Polarizzazzjoni

Veru li d-diskors politiku f’pajjiżna reġa’ ġie polarizzat bil-kbir fl-aħħar ġimgħat. Ta’ min hu t-tort m’inix se ngħid hawn, għalkemm m’għandix dubju ta’ min hu.
Għext fi żminijiet oħra fejn kien hawn polarizzazzjoni qawwija u allura nista’ nqabbel. M’aħniex f’li qed jiġri, nsegwu l-fasla ta’ qabel fil-mod kif induru kontra xulxin,bl-argumenti u ġieli b’modi oħra.
Veru li l-midja soċjali qed iħawdu l-bigħa. Issegwi lilhom u lil dak li qed jinkiteb fil-ġurnali, fuq il-karta stampata jew bil-mezzi elettroniċi, tasal biex tqis li se jinqabeż kull limitu fil-mod kif il-Maltin qed jisħnu għal xulxin.
Biss imbagħad, meta tiġi biex titkellem wiċċ imb’wiċċ man-nies, issib li l-qigħa hi ħafna aktar kalma milli kont wasalt biex tifhem. Qabel, fil-kriżijiet l-oħra ta’ polarizzazzjoni, ta’ spiss kont issib li wiċċ imb’wiċċ, il-konfront kien ħafna aqwa milli ssibu fil-midja. Did-darba, le.
Forsi għalhekk li skont l-stħarriġ ta’ opinjoni pubblikat, il-gvern żied mhux naqqas mill-fiduċja lejh fost il-poplu?
OPPOŻIZZJONI
L-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista tilfet wisq żmien biex tissettja l-istrutturi ġodda tagħha wara t-telfa elettorali. Hi ħaġa ċara ta’ min hi l-ħtija imma għalfejn noqgħod nikkummenta fuq hekk?
Min-naħa l-oħra hu fl-interess nazzjonali li jkun hawn Oppożizzjoni magħquda u kostruttiva. Nittama li l-kondizzjonijiet biex dan l-għan jintlaħaq issa nstabu, indipendentement minn x’fehmiet wieħed jista’ jkollu dwar il-mexxejja l-ġodda. Quddiemhom għandhom sfida iebsa. Biss fil-politika, dejjem ikun żball li tissottovaluta l-potenzjal biex min ikun minn taħt, jirnexxielu jitla’ fil-wiċċ.
Li nemmen hemm bżonn biex dan jiġri hu li l-Oppożizzjoni tqis strateġiji oħra minn dik li fl-aħħar xhur ħaddnet. Għadhom jidwu f’widnejja s-sejħiet patetiċi fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew tad-deputati Nazzjonalisti lis-sala: Għinuna! Salvawna!
Kienet tattika ta’ min qata’ qalbu li għad jasal iż-żmien meta se jkun jista’ jmexxi l-pajjiż.
ŻIMBABWE
Il-waqa’ ta’ Robert Mugabe fiż-Żimbabwe kienet imħarrka ħafna. Sorprendenti fil-mod kif ġrat mil-lum għal għada.
Biss toqgħod tħammem dwar il-biċċa, forsi mhi xejn sorprendenti. Mugabe fiż-żmien twil li dam fil-kariga żgur kellu jagħmel ħafna maniġġi biex isostni l-pożizzjoni tiegħu. Matulhom żgur ukoll li żied fl-għedewwa u fil-ħbieb foloz. Aktar ma jgħaddi ż-żmien, aktar hu kien se jispiċċa żgur mill-poter tiegħu li jista’ jagħmel kollox, waqt li jinduna anqas u anqas li ta’ madwaru qed jikkalkolaw kif l-aħjar jistgħu jwarrbuh.
Imbagħad jieħu deċiżjoni li tidhirlu qawwija u f’waqtha. Id-digi jinfaqgħu.
L-aktar li jgħaġġibni fl-imġiba ta’ mexxejja bħal Mugabe hi dir-rieda biex posthom iħalluh lil xi membru tal-familja tagħhom. X’sens jagħmel dan?

English Version – Polarisation

It is true that political discourse in this country has again gotten greatly polarised during the past few weeks. I will not say here who I think is responsible, though I have no doubt about who should be blamed.

I lived through other times when there was too a huge polarisation. So I can compare and contrast. In what is happening now though, we are not following previous patterns in the ways by which we turn on each other, with arguments and at times other means.

Also true: the social media serve as distorting mirrors. If you follow what they present and what gets written in the papers, both in print and electronically, you easily come to the conclusion that shortly all limits will be thrown away in the ways by which Maltese people get angry at each other.

But then, when you come face to face with people, you find that the situation is much calmer than you had been led to believe. In the past, during other “hot” situations which became polarised, you would discover that face to face, confrontation could be harsher than in the media. Not this time round.

Is it why according to opinion polls being published, the government has won not lost, an increased share of the public trust?

***

The Opposition

The Nationalist Opposition lost too much time in setting up its new structures following its election defeat. It is clear who is responsible but why should I comment about this?

On the other hand, it is in the national interest that there should be a united and constructive Opposition. I hope that now the conditions to make this happen have been attained (independently of the views one might hold about the new leaders). They face a daunting challenge. Yet in politics, it is always a mistake to underestimate the potential for the underdog to move upfront.

I believe however that for this to happen, the Opposition needs to consider different strategies to the ones it has followed in past months. I can still hear the pathetic calls made by Nationalist MEPs in the hall where the EP plenary was being held: Help us! Save us!

It was the call of people who had lost all hope that the time would come for them to take their turn at running the country.

***

Zimbabwe

The downfall of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe happened very fast. It was surprising how it developed practically overnight.

Still, all things considered, it was perhaps not so surprising. During the long time he spent in office, Mugabe certainly had to carry out lots of manoeuvres to sustain his position. Sure enough, he must have also increased the number of his enemies and false friends. As time passed, he would have grown increasingly certain of his ability to carry everything through, while noticing less of the calculations being made by those around him regarding how to get rid of him.

Then he would take one decision that to him might appear as tough and perspicacious. And the dikes would burst.

What most puzzles me in the behaviour of leaders like Mugabe is this determination to pass their position on to some other member of their own family. What is the logic of that?