Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1443936
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 JANUARY 2022 PN plays with fire as it toys JAMES DEBONO ON Sunday Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech issued the strongest statement yet against vaccine rules, which came in place on Monday, describing them as an "inquisition against human rights". "As of tomorrow, thousands of people will be unable to go to work, visit a restaurant or attend social activities that help their mental health," Grech said on Net TV. "We are speaking to these people because they have rights too, without sending a message that the vaccine isn't effective." This statement contrasted with his previous statement on 8 Jan- uary that he endorsed upcoming rules to limit entry to restaurants, bars, gyms, sports events and oth- er venues to adequately vaccinat- ed people. "We're making it clear that we follow the health author- ities' official instructions as they have all the details in hand, and we will keep endorsing official de- cisions". So what is the logic behind an abrupt change in the party's stance, from a cautious one in line with mainstream European gov- ernments, to one which recognis- es refusal to vaccinate as a human right? Anti-vaxxers may be one of those boisterous 'minorities' which can potentially shift their vote because of one single overriding issue. Bt the PN risks getting bogged down in a toxic swamp of irrationality by emboldening a motley crew of right-wing, libertarian or simply misinformed activists over which it has no control and whose frame of mind is alien in a society which on COVID, has been largely def- erential to science. Everyone knows that the vast majority of people have no prob- lem with vaccine mandates for entry to restaurants and gyms. But it is the small minority who feel their rights are being trampled on which may change their vote on the basis of this issue. The PN media has been quick to point out support for Grech's stance from people who describe themselves as die-hard Labour- ites. The PN may well be making an electoral calculation based on the mood of a social media bubble, which responded well to Grech's U-turn But harnessing a crowd prone to believe in conspiracy theories and one which includes immigrant bashers and religious fundamen- talists, may be an impossible task for a traditionally, centrist party like the PN which necessarily de- pends on support of middle-of- the-road voters who have no issue with vaccines. One strong argument justifying the PN's stance is that creating a two-tier society where access to certain public places is limited by booster certificates may actually create a social ghetto where irra- tionality thrives even more than today. Moreover the measures are being imposed at a juncture where most people have volun- tarily taken the booster without being forced to do so, and where hospitalisations are already on the low side. So the PN can present a prag- matic argument that at this stage vaccine mandates may be coun- ter-productive. The problem for the PN is that its criticism goes be- yond pragmatism. Indeed it verg- es on an ideological argument that non-vaccinated people should under no circumstance face any limitation on their freedom... even if they risk undermining the free- dom of others, or contribute to a surge that overwhelms health services (which would inevitably hit hard on the most vulnerable categories). This is why Bernard Grech's choice of words in describing vac- cine mandates as a violation of hu- man rights, is significant. The PN's stance also weakens the political and social consensus for temporary measures sanctioned by public health officials, and risks legitimising a misinformed choice. So far, the restrictions imposed have been measured. Unlike Aus- tria, which intends to make vacci- nation mandatory, Malta has not made vaccines mandatory for any category. Neither has it restricted access to essential services like public trans- port and retail to the vaccinated, as happens in countries like Italy. And Grech may well be playing with fire by pandering to a mot- ley crew which is resented by the rest of society, for not respecting a social pact which most have vol- untarily accepted on the basis of mainstream scientific opinion. PN may appeal to a segment of anti-establishment voters. But in so doing it risks undermining support among older and more educated voters who feel threat- ened by the anti-vax crowd By its nature the PN is not an anti-establishment populist par- ty but a party aspiring to govern responsibly in a way which safe- guards basic public safety. Its vot- ing base is mainly composed of a centrist cohort of voters which is alien to the esoteric ecosystem in which anti-vaxxers thrive. Moreover of crucial importance to the PN is retaining and consoli- dating support among elderly vot- ers who feel most threatened by COVID-19 because they are most at risk of dying from it, and there- fore more likely to expect compli- ance with vaccination. The PN is already faced with a very high abstention rate among tertiary-educated voters, a cate- gory that has been traditionally inclined to vote for it. The latest MaltaToday survey shows that Bernard Grech – who first endorsed government limited restrictions for the unvaccinated – now calls the rules an "inquisition against human rights". But why doe sthe PN risk the support of moderate votes who have associated the party with caution just to accommodate a noisy anti- establishment minority? Protestors on Monday called for the end to restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 virus