Malta Progressive Dystopia

Over the years I have greeted every discussion of democracy with the same line:
I dont believe in democracy. Because its true, I dont. And I probably never
will. Democracy is plagued with a myriad of major problems: it oversimplifies
complex issues about governance and representation and then almost invariably
elects people into power who are good at winning elections but not much else;
trusting them to make complex decisions in fields they know next to nothing
about. What the world needs is calm, careful deliberation by people
knowledgeable in the issues at hand and what we get instead is a gaggle of
people skilled only in appearances and not much more. For these reasons and a
host of others I always maintain the position that were better off not voting
sending a clear signal that we do not consent to a system so utterly broken and
misguided.

But I have also always conceded that no two elections are the same. While a
vast majority of them are, for want of a better word, shams, occasionally we get
a few where one outcome carries with it the spectre of a terrible future. In recent
years, the international rise of the alt right has brought about a rapid-fire
succession of such cases: Trump, Brexit and Le Pen to name three from the
headlines of yesteryear. In all three of these cases, one choice was clearly
gravely worse than the rest. In such cases, the risk is too great. There is no
choice but to roll up our sleeves and get down in the muck to stop things from
getting worse than they already are. Despite all the reasons not to, one has to
go out and vote to prevent the prospective calamity from happening.

And now this phenomena has sprung up in our little island of Malta. Looking at
headlines from around the world, its clear that we are facing a national crisis
unlike anything weve had in the past. Not only does this more than aptly qualify
this election to be of forced participation for those who would rather not get
involved, but for believers in the democratic process this is a horrible slap in the
face.

Why is it a slap in the face? Democracy has long been touted as the process by
which a nation is meant to look at possible ways forward and select one. The
people want to be able to choose a future of equality, of representation, of
justice and of prosperity. They want to look at plausible roadmaps and decide on
the best course. But this time round thats not what theyre getting, and not
everyone is willing to admit that. The nation is in a crisis and needs to think in
terms of crisis-management. All arguments about quality of life are utterly moot
points when two major bases for all of it- the continuing good graces of our
neighbours and the soundness of our national institutions- are under dire threat.

The reality is that our country is on trial. Right now that trial begins and ends in
the court of international reputation but very soon it may continue in a literal
courtroom in Brussels. On June 3rd we cannot decide on our future. That choice
is out of our hands now. On June 3rd we decide how we plead: guilty or not guilty.
The uppermost people in our government have for the last four years been beset
by a barrage of scandals. One quickly following the other in such a flurry that
the memory strains to recall them all. Luckily, however, the internet has
compiled them, so feel free to expand your memory with the search bar.

The most recent and shocking of these has brought us under international
scrutiny. Not just scrutiny about whether the government is guilty of all the
crimes it has been accused of, but also something more than that. We, literally
we the people, are under scrutiny about how we react to corruption.

Corruption is part of our history. Soon we will decide if it is part of our culture.
So many of us, tired from headline after headline, acquiesce to its existence and
decide that if a crook wants to line his pockets, let him. We should be looking
only at the laws passed and how they affect us. If only life could be so simple,
right? Unfortunately corruption goes a bit further than that, which is why it is
viewed the world over as one of the cardinal sins of politics. With corruption
comes secrecy, corner-cutting and instability. It opens one up to blackmail at
best and is a symptom of treachery at worst. Corruption is like a rot which,
despite a shiny surface, festers inside and hollows out all the progress a country
makes.

What good is new infrastructure if cuts in maintenance mean they cant be

supported? What good is legislature guaranteeing equality when bribery at the
top ensures that the only equal anyone is getting is equally cheated? What good
is foreign investment if it doesnt end up in the pockets of the nation? What
good is free speech if its threat of transparency wont be tolerated? What good
is any law in a country where one cant be sure that the government is acting in
good faith? Is the government putting on a charade and going to turn a blind
eye to these laws being broken when its convenient for them? Laws are nothing
but words on paper. Whats actually done depends on whos meant to be doing
it, and if they cant be trusted what good are those words?

No, corruption is serious, and looking away from it wont solve it. We need to put
an end to it before it gets any worse. If the crimes so far perpetrated go
unanswered, the crimes of tomorrow become viler and more reckless. We will
not have the choice to stop them after they are done. We need to answer now
and answer firmly before tomorrow gets any worse.

Apart from the in-house threats we are facing our trustworthiness as a people is
also on the line. If we tell the world were ok with corruption then they are not
going to be ok with us. Will the next government be perfect? Definitely not. But
if they end up also getting caught in the middle of a toxic web of scandals of
such massive proportions and they too express such little concern about it then
they too should be removed. This isnt about which banner you stand under its
about our willingness to stand up for our crumbling institutions and say Enough
is enough. Its not about voting for someone but rather very specifically about
voting against something.
And maybe now you would repeat the old adage, What other people think of me
is none of my business. And this would be true of countries we dont interact
with. Alas, again, reality is more complicated. If international investors lose their
trust in us, away goes their business. If the EU loses trust in us, away go their
funds. And no matter how great our future tax plans are, that is a very, very
bleak future. This is before even mentioning the massive number of jobs which
will just leave to a securer country. Malta is not a tiny country in the sea no one
thinks about, not anymore. We have a lot of business with the world around us
and it doesnt just boil down to Maltese affairs and Foreign affairs. A lot of
business is Our business and in cases like these, what other people think of
you is very, very important.

The machinations of investigation are underway, both at home and abroad. On

June 4th whoevers sitting in government is our plea. One outcome is a plea of
guilty- a confession that this stream of scandals means nothing to us and we
accept this rampant corruption as part of who we are. Any other outcome is a
plea of not guilty a denial that we condone this behaviour and a clear sign that
this attitude comes from the few at the top, not the many at the bottom. Whom
we elect is unimportant. Whom we dont elect is everything. Keeping the rot out
of government is a sign to the whole world that we want to get better, to rectify
our name as a nation and keep our good standing among the nations of the
world.

Is this a fair situation? No it isnt. The ability to make a choice of policy has
been stolen away by the greedy few who have brought issues upon us so grave
that our choices at home are undermined on an international level. At this point
you should feel anger or even betrayal. Anger that weve been left so cornered
and betrayal if criminals have turned the party youve trusted for years into a
synonym for corruption. I have refrained throughout from using any proper
names to focus on the situation at hand, and in the voting booth you should be
thinking in those same terms. Dont read the names. Read the futures.