Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1249395
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 MAY 2020 OPINION CITIZENS place a lot of trust in, and ul- timately vote for, those who they believe can make their lives better, those who can bring about positive change. Misuse of said trust means abuse of power, unethical and impulsive deci- sions based on lack of planning, fore- sight and vision at the detriment of all citizens who - as taxpayers - end up paying for such selfish or short-sighted decisions. This is the Malta we are liv- ing in and have been for the past seven years. Following a parliamentary question (PQ13755) by my colleague Claudette Buttiġieġ with regards to any direct or- ders8issued by from the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Gov- ernment, it transpires that €13.5 mil- lion were given to several individuals and companies over a three-year span. And none of the taxpayers know what the companies were paid for or what services were covered with this money. Meanwhile, 15,000 Maltese individu- als cannot afford basic household items like a washing machine or a coloured TV. 51% of single-parent families are at risk of poverty, as are 15.8% of those aged 18 to 64. The percentage goes up to 27% for those aged 65 and over. These numbers are far too large when compared to the population of Malta. At the same time, the Labour Govern- ment has forgotten those in need and who are not managing to make ends meet and are unable to live in a decent manner. No wonder everyone is organising foodbanks, help with food shopping and distribution of hot meals. Alas the Gov- ernment's priority this past week was filling St. George's Square with thou- sands of flowers costing us, the taxpay- ers, thousands of euros. At least, we were reassured that these flowers will be distributed to Local Councils to em- bellish our common areas. What a joke! The mistakes and all the scandals un- der Muscat's Government, like shad- ows, continue to haunt the corridors of Castille and various ministries to this day. The message which won the Labour Party the elections – that meritocracy would rule the day, that the capabilities of each individual would be recognised, and thst everyone would get whsat they deserved – never materialised. But all those who spoke in favour of the Labour Party or appeared on some PL billboard redeemed their gifts in one way or another. The hopes of those still waiting for meritocracy were dashed by the all too vivid scandals like the Panama Papers findings, by Keith Schembri's knowl- edge of – or more - the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The clouds became murky with an in- cessant stream of scandals raining down on an all-too-frequent basis, inlcuding 17 Black, the handing over of Zonqor land for what was supposed to be the American University and the land given to the DB Group. The sky became murkier with the du- bious roles played by persons of trust like Neville Gafa, who was supposed to coordinate humanitarian missions but did everything but. Still, I believe noth- ing remains in the dark forever and I will let our justice system prevail. When politics do not serve the com- mon good, but only benefit the chosen and select few, the fundamental idea that everyone should benefit from poli- tics is set aside. Not only that. The whole country starts going downhill and many of those who would actually try their best, end up not making and losing out. Corruption sprouts and flourishes, where the very few close to government divide and share, with "you rub my back and I rub yours" as their mantra and main modus operandi. The out- come is unfortunately easy to predict: one either stands firm and fights or one loses hope in all politicians because of those few who would have not heeded or helped them. Incompetence, arrogance, misuse of public funds for personal gain or for the chosen few, interference in the work of the institutions... these all detract from the credibility of politicians. Put simply, many citizens are not on- ly no longer interested in politics but do not trust politicians anymore, They have been disappointed too many times by politicians who would have taken them for granted or stolen their and their family's vote. This is a condemnable act. Rest as- sured, good politicians whose main fo- cus is to be of service to the people still exist. Voting is a right and a duty and it is the main weapon that can be used to fight institutionalised corruption by re- jecting corrupt politicians and support- ing the most honest. Actions speak louder than words. The values and principles that the La- bour Party tried to project – that we are all Maltese brothers and sisters – was just a farce. Let us achieve social justice, social mobility, equality, and true unity. The Nationalist Party is working on con- crete proposals related to these topics and more. Meanwhile, the Labour Party cannot be an example in our eyes. They have no moral authority. They are like a teach- er who cannot read and write. They are like clouds... the day will be much brighter without them! This is the Malta that I want to see. Ivan Bartolo The Labour Party… the clouds darkening our skies Ivan Bartolo is a Member of Parliament for the Nationalist Party