Yes, I must admit that I am one of the few 26-year-olds in this country who form part of the circus arena we all call politics; a circus arena, in which the roles and duties of the various players and participants is well, pre-defined and unambiguous.
Being the youngest candidate contesting the European Parliament elections, to be held in June, is quite an experience. First and foremost, one learns that the majority of people in these islands do not care at all about ideologies. They have been buried quite some time ago; to be truthful, I doubt whether ideologies have ever existed at all in Maltese politics. What I notice is that most of the people I daily encounter during my door-to-door campaigning or professional activity, simply have no interest in what is taking place in this country or who will represent them in Brussels.
When asked whom they’re going to vote for, they respond in parrot fashion, that they will vote for a certain candidate because he or she is the person who is being pushed in the limelight by the party they have been voting for since they were placed in their mother’s womb, or else the candidate who best embodies the principles of the party who has awarded a contract or job to their son.
After further questioning, I notice that they are victims of a misunderstanding. Due to the constant bombardment in the media being put into place by some candidates and the numerous receptions held by these same candidates, most people invariably come to the conclusion that these are the same candidates which the party has chosen as the best suited for the job.
And this is the pitfall in which our young democracy has fallen into. I am a socialist at heart, and I am a firm believer that a pauper should be given, in every matter, the same opportunities as a prince. Therefore, this situation must be regulated and this farcical theatrical simply curtailed.
Why should a 26-year-old such as the undersigned stand for election, if his financial capabilities are extremely restricted? Is this the pinnacle of democracy? Should candidates be elected in terms of their bank account? Is this how democracy functions? By purchasing votes? And please, do not say crap about sponsors.
I am contesting because I am a socialist, a believer in the fact that Labourites will represent the electorate much better than the Nationalists do, and conscious that a Gozitan and moreover, a 26-year-old youth can contribute and do his job properly. Even though he cannot pay for a full-page advert in this newspaper and even though he has no secretary and he is personally writing this article at midnight, after a full day at the office, door-to-door campaigning and yes, even some football with friends.
Yes, I am down in the arena competing with a system in which law is simply not adhered to; a system which permits the current government not to publish its party accounts; a system which leads to blatant abuse; a system which does not reveal who are the contractors sustaining the finances of a party which has been in power for a quarter of a century, in other countries defined as a dictatorship; a system in which the media, rather than alimenting freedom and democracy, milk the candidates as if they were cows laden with money, in order to balance their accounts through a full-page advert.
I am, yes, down in the arena, but I do not want to form part of these theatrics. And this is where my role in the circus arena comes into play. Through youthful enthusiasm, staunch Gozitan determinism, and socialist principles at heart, my role is simply that of attempting to prove that, yes, even in the petty local political scene, there are still voters who vote after analysing, dissecting and using their minds.
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