Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/893950
maltatoday SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER 2017 17 young would-be politicians across the political divide, both in the run- up to and in aftermath of the 2013 and 2017 elections – is dedicated to the likes of Kamp Emergenza Ambjent, Moviment Graffitti and anti-poverty campaigner Charles Miceli; individuals that Flask con- siders to be legitimate beacons for that which the recent large-scale protests in Malta are supposedly rallying for. Justice. "I feel that these independent voices are constantly shut out of public discourse. In fact, I feel that PN-PL have hawked the public discourse entirely – everything we speak about seems to be con- trolled by these two parties, and the people who back them and fi- nance them," Flask says. "And Kapitali is my stab at the establishment." But the establishment is some- thing of a loaded word, and its complicated nature is part-and- parcel of the narrative that in- forms Kapitali (the clue of what it's all about is in the title, though). "We've been hearing about 'the establishment' a lot recently, but nobody seems to be getting it right. I mean, the establishment is not just about political parties, first of all. You'll find an establishment dynamic even in, say, an organic farm," Flask quips. It's a glimmer of his trademark hu- mour, which tends to arrive as a cheeky sting at the end of a serious political remark. But it's a feature that is, if not entirely absent, then used very sparingly during Kapitali itself. "The difference with a novel – and it's a pretty basic one – is that the reader can take more time to digest what's be- ing said, unlike, say, a fleeting Facebook post, or even a blog. This is something I've been building towards, so it feels like a culmi- nation of sorts," Flask says, insisting that he would never refer to himself as an "artist". "But either way, this is the most sustained and honest way I feel I can express myself about our po- litical and social situation." Told in a roving first-person perspective that will be familiar to readers of Game of Thrones – though Flask's influences cleave closer to Irvine Welsh, even in this regard – and in an unapologeti- cally bilingual register – an echo of another local writer, Alex Vella Gera, whose Is-Sriep Regghu Saru Velenuzi Flask acknowledges as a key inspiration – the novel uses the fates of Daniel Borg (PL) and Robert Rutter Miceli (PN) to navi- gate the minefield of the local po- litical scenario. But the character I predict will leave a more enduring mark on readers is one Saviour Fiteni. A clear-cut case of 'If he didn't ex- ist, we would have to invent him' – as Flask himself just did – Fiteni is a highly charismatic fixer work- ing behind the scenes to manipu- late the fates of both Daniel and Robert, in a way that would ben- efit the political duopoly at any given time (if we can indulge the Game of Thrones analogy for a lit- tle longer, Fiteni would be the Lit- tlefinger of the piece). Fiteni has no qualms about crossing party lines in his mission – for him, the point is not to support one party or an- other, but to make sure the tug-of- war between the two remains the dominant force over Maltese soci- ety. "Although the main spark for that character emerged from my research into similar figures dur- ing the 80s and 90s in Italy – where you had journalists being murdered by the mafia, another element of it all that I sadly wasn't expecting to become relevant here as well – he is actually an allegory for various forces that control Maltese society. He is, in effect, control itself." This all begs the question of whether Flask believes that the lines that are drawn up between the two parties are really just a superficial veneer for the benefit of the gal- lery... "To answer your question, yes. Absolutely, yes," Flask cuts me off. "There is nothing substantially dif- ferent in policy between the two parties, who have 'mind-control' over a large swathe of voters. I mean, this is clearly a struggle for power, but it's a struggle that has nothing to do with whoever is in government. There are other play- grounds where power manifests itself. Planning and construction being one of them..." In fact, Flask's trademark satiri- cal stabs come down all the sharper during the scenes which depict planning abuses. Both Daniel – as a budding fresh face in politics warmly coveted by the Muscat mi- lieu in the run-up to 2013 – and Robert – as a lawyer who cannot re- sist getting sucked into the rewards reaped by the over-development craze – help Flask paint a picture of what he assumes to be the bat- tleground of planning abuses. But how much of these backroom – or not-so-backroom – dealings in various offices and board rooms are down to hard fact, and how much of it is conjecture? "Most of it is gut feeling about the way things go but I have a suspicion that I might not be that far off the mark. Anyone following Planning Authority tribunals on Wednes- days and Thursdays notices there's a clear pattern that emerges. Let's not kid ourselves. There are poli- cies that are meant to be broken..." But just like the character of Sav- iour Fiteni stands in for a varied number of social and political evils of our country, so does planning, for Flask, present a 'tip of the ice- berg' scenario. "Our failures in planning also flag up issues of enforcement... of a 'culture' that has no qualms about allowing certain things to just hap- pen. But an even deeper layer of all that – and something I really wanted to bring up with Kapitali – is the question of where is the money coming from, and where is it going?" Hence the clue in the title. And it's also another thing that cuts across the political divide, and hints at what's behind Flask's skepticism of any protest action that treats be- ing 'anti-partisan' as taboo. "What I find rather hypocritical is certain individuals who criticise the 'rule of law' while they them- selves earn money made from the sale-of-citizenship scheme. And where does that money go? I can tell you for a fact that a lot of it is going into property. So yes, let us have a chat about the dirty things that are going on in our society. Let us have a chat about dirty money, and where it's going..." Kapitali is published by Merlin Publishers. It will be launched at this year's edition of the Malta Book Festival, taking place at the Medi- terranean Conference Centre in Valletta from November 8 to 12 News The Ministry for Tourism would like to inform all local councils and NGOs that the EDEN award for a Tangible Cultural Offer is now open. Interested local councils and NGOs are requested submit the application to the following address by not later than Friday 3 rd November 2017: Director, Policy Development Programme Implementation Ministry for Tourism 233, Republic Street Valletta VLT 1116 A winner and 4 runners-up will be chosen. The winning destination and runners-up will be awarded the EDEN award during a national award. Furthermore, the winning destination will also be presented with an official token by the European Commission in Brussels. The winning destination and runners-up will also be featured in numerous marketing initiatives. The Ministry for Tourism would like to encourage all local councils to participate in this initiative. Please contact PDPI office on 22915052 or pdpi.mot@gov.mt for a copy of the application, queries or assistance. Turning ourselves human capital kapitali Wayne Flask kapitali Wayne Flask "Bejn kafè l-Belt, permessi m'ghand il-MEPA, religio et patria u Socjalisti sexy, l-istorja ta' Flask hi forsi iktar veritiera minn dik li minghalina li nafu." Claire Bonello - - . PHOTOGRAPHY BYJAMES BIANCHI Streetfighting man: Wayne Flask wages war on the bipartisan stranghehold in Kapitali