Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1522096
12 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 JUNE 2024 Want to change politics? This WE'RE used to a certain type of politics. A type of politics that is tribalistic, antagonistic, and dominated by two big parties. But at a time where people are getting tired of the party du- opoly, this university course is looking to intervene and show people a different way of doing politics. "Politics in Malta is still a taboo," said Dr Kurt Borg, a lecturer at the Department of Public Policy. "If we look around us, political debates are incredibly heated, sometimes unnecessarily so. As a country we haven't yet figured out how to disagree as citizens, which is a fundamental ingredient of democracy." Borg lectures in the Universi- ty of Malta's Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance, a relatively now full-time course that allows students to study political science. It is the first of its kind to delve into the pe- culiarities of local politics, de- parting from other 'political' courses offered by the Univer- sity, particularly International Relations and European Stud- ies, that focus on the external dimensions of politics. But this course is being of- fered within a cultural context of heated politics, a duopoly split across party lines. Borg acknowledged that the de- partment is intervening in this context that dissuades a lot of people, particularly younger people, from participating in local politics. "All around the world, poli- tics as an academic discipline is well-established. There's noth- ing strange we're doing in that regard – we're just building on this idea. One aim of this course is to analyse the current cultural milieu in which poli- tics is happening to understand some of the quirky, more pecu- liar features of our political cli- mate. We want to analyse that and intervene in that, but also break a bit that mold and con- tribute to a discourse and gen- eration where politics in Malta can be something else," he said. But politics has played a sig- nificant role in Malta's history and is deeply embedded in the social fabric. Yet, it has tak- en years for the University of Malta, or any educational insti- tution, to introduce a political science course that looks to an- alyse the local context. Borg said there are multiple factors that have contributed to this. Some of these are in- stitutional, with the universi- ty struggling to find the right space or place where to situate a politics department. "Nonetheless, there are var- ious courses apart from ours that deal with political issues," he said, pointing to the cours- es in International Relations and European Studies. "There is some deal of continuity with what is being offered, but un- like the others it doesn't just focus on the European dimen- sion or the international rela- tions dimension. So, we're in- tervening there." This is a course that first ex- isted as a diploma, and then developed into a part-time course. However, the depart- ment decided to change the structure in line with their idea of who they wanted to at- tract to the course, particularly younger people. Young people don't care about politics, right? Borg doesn't completely buy the argument that young peo- ple don't care or are passive about politics. And even if they are passive and alienat- ed by the current system, it doesn't mean they don't care about politics entirely. "Just because people are not interested in the two main po- litical parties, it doesn't mean they don't have other political thoughts. And I think this is an interesting moment in Mal- tese political history where we are starting to see a space where young people particu- larly are disgruntled with the major political parties." Borg said this space of apathy might be filled in or triggered by community spaces, with the recent emergence of residence groups an increasingly vibrant space outside of party politics. "That's a space where young people could become politi- cised in a good way, and rec- ognize how policy matters to them, and what they can do as citizens to bring about change. And that feeling of being suc- cessful in a project of resistance might invigorate you further. It can be addictive in a good sense, and it can make you see that politics is for you, irre- spective of political parties." For Borg, one issue is that po- litical activity is still thought of as something within the remit of political parties alone. "It's as if there's this polarization – you either work through po- litical parties or work through, say, Moviment Graffitti or Friends of the Earth. Those parts are true, but there's a great terrain between them where people can be political- ly active." Podcasts and media as a political space Indeed, an increasingly pop- ular space that can help with political engagement is in pod- casts or video essays. "Those could be activities that young people are involved in because they could translate the details of politics," he said. "Many media organisations are doing this through shorter, punchier explainer videos that are slightly more accessible. NICOLE MEILAK nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt University election debate: As a country we haven't yet figured out how to disagree as citizens