Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1235679
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 APRIL 2020 OPINION …. a very wide term. For me it is reaching out to the vulnerable. Being close to peo- ple. For me it is a social calling too. I had the opportunity to express my- self before in other sections of the me- dia about the subject. I am writing these few words because I want to reiterate the point that the general mentality towards politics and politicians needs to change. Unfortunately, politics in Malta is mired with clientelism. I have heard ar- guments that the Nationalist Party lost the 2013 election because the then pol- iticians didn't heed to peoples' needs. This theory might be true but to lower politics to this level is unjust. People also use their vote as a means of blackmail. I am not saying that I don't see to peo- ples' needs or help them. I do! However, I don't do it out of fear of not being elect- ed. On the contrary. Having social needs and the vulnerable at heart I use politics as a tool to help people in the lower echelons of society. As the English say, self-praise is no rec- ommendation, on the other hand my constituents have a right to know what I am doing as, after all, I represent them. The mentality of clientelism is still alive, even more so today, despite at- tempts to eradicate it. Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat even proposed, when in opposition, that if elected he would adopt the meritocracy principle for appointments and promotions and that everyone would gets what he de- serves. In principle that is what should be done but, as we know, talk is cheap. When Muscat was elected, everyone knows that meritocracy was one of the many buzzwords that stuck with the elector- ate but materialised with only the very few. The Government in Malta has the power of incumbency. It takes populist decisions even though at times drastic measures, though draconian, should be taken. That is why people elect govern- ments: so that decisions are taken. Politics for me, therefore, is to serve the people and not to be served. I am not in politics to be rich or to look for glory. I am in politics to be a catalyst of change, to make a difference in peoples' lives. Politics, if used well, is there for the general good; to make society better. And politicians are there to make this happen. Politics is a means to reach out to peo- ple. It is the means to appreciate society, the means to realise a base truth: that so- ciety is a reality not a perception. Poverty is real. Loneliness is real. People living in discomfort are real. This stark reality is tangible and I can feel the pulse of society through politics and by rolling up my sleeves and getting close to people. Politics is meeting people, speaking their language, being sensitive to their needs and meeting them in their homes. Politics is being accessible. Adopting an open-door policy that everyone is wel- come. It is also means being comfortable with people. And politics is also hard work. It is all about doing, doing, doing. I don't rest on my laurels. Politics is dedication. Politics for me is a way to be charitable. Politics is… if used as should be, a nice experi- ence and a tool for good. Ivan Bartolo Politics for me is ... Ivan Bartolo is a Member of Parliament for the Nationalist Party Politics, if used well, is there for the general good; to make society better. And politicians are there to make this happen