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OPINION 22 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 SEPTEMBER 2018 Peter Agius Why I said 'Yes' to Adrian By doing nothing we can only watch the world go by TO me the Nationalist Party is a good friend, a friend going through stressful times. When a friend needs help you do not calculate the best timing to intervene, you do not work out scenarios. You just help. This is not a balanced friend- ship. Although I have done little for the PN, the PN has done a lot for me. When PN was in government, I called no politi- cian by first name and was not involved in any politics at all, and yet the politics of the PN were quietly shaping a future for our generation and for those coming after us. PN govern- ments opened the difficult road to EU membership, created a solid social ladder and laid down the red carpet for the Maltese economy to flourish today. To many of you reading out there, the PN may not be your friend any longer. True, for a while we made it our trade to make enemies out of our friends. True, for a while the PN was over confident and inward looking and kept its politics to its big heads. Ironically it is now that we are shedding these deficiencies of the past that we appear at our weakest. But are we really that weak? To me the strength of a party lies in its ability to represent the most important cause of the people at a given time coupled with the ability to open itself to people of all backgrounds to contribute and share in the bat- tle for that cause. Is the PN representing the most important cause of the Maltese people today? Let us first define the cause. Our quality of life depends essen- tially on three main elements, income, quality time and a healthy environment. 2018 Malta is supposedly giving us plenty of income, even though it is becoming harder and harder to make that suffice in view of rising accommodation and utility prices. We're spending 52 hours stuck in traffic every year. Our hospitals, our airport, our government services all speak of a badly handled mismatch of our resources compared to our ambitions. 2018 Malta is certainly not promoting any healthier en- vironment as we are seeing a virtual collapse of environmen- tal safeguards be it at sea (read slime), air (read highest rates of particulate matter and asthma) or land. The PN's present battlecry of #socjetalijimpurtaha highlights the need for a longer-term strategic management of our challenges and resources and a human approach to our prob- lems, looking at people in their face not seeing them as useful or less useful numbers. PN is indeed representing the most important cause for the Maltese people at present. Is the PN mustering enough support to be able to translate its vision of change into reality? Certainly not enough. But what kind of citizens, fathers, mothers and friends can we pretend to be if seeing such dire need we take a step back? I am certainly not in for an abstention in the battle for the future of my kids in my home- land. This is why I said yes to Adrian. For even though he is not the best thing after the Mes- siah, he is to me a man with the clear intent of taking the PN to the next level of Maltese politics – adressing local concerns with local solutions, conceived directly with the people on the ground. It is for this reason that I decid- ed to do my little part and offer my candidature for the Europe- an elections with the Nationalist Party. Over the next months I shall be working with all those of good will within PN and beyond, to bring out the neglected voices and propose solutions to their concerns and put them in mo- tion already next year. I shall be putting my experi- ence of 16 years working on negotiations in the European Council and the European Par- liament for the benefit of my people in the knowledge that even though the Nationalist Party is in Opposition in Malta, we can lead with solutions for the Maltese people in Europe. TEN days ago, former Ameri- can President Barack Obama delivered a speech that was described as "fiery". Although it was primarily addressed to young American voters, its relevance to democ- racy is worldwide – "the point that is essential to democracy, is that in a government of and by the people and for the people, there should be no permanent ruling class. There are only citizens, who through their elected and temporary representatives, determine our course and determine our character". He spoke about progress, in America and beyond. He clearly stated that "Progress doesn't just move in a straight line". It isn't always easy and sometimes we tend to take one step back for every two steps forward. He stressed on the ideals that we are all created equal and that these "ideals say that every child should have opportunity and every man and woman who's willing to work hard, should be able to find a job and support a family". He also said that no party has always been right and the other party always wrong and a coun- try moves forward with the contribution given by different political forces. We have a collective respon- sibility to move forward and we cannot be fearful of change. Some believe in maintaining the status quo and often this a result of those who "want to keep us divided and keep us angry and cynical to keep their power and keep their privilege". There are many challenges that we have to face. In a healthy democracy, we can- not accept conditions that promote racial and ethnic and religious division. In his appeal for young voters to go to vote, Barack Obama says "when we don't vote, when we take our basic rights and freedoms for granted, when we turn away and stop paying attention and stop engaging and stop believ- ing and look for the newest diversion, then other voices fill the void". This appeal is not restrictive to American voters, it is a genu- ine plea to the peoples of the world and it particularly applies to the whole of the European Union, including us Maltese. This is not just a matter of one party against the other. Whenever we entertain this kind of politics, whenever we follow partisan principles as against political principles, we infect the political system. In many countries, over the last few years, we have allowed the politics of division and resent- ment take over from politics for the common good. Former US President Obama admitted that "sometimes I get into arguments with progres- sive friends about what the current political movement re- quires. They are well-meaning folks passionate about social justice who think things have gotten so bad, the lines have been so starkly drawn, that we have to fight fire with fire". This is not so and Barack Obama says that this erodes civic institutions and civic trust and disagrees because it "always works better for those who don't believe in the power of collective action". "Better is always worth fighting for." "Through the testing of ideas and the application of reason of evidence and proof, we could sort out our differences and find a basis for common ground" said Obama in his landmark speech. We must continue to move forward. By doing nothing we can only watch the world go by. What we need is decent, hon- est, hard-working people who are accountable and have the country's best interests at heart. Evarist Bartolo Evarist Bartolo is minister for education and employment Peter Agius is prospective PN candidate for MEP and former head of the EP office in Malta kellimni@peteragius.eu What kind of citizens, fathers, mothers and friends can we pretend to be if seeing such dire need we take a step back?

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