Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1260266
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 JUNE 2020 OPINION Ivan Bartolo Ivan Bartolo is a Member of Parliament for the Nationalist Party I don't expect to copy or emulate Martin Luther King Jr. who de- livered his famous speech on the 28 August, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. How- ever, like him, I have a dream for a better world. Malta being part of the world automatically means I dream of a better Malta. Every politician has a dream, every politician must have a vi- sion, look to the future, and I am no less. Nelson Mandela, in a televised interview, once said that 'leaders should have prin- ciple always and not change it depending on who is in front of them'. I dream of that and I firmly believe in it. My dream is that people won't be marginalised, irrespective of gender, creed, sexual orienta- tion, race, political beliefs or age. My dream is that people won't suffer social injustices. I dream that poverty will be eradicated. I dream that no one will experience solitude or loneliness. I dream that there will be no unnecessary suffer- ing. I dream of a world where everyone has a roof over his head and food on the table. I dream that everyone has a job and a decent wage. I dream that everyone should have an adequate education and the opportunity to invest in one- self. I dream that the rights of minorities are respected and not steamrolled upon. I dream of a time when everyone will have a right to live, a right for a better life and a right to be cured. I dream of a world without political differences. I dream of a world where people don't hold grudges and nations and peoples are at peace with one another. These are some of my dreams. Some might think I dream of utopia? But I don't. I am reflecting on tangible realities. I am reflecting on points raised by many famous preachers and leaders who, by their words or actions, set an example or had an impact on the world: Jesus Christ, whose teachings two thousand years ago are still valid to this day; St John Paul the second who apart from being a catalyst for the downfall of communism, set an example of forgiveness to the aggressor who shot him; St Theresa of Calcutta who made a difference, and gave dignity, to the sick and dying; Martin Luther King Jr, who inspired a movement of equal rights for coloured people in the United States; and Nelson Mandela who went through a lot of hardship but never gave up, and remained positive and inspirational. As I always say, politics is a tool. It is a tool to be a catalyst of change. It is a tool to fulfil one's dream. The dream that as a politician I can contribute to leave the world, albeit a small contribution, a better place than I left it. My success won't be measured on financial gain or on the number of votes I ob- tain in an election but if I man- age to make a suffering person smile or a lonely person that does not feel forgotten. The feeling of giving but expecting nothing in return gives me in- ternal peace and happiness. That to me is a reward. I dream that if I live in an ide- al world where everything that I dreamt of will be achieved tha I will be the happiest person on earth as my dreams would have been fulfilled.. Until then I will continue to dream and work so that at least one of my dreams will come close to reality. There is nothing wrong with dreams as long as they don't re- main dreams! I have a dream I dream of a world without political differences. I dream of a world where people don't hold grudges and nations and peoples are at peace with one another Prime Minister Robert Abela (centre) announcing recovery measures with Finance Minister Edward Scicluna (left) and Economy Minister Silvio Schembri Martin Luther King Jr delivering his most famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial