Opinion: Has The Bi-Party System Turned The Major Maltese Political Parties Into Cults?
A bi-party system, a turbulent past, and a voter turnout that appears to be slowly declining. Has the Maltese political system failed the public?
Our political history has long had the two major political parties at Malta’s forefront, and at the core of our Maltese political beliefs. The colours red and blue have never had a more significant meaning – on paper the party one supports, the ideologies one believes in. The associations and actions of citizens, however, are not as simplistic in nature.
From support, we’ve scaled it up to worship, destroying any notion of ‘the politician is there to serve’. And from a political party, we may have pushed it as far as a cult-like following, one many have and continue to swear by, come what may.
The concept is far from a new one, having seen history repeat itself multiple times. The turbulent 60s, 70s and 80s illustrated just how far these reds and blues would go to defend their honour, and break that of the other in the process.
Violence, chaos and even murder were testimony to this. The cases of Karen Grech and Raymond Caruana illustrated just how far these so-called ‘followers’ or ‘fans’ were willing to take it – a bomb placed into a letter, and a shooting at a local band club.
Although the country has come a long way in the following decades, political tribalism remains a very powerful force, as evidenced by the reluctance of many to even consider including an independent or third party candidate in their vote.
Is it the upbringing, the culture, the education system or just a mix of all three? When did blindly supporting a group of people become part of Maltese culture? When did we adopt the habit of treating our politicians like gods?
A possible explanation could lie in Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs.
As Maslow stated, only until one’s basic priorities (food, water, shelter) are satisfied can individuals move up the pyramid to fulfil their higher order needs (relationships, hobbies, work satisfaction, and the common good) and reach their full potential.
With this same reasoning, Maltese people in need of a home, a job, a higher income, or more government benefits will naturally seek to fulfil their own needs before even thinking about the greater good. However, even when these are fulfilled, people might feel in debt to their political benefactors and would want to return the favour.
As a result, loyalty and support are handed over blindly, from generation to generation, and party support becomes ingrained into people’s identities and political psyche. That could be why many people even self-identify as “Nationalists” and “Labourites”, as opposed to “PN and PL voters”, and end up singing their leader’s praises no matter what.
There can never be self-actualisation if our most pressing physiological basic needs are not satisfied. The question must be, therefore, how we can break the cycle once these needs are granted, and avoid god-like-worship for the sake of improving the nation.