Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1016519
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 AUGUST 2018 Because it's the right thing to do Evarist Bartolo Michael Briguglio Evarist Bartolo is minister for education and employment Michael Briguglio is a local councillor (PN) and a candidate for the European elections IT is too early for anyone to give a clear scientific expla- nation of the reasons for the tragedy in Genoa earlier this week. The loss and destruc- tion was witnessed by all. In 2018, it is something we're simply not accustomed to in the western world. All we know is something went re- ally wrong. It is a tragedy which makes us stop to think. I do feel that as a country we should learn to reflect whenever something like this happens. Areas such as civil engineer- ing, aviation and the like are heavily regulated for a reason. The rules are there to protect. The same rules were borne out of experi- ence, and experience in this context often means that some time before things had gone wrong and lessons were learnt. It is easy to discard regula- tions as bureaucratic. Some might be bureaucratic, and some might also be needless- ly bureaucratic. But for the most part, regulations are important because they are there to protect the public. This is not just the case in civil projects, but throughout the construction industry. Similarly, regulations such as traffic law are there for own safety. We do live in a country where sometimes the any- thing-goes mentality super- sedes the common good. We've seen terrible driving, shoddy building and corner- cutting in our daily lives. We need to understand that this is not on. It is not acceptable. It might be something small, and we allow it turn us into passive viewers, but that is the part of the problem as well. Government might in- troduce new legislation and rules, but ultimately it is also a cultural thing. Enforcement plays an important part but unless we, as a society, are ready to do the right thing irrespective of whether we're supervised, we won't move forward and improve things. Our younger generation is certainly more aware of these things. In schools we're developing many different programmes that bring more awareness on the environ- ment, air quality and noise pollution. The introduction of ethics, and appreciating the responsibility we each have within our own com- munity, is also a positive step. But as a society we can do better. This is not just about not constructing a bridge properly or maintaining it as one should; it is a matter of culture and attitude – it's about dangerous driving, leaving litter after a BBQ or even something as simple as leaving rubbish bags outside one's home for an unreason- able amount of time, result- ing in involuntarily litter. It starts from the little things, and it goes on to more seri- ous ones. I don't believe that such major shortcomings are lim- ited to a particular country or culture – we've seen what happened at Grenfell Tower in London and more recent- ly, in Bangladesh with young people protesting dangerous driving – but it is something we can all change and im- prove. The regulations might be annoying, and sometimes complicated, but they exist for a reason. You shouldn't wear your seat-belt because the law says so, but because it's the right thing to do and that need was learnt after countless people died for a lack of one. Building safe structures, taking care of the environ- ment, not littering, respect- ing your neighbours by avoiding noise pollution, driving safely and many other things should be done not because the law says so, but because we're decent human beings. Some of them might be more serious than others, but they're all made of out the same fabric. It's called irresponsibility. We can do all do better. The social exclusion of children THE current news cycle is focusing on some negative experiences faced by politi- cians' children. As is the case with almost everything else in Maltese politics, the issue is being interpreted through and 'us' and 'them' approach. Only that this time around, the binary is not divided between reds and blues. Being a politician dad my- self, I sympathize with other politician parents who may have experienced such un- fortunate practices. It is only fair and just that children should be treated for what they are rather than being socially excluded because of their background. I would never justify behaviour which excludes children because their parents happen to be in politics, just as I would never justify having children excluded because of their parents' skin colour, beliefs or other sources of identity. At the same time, we should verify whether it is beneficial to raise kids' profiles to me- dia superstar status. Here I am not just referrring to poli- ticians' children, but also to kids who hit the headlines of top TV shows, pop festivals, and the like. And by verifica- tion I am referring to proper, evidence-based, social scien- tific analysis. In the meantime, the form of social exclusion which made to the current Mal- tese news cycle is bullying, and the Commissioner for Children made it clear that this can never be justified. I know the Commissioner, Pauline Miceli, to be a level- headed decent person, and if anything, her statement only confirms the opinion I have about her. We must also keep in mind that there are other forms of social exclusion which many children are experiencing. Unfortunately, the voices of such children are quite invis- ible from the public sphere. These include children who require the services of Learning Support Assistants but for whom state resources seem to be lacking; children who are excluded from pub- lic activities because of their disability; children who are deprived from public spaces where they can play safely; children of cultural minori- ties who don't seem to 'fit in' and children whose parents' income prohibits them from enjoying the most basic forms of social inclusion. We can also mention chil- dren who are on long wait- ing lists for certain public health services and babies who are prohibited from be- ing breastfed due to a lack of friendly environment at the work place. Finally, we can also refer to the mind-view that treats children as incomplete hu- man beings, as blank sheets of paper waiting to be filled in. True, children need to be educated about the rights, re- sponsibilities, values, norms and skills required in society. But children are also creative, imaginative human beings whose voices should be heard. Commendable activities such as children's parliament should be main- streamed and children should be consulted more on what they would like to see at school, in public spaces and in society in general. We do live in a country where sometimes the anything-goes mentality supersedes the common good. We've seen terrible driving, shoddy building and corner- cutting in our daily lives