever does deny this fact, or tries to give an impression that this is not the case by stating that there has been 600 new members in the P.N. are living in a parallel universe that few people know of. We need to face the facts, even if they hurt, or are so unpalatable for us that we manifest our denial and anger with an indignation that sounds more like a tantrum than anything close to somber or constructive reasoning.

In no way am I suggesting that because of this haemorrhage Delia must go. It goes without saying that it is only fair to give the man a chance to prove himself. My point is that there are people who support Delia who are harming him unknowingly - and the party also - and who are so blindly livid, or possessed by a paranoia of an acute kind that they are unable to understand that what they are doing or saying is what is leading to what they themselves are dreading. I will state fairly and squarely that telling people to join the P.L., because they do not support Delia is stupid to say the least. Don't these people realize that if doubters leave the P.N. altogether, there is little chance of any kind of inroads in the next electoral challenge in less than to two years time? Don't they realize that intelligent people do not follow leaders at all cost, and that honourable people are those who are true to themselves? It seems that they are unable or unwilling to reason that way, and for that reason, I am able to state with a degree of certainty that their attitude is what will be the downfall of the P.N., not those who are critical, and who are entitled to be so. You do not tell an intelligent person to shut up, without repercussions.

My advice to Adrian Delia is that he should attempt to calm people down, by telling his own supporters - obviously by persuading them about the harm they are inflicting to his leadership and the party - to stop kinds of comments such as: "you are negative for discussing the idea of a free vote in parliament" or worse still: "you are annoying a lot Nationalists, because you are giving an opinion". People are entitled to an opinion, and a debate on issues of different kinds should transcend the walls of the Dar Centrali. If you want to bring politics to the people, the worst thing you can do is to treat the leader of a party as some kind of titular statue in a village festa, or attempt to shut people up, or worse still, expect everyone's brain activity to be so backwards that the only contribution that they could give to a political debate is: "Delia!!! Delia!!" That's not what the P.N. need. The P.N. should be in the kazini, the grocer etc., but must also be a party that accepts constructive criticism by people who support it. The P.N. should not be a monastery, wherein things are done behind closed doors. The P.N. should be a party that embraces criticism, and is so close to the people that doubters are contacted, and given a voice in within the party. I will advise Delia that it is easy to be liked by some people, because notwithstanding the fact that you are the leader, you seem to be one of us or them - depending on how you see it - by making coffees in kazini, and playing table tennis, or billiards with students. However, you might also need to address the more difficult task of speaking to those who are less easily persuaded about your qualities.


        

   

Robert Arrigo for Deputy Leader

Robert Arrigo has been working for the good of the P.N. for a long time, even during times when things weren't that good for the party and for himself. If politics is to described as a service to the people, then Robert is one who has definitely excelled in that. His way of looking at politics has always been that of being close to the people. And, knowing what the needs of people are, is of utmost importance in politics, as there is nothing in life that is more important than one's own well being in society. As a party for the people, of the people, I believe that Robert really epitomizing what our party stands for.

His view of politics is that we need to understand people, empathize with their needs. Visiting people in their homes is a must in politics, as it gives a politician an idea of what people go through in their daily lives. A politician who is capable of doing this, is even more capable of bringing people together in a political party. This is very much need at this point in time for the P.N., after a leadership election which was intense to say the least. And, I am sure that Robert fits the bill in bring people together. 

To bring people back together, what is needed is someone who is capable of communicating with others, as Robert is surely capable of doing, as one could see from his popularity in the 9th and 10th district. And, I believe that having him as Deputy Leader on party affairs is what the P.N. need at this point in time to bring togetherness back to the party. 

Moreover, Roberts organizational experience, as we can all see in his past business experience and his position as Sliema mayor, will come handy for the P.N. to restructure itself further. A lot of good work has been done during these past 4 years, especially in the party's finances, and it is  important that we have people who could continue to enforce the good work that has already been done.   

    

On honesty and democracy: the P.N. leadership election result

I consider honesty and integrity as important in politics, as it should be in everything we do. However, there is another aspect to politics which we should all cherish, and work for, which is democracy. One of the reasons that I did not want Adrian Delia as leader of the P.N. was because of the allegations that were being said about him. Allegations are allegation, as there is no proof to say whether they are true or false. However, allegations are also a liability to any politician, and Delia is no different in this regard. And, it is for this reason that I have always held that he should clear his name, as not to embarrass the party. My opinion has not charged in this regard since then. I still believe in the necessity of transparency.

On the other hand, I believe that democracy is as important as ethics in politics. Democracy guarantees that the will of the people is respected. Democracy also ensures that minorities are not sidelined by the majority. And, this is even more the case when considering that nearly half of the voters in the election for leader last Saturday voted for Chris Said not for Adrian Delia. This obviously means that Delia, as the new leader of the P.N., needs to ensure that he brings back to the fold those who did not vote for him, and who went as far as to tear up their membership of the party. This is the first test for Delia as the P.N. leader. There are two of things he needs to do to bring back these people to the fold, and if he doesn't  do so, he would definitely fail to bring the party back to its feet again. The P.N. needs to unite behind the leader, if it is to become strong again, and the leader should do what he could to bring everyone on board.

The first thing that Delia needs to do is to persuade each and every member of the party that he knows of who has shown disappointment by tearing his/her membership, by speaking to them individually. He needs to win their trust. He can only do this by proving to them, beyond all doubt, that all that has been said about him is untrue, without seeming too offended or defensive when doing so. The second thing to do is to explain more clearly that he is not an anti-establishment politician of the kind as Donald Trump, and that he is prepared to work with everyone, even those who have been very much against him during the campaign. If Delia manages to do this, then I believe that he stands a good chance to unite the party. I am sure that most of those people who have torn their membership will eventually warm up to him to the benefit of the P.N., and even the country that needs a strong opposition.

