|
The year coming to an end has been highly charged politically. It has been characterised by the feeling of a changing political landscape in the air. A newly appointed Prime Minister and a newly elected leader of the Nationalist party, and a newly nominated President were the noteworthy landmark changes. All took place within the shortest of periods and not without controversy.
The results of the European elections constituted a political earthquake with the Green Party acquiring 23,000 votes at the expense of the PN. If this trend is reconfirmed at the next general election the growing popular scepticism being shown towards the two dominant political parties could pave the way for a new political climate in a political world hitherto dominated by the two party system.
With an ever increasing number of floating voters, the political atmosphere has certainly become more discerning with citizens being more prone to probe their own political party and less likely to accept the party line at face value.
If this state of mind permeates throughout the coming year we may be on the threshold of a new political era where issues and not political parties dominate the political agenda. Both political parties need to do much soul-searching about their proper roles, their exaggerated focus on their commercial operations and their being perceived to be out of touch with reality and peoples’ aspirations.
The year saw an explosion in illegal immigration from the Libyan and Tunisian coasts destined to be the burning issue in the coming year where the ugly face of intolerance is beginning to surface. It also saw a government in continuous battle to control an ever-increasing national debt as it tries to meet the criterion for our legal tender to be accepted in the euro currency regime.
Many new laws were promulgated amongst fierce controversy, including the introduction of the smoking ban and the eco-tax regime.
Most of all the year was characterised by a country and a people trying to come to terms with a new reality.
The EU, so eulogised as a panacea for the country’s problems and difficulties, is increasingly being seen in a bad light as a result of mismanagement of people’s expectations by government.
The promised new spring may turn out to be a winter of discontent unless bridges are built fast by government with a nervous trade union movement and a sense of disappointment generally being felt in the country. To many these are merely birth pains, symptoms of a government taking the necessary hard decisions. This euro-scepticism may easily be overcome if the benefits of Europe start being felt in earnest. Whatever the situation, it is in the national interest that the feeling of mutual trust between the government unions and constituted bodies is nurtured. The country’s very survival depends on the building of this trust on solid foundations. Industrial peace is a prerequisite to economic growth.
There are many lessons to be learnt from the year’s events. Firstly, the country must be governed by a culture favouring consensus.
It is ever more evident that all the social partners including the GWU, UHM, GRTU and the FOI need to be consulted and to feel they are participants in the major decisions being taken. Achieving an agreement on a social pact is a necessity and a sine qua non for progress in the country that seriously risks experiencing lower standards of living due to the lack of competitive strength.
The failure by Lawrence Gonzi to reach agreement prior to the budget left a feeling that people are being let down by a political class and constituted bodies that are not being led by persons with sufficient vision and sense of leadership.
The workings of the MCESD need to be institutionalised as the authority that brings about social harmony serving as a spring board to having a stronger economy. Most especially the MCESD must overcome the protection of narrow self-interest at the expense of the national interest. It exists to bring about economic renewal in a background of social harmony.
The election of Dr Gonzi as Prime Minister and leader of the party in government must, as promised, result in a new way of doing politics. The people were happy to hear this early commitment coming from the newly appointed prime minister but still await concrete and tangible results. New politics was perceived to bring about a defusing of the stifling political atmosphere and the reform of national institutions to create entities that will be at the service of the people and not for the political parties. The domination of the two large parties and their reluctance to push for electoral reforms also skews with the promised new way of doing politics.
|
