Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1403840
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 AUGUST 2021 INTERVIEW there's no excuse for ignorance There is no guarantee that the same thing will not happen again. As long as keep thinking of hu- man beings in terms of different 'categories'… the danger will re- main. But if you ask me, the real con- cern is that nothing is really being done about it. Let me give you an example: as a social worker, I am involved in community-building projects in places like Marsa. I meet people from Marsa; I talk to them; I listen to them; and I can confirm that: yes, those people really are concerned. The prob- lems they complain about are not imaginary; they are real. But what is being done, to try and find a solution to this prob- lem? What effort is being made, so that the people of that locality get to understand each other, and find a way to live together? Noth- ing…. That raises the question of what can, in fact, be done. You've al- ready made it clear that more education is needed in the long term; but what sort of initiatives can be taken, today, to address the problems at street-level? Personally – and this is a pro- posal I have already made; and which was very well-received – I believe we have reached a point where some form of 'means-testing' should be intro- duced: so that people who have lived for a number of years in a certain locality should be given the right to vote; at least, at local council level. Why? Because we cannot carry on with a situation where indi- vidual candidates simply 'pick and choose' which doors to knock on, and which to ignore. We even have councillors who do not hesitate to say: 'we are here only to serve Maltese constitu- ents'. I mean… how can you pos- sibly have a 'united society', when people who live in the same local- ity – and to be clear: I'm talking about those who have lived there for some time; long enough to set down roots in the local commu- nity – are so blatantly excluded? To stick to the same example of Marsa: how many local council candidates ever bother going in- to any of the shops owned by for- eigners? What is even the point of going there, when there's no chance of gaining any votes? It's a waste of time… But there is another problem with social exclusion. When we talk about 'Malta' and 'the Mal- tese' – and especially, when pol- iticians refer to 'the people of Malta and Gozo'… who are we really talking about? We tend to forget, it seems, the diversi- ty of the Maltese and Gozitan people; and how much each of those different nationalities, or ethnicities, contribute to socie- ty's well-being as a whole. This is why, for instance, it bothered me to hear Prime Min- ister Robert Abela's Christmas message, where he thanked the people for the national effort against Covid-19. 'How proud I am, of the Maltese and Gozitan people'… Excuse me, but… the national effort against Covid-19 was made by all the residents of Malta and Gozo; and that includes nurs- es… most of whom are foreign. Besides: while I understand that politicians may feel they have to say certain things, for political reasons… they are still politi- cians, at the end of the day. They do not exist only for the benefit of 'the Maltese and Gozitan peo- ple'. They are responsible for the welfare of all the people living in this country; because the deci- sions they take affect everybody equally. If it were the case that taxes are only paid by 'Maltese and Gozitans', I'd understand. But everyone who works here, has to pay taxes. And if everyone has the same obligations, they should also be entitled to the same rights and privileges. This is why I believe that the right to vote should be extend- ed to all residents, who have a clear connection to the country. First of all, it would be a recog- nition of the contribution those people are actually making; but it would also give them visibility. And that is what is needed most: visibility. On that subject: there has been a drive, recently, to address the gender imbalance in par- liament; as well as other areas such as LGBTiQ rights. But there hasn't been any comparable drive to address the imbalance concerning ethnic minorities. Do you think the time has come to introduce comparable meas- ures to ensure fair representa- tion for minorities? Yes, I certainly do agree with that; but not just in politics. Be- cause visibility works both ways: it's not just where you don't see people… but also, where you do see them. For instance: how long are we going to continue only ever see- ing black people running after garbage trucks in the street? When are we going to go into a police station, and see black peo- ple in police uniforms? When are we going to have AFM soldiers of different ethnicity? Or employees within the Civil Service? This is why I feel that exclusion is also discrimination. If you'll remember, former Prime Minis- ter Joseph Muscat had even said: 'I don't want Maltese people to collect garbage'. And that, on its own, automatically creates a dis- tinction between different cate- gories of people… there are those who are good to pick up the rub- bish, and those who are not… And yet – not to dispute your view that it amounts to discrim- ination – isn't that also just a reflection of Malta's current socio-economic realities? For let's face it: someone does, at the end of the day, need to 'pick up the rubbish'… so won't that level of discrimination always exist anyway? Not only does 'someone need to pick up the rubbish'… but in Mal- ta, I would say the job of a gar- bage-collector, or street-sweep- er, is just as important as the prime minister. For let's face it: if the prime minister chooses to spend a couple of days in bed… OK, there'll be problems. But if no one collects garbage for more than two days… there would be a crisis in the country. Malta would become one giant skip… So don't let me be misunder- stood: I am not a Utopian; I un- derstand perfectly well that there has to be a category of people to do that kind of work… but it doesn't also mean that they have to be paid at two or three euros an hour. It doesn't mean they have to be stripped of all human dignity. We could at least start trying to restore dignity to those people; to elevate their standard of living. And besides: just as there are many Maltese people out there who don't like the fact that there are foreigners in Malta… there are just as many Maltese people who want those foreigners to be here. Because they're mak- ing money out of them. One person I spoke to recently, even complained about the amount of foreigners in her own neigh- bourhood…. while at the same time, admitting to renting out an apartment to foreigners, at E700 a month. It all ultimately boils down to the same thing: that there is a cat- egory of people who have special rights and privileges – including the right to decide, on everyone else's behalf – and another cate- gory that exists only to serve, or work for, the other. How long can this realistically go on?