Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1448619
numbers speak for themselves. The same can be said of our handling of the energy and fuel crisis hitting the world. Unlike our European counter- parts, we are obsessed with stability in this market which has left positive results. A progressive government that in- vests in people to stimulate the econ- omy, rather than resort to austere measures, is leaving its mark. Our national policies have shielded citi- zens from exorbitant electricity and fuel prices being faced by millions of Europeans, and this is something to be proud of. Yet, while we may be an island geographically, we are part of the rest of the world and the increases in the cost of production and trans- portation are leaving their mark and can be felt by each and everyone of us. Malta is on the road to recover from the pandemic and its after-shocks. Empowering families and in turn our small and medium businesses is our proven way to strengthen the econ- omy. Malta has already done a lot to this effect in the past years and this must remain the government's mo- dus operandi. It came as no surprise to see the Prime Minister and Finance Minister announce a new set of well-planned measures aimed at helping people in these difficult global times on Thurs- day. Measures which will not only empower families but boost our busi- nesses even further towards reaching normality again. While I applaud these measures and initiatives it is now time to add a per- manent solution to the cost-of-living challenge. It is time to ensure that even without the seasonal injections to the economy, we can have a mini- mum wage structure and system that ascertains a basic and decent living to all those residing on our shores. This is exactly why we need to move from a social Europe on paper to a social Europe in practice. It is exactly what families need to ensure they can continue to flourish, and it is what businesses need to continue grow. Living wages, higher than today's minimum wage might seem as a little bit of a load on the industry at first, but in the long run they will lead to business growth, not only directly but also indirectly. We can never forget: a motivated workforce produces so much more. WE form part of a society that tends to be very polarised in its thinking and struc- ture – are you supporting England or Italy in the World Cup, are you team 'tal-piżel- li' or 'tal-irkotta'? Are you red or blue? We focus so heavily on splitting our country into two distinct halves that we forget to think critically and to make informed choices. Once we have the innate power and privilege to choose, why do we continue to accept less than we deserve from our government? As I approach my thirtieth year, I find myself sandwiched between two distinct political generations: my parents' gen- eration, who remember the violence of the 1980s, stories about the Interdett, being unable to import chocolate that wasn't state-sanctioned into the coun- try, school closures, the general ugliness of those times; and another generation entirely, a generation so thorough- ly over it – over the corruption, the scandals, the political land- scape and discourse, and the blind acceptance of "because that's the way it's always been done". The former group are either still living with the impact those times had on them and remain deeply entrenched in either red or blue that they would be hard- pressed to see an alternative side to any story; and the latter are tired of the way politics is done in Malta, finding them- selves mostly unable to even get a leg in to participate in the conversation because "eh, int ma tafx, għadek zgħir/a wisq!". Born in 1992, one of my first political memories is of the carcades after we had won the referendum for entry into the EU. I remember my parents being overjoyed at what this would mean for the country, how it could propel Malta into the future, increase our standards across the board and allow us to explore new opportuni- ties. But after our accession into the EU, life became less about these major mile- stones and more about the little things that mattered, and this might perhaps have contributed to this anti-climactic state of affairs where people lost the mo- tivation to care about politics. The country only seems to come togeth- er when something momentous happens, like the referendums against spring hunt- ing or divorce that polarised a nation, or more recently, the murder of a journalist in broad daylight that spurred months of protests, culminating in the forced resig- nation of the prime minister, his chief of staff and the disgraced minister for ener- gy. But we shouldn't wait for a cataclysmic event in order to demand change. Doom-scrolling is a terrifying reality that deeply affects the younger generations, as we also have to contend with climate change and the impending destruction of our planet within our lifetime – not to mention a global pandemic, mixed in for good measure. It's so tempting to stop caring altogether. It's diffi- cult to wake up every morning and read about yet another scandal, an- other instance of misappropriation of funds, another unmeritocratic appointment, a planning authority decision that truly boggles the mind, a disgraced former prime minister threatening to re-enter the political arena, massive contracts being award- ed to the government's inner circle… I could go on, but I've got a word limit. These are the foundations on which we are building our society – they are the way in which we conduct business and represent ourselves interna- tionally, and these issues, whilst not cataclysmic, have far reach- ing consequences and deserve our attention. These 'less major' issues – for lack of a better word – have desensitised us and jaded us into believing that they are political par for the course, that they are in any way normal. If our country is ever to regain its stand- ing internationally, if Malta is to become beautiful again, if we are to spend our lives here and perhaps eventually have families here, then we need to band together. We need to work hard to restore a sense of normalcy and good governance. We de- serve policies that truly have the environ- ment and our country's citizens at heart. Without wanting to sound preachy (at the age of 29) being involved in the po- litical discourse doesn't mean having to be staunchly behind one party or anoth- er. Not everyone needs to be an activist (although, that's great too), but everyone should contribute in the ways that they can. Start small, have conversations, keep an open mind, think critically and ask ques- tions. Read the news. Make sure you figure out what district you're in and who the candidates run- ning on that district are and grill them on where they stand on the issues that mat- ter to you. For, at the end of the day, after the elec- tion has come and gone, we will have a new set of politicians in parliament and you have a say in who those people are. 13 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 FEBRUARY 2022 Emma Portelli Bonnici is a lawyer and PN candidate on the ninth and tenth districts emma@emmaportellibonnici.com OPINION Emma Portelli Bonnici to live world Cyrus Engerer is a Labour MEP (S&D) Cyrus Engerer "We need to work hard to restore a sense of normalcy and good governance. We deserve policies that truly have the environment and our country's citizens at heart" 'Tal-pizelli jew tal-irkotta'? .