On the other hand, it is important that we all accept the choice of the majority. This is done by considering it as a clean slate for Delia, and allowing him to prove that he can really bring the P.N. forward. It is way too early to judge what kind of leader Delia is going to be, and it is important that we all give him a fair chance to prove himself. I am prepared to do so. Are you?
   

Simon Busuttil, the P.N. leadership election, and honest politics

Honesty in politics, and in all walks of life, is the most important thing to have. This is why I respect Simon Busuttil for what he stands for, and what he stood for as P.N. leader. As Leader of the Opposition, Busuttil fought for and spoke tirelessly about good governance in politics, and made this central to the P.N.'s electoral campaign, and during his four years at the helm of the party. Some people say that he focused too much on good governance, but said too little of other things people want to hear about, such as the economy, or daily problems. My take on this is that Busuttil understood that good governance is what ought to be the foundation of a government that could bring sustainable progress to our country, and daily needs are conditioned by sustainability. It is fallacious to believe that the positive economic wave that our country is riding upon at this point in time is sustainable without the good governance to go with it. Thus, the idea of some that they do not care if people in the present government take what isn't there's, as long as the rest of society is better off, is shortsighted and will come to bite them in the future. Corruption will ultimately catch up on us and them with devastating consequences to the economy, and to our way of life, including our daily needs. This is why fighting corruption was central to Busuttil's leadership of the P.N.

Some people say that the P.N. was being run by the blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, and that her accusations were unsubstantiated. On this, there may be the relevant point that relying on what the independent press comes up with is not the right way forward for any political party; that the P.N. need to be self sufficient However, in most if not all democratic countries, what journalists discover and publish is taken seriously, and there have been politicians who were forced to resign, because of what journalists said about them. On the other hand, I will argue that the P.N. might need to invest more on it's own investigative journalism, while taking into account what independent journalists say about the situation in our country and abroad. What was said about the Muscat government before the last general election by Caruana Galizia raised questions that couldn't be ignored by Busuttil leadership, and he did right to raise the alarm. The prime minister, Joseph Muscat, was unable to come up with a credible explanation on the Panama papers, and the P.N. did the right thing to ask for his resignation, together with that of Minister Konrad Minister, and his (Muscat's) Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri. For a politicians who believes in good governance as is Busuttil, such accusations made the position of all three untenable.

People were called to the streets by the P.N., and a lot of activists and supporters flocked in their droves. They believed what Caruana Galizia said, or rather I used to believe that they did believe what Caruana Galizia said, and were in it because, as did Busuttil. they believed in clean and honest politics. My experience of many P.N. activists was that they were constantly looking forward to the next story that could damage the P.L., and it's leadership in the Caruana Galizia blog. I was one of those who was there, and who supported the P.N, in its fight against corruption, and in support of good governance. I took part in the protest, because I believed and still do that full disclosure and transparency should be central to politics. I did not do it to damage the government, or to propel the P.N. into government at all costs. Could this be said of some people who were present at the protest? My answer to this is "No!!". Some were just interested in scoring points against the P.L., not to bring a better future for our country.

To some extent, I could understand that some people consider politics as if it were a football match, and that they consider winning at all costs as the most important thing. However, having politicians in the P.N. reasoning in that way beggars belief. They should rise up above the populism of the crowd. I remember Clyde Puli, Jean Pierre Debono, and others who now support Adrian Delia's candidature for leader, agreeing with Caruana Galizia, and publicly stating that the prime minister should shoulder his responsibility for not firing Minister Mizzi and Chief of Staff, Schembri, and resign. They expected full disclosure from those in power. I thought that they genuinely believed that full disclosure is the most important thing to do in politics, and I was fooled at the time about their intentions being noble. Nowadays, I doubt whether their true motive was that of fighting for full disclosure. I am more inclined to believe that they adopted a position, because it was in their best interest to do so i.e. for their political career. If they really do believe in transparency and full disclosure, I cannot fathom how they do not have a problem with the fact that the candidate that they are supporting is being accused of the same things, by the same blogger, as were Mizzi and Schembri. Delia refuses to clarify his position about his business interests, and raises doubts because of it, which will harm the P.N.'s long term future i.e. if he becomes leader. Delia was so unconvincing and hazy about his business dealings, when he was summoned to the ethics board, formed by the Administrative Council, that he was asked to withdraw his candidature by that same Administrative Council.

 Busuttil, who has always been consistent and true to his word, said that if he were in Delia's position he would have withdrawn his candidature. In my opinion, Busuttil did the right thing to respect the party structures, and expect that others do the same. On the other hand, Delia was defiant. And those M.P.s I have mention above who support him, welcomed his decision to go against the interests of the party, by defying the verdict given by the Administrative Council. One must not forget that the decision was taken because of what came out from the ethics board, which was the right thing for the Administrative Council to do. Delia's people always use the word establishment to justify their claim against things being done properly. They suggest that the establishment is working against Delia's candidature, which is nothing but a load of baloney. However, in reality, who could be more part of the party establishment than a former parliamentary secretary, and a Deputy Secretary General who have been there since the time of Lawrence Gonzi? If anything the man who is truly not part of the establishment is the outgoing leadership of Simon Busuttil.

If the P.N. is in any way going to continue the fight against corruption, we need someone whose integrity is not in doubt, and who doesn't need to be constantly defending himself when he is supposed to be bringing the party forward. The only candidate who fits that description is Chris Said.