Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1115758
OPINION 30 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 Michael Briguglio Michael Briguglio is a sociologist and a PN candidate for the European Elections THE European Parliament is the institution which directly represents European Union citizens, who elect its members. It is easy to forget that this is the main point of these elections, amid the noise of this long campaign. It is only when all the people living in the EU are truly heard that the European Parliament serves its purpose. As an MEP candidate I pledge I will do my utmost, as I have been doing for the past 25 years, to listen to all the people in our communities: young people, adults and pensioners, people of different genders and sexualities, people of all social classes and backgrounds, workers, the unemployed, those with precarious jobs, those experiencing poverty, illness, loneliness and other challenges. I promise to base my work as an MEP on the evidence I gather on the ground. As a sociologist and activist I am fully equipped to carry out this task. I pledge to fight the real issues – to fight for clean air and sea, for green, open spaces, for climate justice, for the protection of our endangered biodiversity and ecosystems, to secure our children's future, for social jus- tice, for workers' rights and sustain- ability, for the dignity of the poorest and weakest in our communities, for the safety of those who seek protec- tion and find themselves in danger. I pledge to be the voice of those who wish to fulfil their aspirations and who wish to see a truly meritocratic society beyond tribal pettiness. I pledge to strive so that our particular challenges as a small island state are understood and recognised in the EU, while ensuring Malta becomes a Euro- pean voice for small islands around the world. I can only do this by staying active both in Malta, constantly communicat- ing with all the people in our communi- ties, and in Brussels, where I will voice your concerns, making sure they are taken into account in the law-making process. I can only do this if I remain, as I have always been, free from behind- the-scenes donors. The European Parliament is an insti- tution built on dialogue and compro- mise, on the understanding that we need to listen to other people's views with openness and respect, thoughtfully building on what we have in common. For this reason, I promise to be the candidate for people who reflect and respect others. The European Union might some- times seem to be a bureaucratic maze, full of flaws. However, ultimately the European Union is a force for good in the world and in our lives, something we Maltese fought for so passionately 15 years ago. I pledge to work hard so that this good is felt by all people from all backgrounds, including those who are isolated and forgotten. I pledge to strive so that the European Union matters in all our lives. I pledge to be your voice PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat frequently and rightly expounds on the need for change, for reforms to be carried out where necessary in the on-going process of rejuvenation, be it a nation, a party, a company or some other body and organisation. It serves the purpose of enhancing the inner motor that motivates successful growth in all spheres of influence. He certainly knows what he's talk- ing about. Joseph Muscat took over a wounded Labour Party that had openly done its best to reconcile itself with the electorate, for too long hood- winked into thinking it was destined for an eternal place in the Oppposition wilderness. After all, a lot of change had already taken place after the ex- cesses of the Eighties, when the likes of Toni Abela and Wenzu Mintoff, then part of the Labour concubinage, today highly respected figures in the Judici- ary, set in motion an internal self- cleansing process ironically by first opting out of their posts and delivering the message from across the political arena. That loudly-contested, often mis- interpreted exercise of party renewal slowly gave Labour the oxygen it so urgently needed to reinvent itself without sacrificing its renowned prin- ciples based mainly on social justice and democratic principles. That was exactly thirty years ago. April 1989 – when Toni and Wenzu, as many of us still affectionately refer to them, had tendered their resigna- tions by way of shaking the party out of its stupor and into realisation. The episode is today an interest- ing chapter in the history of modern Maltese politics. It was no overnight sensation, and the party had to work hard on gradually winning back favour among the voting public until 1996 when it was returned to power thanks to Alfred Sant's successful reform agenda. By 1998, however, unfore- seen internal turmoil and the issue of European Union membership soon led to another bout of soul-searching that had the party spending another fifteen long years in Opposition. By the time Joseph Muscat took over the leadership, the country's mood was changing fast and he was quick to adapt to the prevailing currents by making sure the Labour Party contin- ued changing to build a new and wider platform able to take in the national movement that had grown out of the cry for an end to petty politics, eco- nomic stagnation and obsolete resist- ence to social reforms. The rest is too fresh to bring up as history, but it is fast moulding itself into such. Malta's economic miracle since the first Joseph Muscat admin- istration of 2013 coincided with a national appeal for taking the nation into the 21st Century despite the usual conservative defiance at both national and European levels. Another electoral victory of historical dimensions four years later has since kept the national boat sailing ahead in what European and international analysts acknowl- edge as a relentless voyage of success. The need for further reform is obvi- ous if we are to maintain this tempo, this incredible achievement that, for the first time, results in practically zero unemployment, strong economic growth, unprecedented infrastructural progress, flourishing social benefits, decreased poverty, and a general feeling of well-being in a market that is innovative and creative enough to attract thousands of foreign workers. Even at a time of undoubted success, however, both party and country still need to seek change where change is needed, an evergoing process that is, really, the secret of it all. It is unfortunate to have to watch the Opposition party desperately going round in circles trying to catch its own tail, when its supporters had been emphatically promised a Labour-like overhaul, "a new way" to help stop the bleeding and heal the wounds of bitter electoral defeat. When it had the opportunity and the privilege of avoiding what pitfalls the Labour Party had earlier fallen into on its way to rejuvenation, the Nationalist Opposi- tion has taken the very negative stance that its rank and file clearly wanted to do away with. Stuck in the same old destructive groove, reaching partisan proportions even inside various Euro- pean institutions, there seems to be no such respite for a majority of loyal PN supporters who wanted change across the board but only got the same, unap- petising fodder from yesteryear. Reforms are never easy to accuate, but achievable and necessary in both good and bad times. What the party in Opposition has been unable to come to terms with, the party in government has to show it is conscious of, includ- ing the collateral damage that success can bring with it. It is the stimulus behind the Prime Minister's call for more change, for an even stronger driving force to keep the economy growingbased on a modern infrastructure and innovation in the interest of present and future genera- tions. Simply looking back, even at success, can only lead to an unwelcome stall. In the past few years Malta has become known as a trailblazer, a positive- thinking nation that is not afraid to attract, embrace and exploit the mass of technological advancement that is heralding a new, more exciting future for the world, at least that part of the world open to change and innovation. The secret of success is being in- timately entwined with reform and sustainable growth for the benefit of people who are determined not to rest on their laurels. The secret of success Robert Micallef Robert Micallef is a Labour candidate for the European Parliament