Political leadership needs to assume its responsibility not to party constituents but to the broader Maltese population and society.
Three leading academics made this statement in the wake of the insistence of PN Leader Adrian Delia to stay on in his role, despite ample public distrust expressed in regular opinion polls and after significantly losing a vote of confidence by his own MPs. Delia has inssited that his responsibility was towards the affiliated members of the Nationalist Party who elected him back in 2017.
Prof. Andrew Azzopardi, Dean, Faculty for Social Wellbeing as well as Dr Stephanie Fabri and Dr George Vital Zammit, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer respectively at the Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy said that a small democracy like Malta’s requires an even stronger opposition and the country cannot permit to have an opposition that is weak, fragile and inherently broken.
In a statement to the media, the academics insisted on the importance of leadership, a trait which was even more evident during the COVID-19 experience has shown us. “With strong leadership and combined efforts of different stakeholders, Malta has managed to cope with a public health challenge extremely well especially when compared to other countries.”
The academics argued that it was now the time that such leadership is demonstrated in other key pressing challenges that Malta is currently facing.
The academics also referred to recent news and scandals emerging from the Courts or from investigative journalism, involving elected and appointed officials in dubious activity on a number of fronts, which is defined as a general malaise of the political system.
“This disease and rot present today, did not appear overnight, and is not merely the product of our current governance, but is instead the product of a wilful neglect and closing a blind eye to what is happening around us due to a potent mix of apathy, greed and self-interest brought about by an utter contempt for the Common Good” the statement said.
In an appeal to all stakeholders and the general public, the academics call for politicians to be held in account, demanding strong leadership, which is principled, honourable and righteous.
We deserve better.
