Cutting colour from career
One of the most difficult decisions I have had to make was when I was asked to contest the general election on behalf of the Democratic Party. That night, I lay awake in bed poring over the implications. What held me back from immediately rising to the challenge was the adage that one must never show one’s ‘colours’.
To be political in Malta is to be exposed. Even supporting a third party is questionable. Malta is a country where the party you support is often not a question of ideology, policy or principle. It is a question of tribe. One inherits one’s party from the family, much like religion.
Today, I am quite sure that party comes before religion for most voters. For me to expose my political opinion for all the country to see, and in support of – shock and horror – a third party, without hope of rewards, was either a brave or foolish thing to do, especially at the fresh age of 25.
What would the implications be for my career? I suppose I have yet to find out, particularly as I have no intention of being intimidated into silence. In Malta, you are either punished harshly or you are richly rewarded depending on which party you support.
How can one talk about good governance...