Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/341807
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 JULY 2014 24 Letters Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. The electoral troubles, which have hit of late the Nationalist Party, stem from one source: its distance from the middle class. The middle-class section of society is beginning to doubt whether its traditional Party re- ally represents its true interests. It is also beginning to question whether the interests of the Na- tionalist Party necessarily amount to the national interest. This is the section that has been the very backbone of Party sup- port. This strata of society was the pioneer and in the forefront of the battle to restore democracy in our country in the early eighties. It was this section of society that showed character in its full sup- port for the Party and especially for Eddie Feench Adami after the 1981 perverse election result. The first gathering in Dingli Street Sliema was the first defiant message from a middle class to indicate that it would not accept the result sitting down. It defied its traditional placid stance and literally took to the streets. Others followed in their masses, once the middle class had shown the way. They acted in their interests and in the interests of the country. They were not necessarily seeing the narrow interests of the Nationalist Party. The middle class encompasses people of various shades and colours. It includes the salaried worker, the employed professional classes, the small entrepreneur and businessman, the salaried Government employee. These persons have traditionally not only supported the Nationalist Party, but committed themselves publicly to the strengthening of its base. They were in the forefront in the battle against bulk-buying, the right to private schooling, the right to free broad- casting and most especially the upholding of individual rights and liberties. In Mintoff, the middle class saw the destroyer of its right to lead a serene life. In Fenech Adami it saw a person who upheld all the values it believes in. With the passage of time, and after experiencing one National- ist government after another, many of these persons have rightly developed an independent way of thinking. They no longer associate the narrow interests of the Nationalist Party with the national interest. To make matters worse there is a growing feeling that the middle class' allegiance and support is being taken for granted. To many within the PN the mid- dle class is a section that would inevitably keep voting Nationalist as the Sant alternative would al- ways be considered too awesome for them to bear. In short, the PN's strategists believe the middle class has no other political home to go to. They would remain Nationalist voters even if no longer National- ist activists or supporters. The truth is that these per- sons are Maltese before they are Nationalist. With the introduc- tion of penalising measures like the taxation of fringe benefits and increased taxation on the sale of inherited property, the shading of Blue has fast faded into a pale Blue. The affinity and emotional link with the PN started to wane over the past six years reaching its lowest level since 1955 at the last European election. The only reason that kept the middle class from shifting its vote in 2003 was EU membership. The legitimate complaints of the mid- dle class need to be addressed. Other complaints include the mishandling and the postpone- ment of the smoking ban; the siting of the landfills so close to a heritage site - although this stupid decision was later reversed; the sprawling of building sites every- where even in zones considered as green areas making the country look like one big building site; and the insistence of the Prime Min- ister to appoint Fenech Adami as President of Malta. The hotly contested appoint- ment left the middle class with a very sour feeling that Government looks at the Presidency as simply an extension of the party. Other worries include the bad state of public finances as a result of the mishandling of the economy and the introduction of new hard measures the Prime Minister has already referred to. The middle class fears bearing the brunt of yet another higher tax bill. It seems as if this section of society is forever destined to shoulder Government's mishan- dling of the economy. Many other issues erupt from time to time that Government simply chooses to ignore. Why should the shareholders of the National bank remain ignored despite overwhelming evidence that they were deprived of their savings? Why should the deposi- tors of the BICAL Bank remain waiting for over twenty years to receive their savings back? Why should the rent laws remain a tax burden on property owners? These issues - which all f ly in the face of the interests of the middle class - need address- ing urgently. The concerns are legitimate. The mood amongst this section of society is one of disillusionment that their Party, the PN they have supported come rain or shine, is oblivious to their concerns. The Party must appreciate that it cannot win a majority vote without the support of this section. It needs to bridge urgently. It needs a new culture that can connect with this section of society, speak its language feel its pain and appreciate its values. With EU membership sealed, the Labour Party no longer looks as dangerous as it sometimes did in the past. If Labour proves itself to be reasonable in the years to come, many traditional National- ist voters may do little to stop it taking office in 2008. No political party should ever take its voter base for granted and at the end of the day what the middle class wants is good governance. Whether Labour or Nationalist no longer makes a difference. It's the middle class stupid Editorial • July 11 2004 Eroding our credibility Welcome support Anyone who may have believed that the leader of the Opposition was going to change his and his party`s bombastic neg- ativism when criticising the PL govern- ment after the PN had suffered its second humiliating defeat at the polls, must have had a very rude awakening on 2 July when following the parliamentary debate. When speaking about the PN motion on the problem existing between the Om- budsman and the government, Busuttil once again allowed his political imma- turity to take hold of his senses when he accused the government of bringing Malta to a similar state as "A Banana Republic run by dictators! " Little did Busuttil realise that when say- ing these words he could have been under- mining his own country`s credibility with foreign entrepreneurs and governments. I have always doubted that Busuttil and the PN will ever change when they find themselves in Opposition instead of in power. What Simon Busuttil certainly did is to keep undermining his slim chances of ever being trusted at the political helm of this country. Eddy Privitera Mosta I wish to thank the Mis- sion Fund V.O./0015 for their kind donation towards our mission in Pakistan. The dona- tion will be used to finance programmes for Christian formation of youths and adults in poor parishes so that the faithful can have an opportunity to grow in faith and in their Christian life. To continue provid- ing such help they rely on the generosity of your readers. I therefore encourage the public in general to send the Mis- sion Fund used stamps and donations with which they can help Maltese missionaries in Third World countries. Donations may be made online or by direct bank transfer to one of the following accounts: HSBC (Ac- count No: 061 197 448 050); BOV (Account No: 163 007 980 19); APS (Account No: 200 008 207 62) or BANIF (Account No: 000 879 631 01). More informa- tion may be accessed from the website: www.missionfund.org. mt. Fr. John Farrugia Karachi, Pakistan I was most upset to learn of TV per- sonality Rolf Harris' many charges of sexual abuse. Of course it must have been a horrible ordeal for his victims but even as just a fan of his work – I fondly remember his shows on tel- evision and his charming accent – I cannot but help feel betrayed that such a seemingly pleasant personality could do such things. Although I never followed his work, the Jimmy Saville scandal that rocked the BBC after his death and continues to make headlines was another such case. It makes you wonder if these personalities, who work closely with children, are monitored at all. Another thing to consider is how easy or difficult it is for children to speak up about this sort of thing. One must consider of course that times have changed and cases like these have brought much awareness of these dangers. But today, how easy is it for a child to approach even a trusted adult and tell them that they have received unwanted attention? The authorities would do well to consider some kind of education campaign aimed at helping children realise what is and is not appropri- ate conduct and to make them feel they can tell someone when these boundaries are crossed. Hopefully it would not take years for the truth to come out, as has happened with these celebrity cases. Mark Sammut Zabbar Teaching children to report abuse