If We’re Not Having Open Discussions At University, Where Are We Having Them?
This morning, Moviment Graffitti found its Freshers’ Week stand unceremoniously taken down because it ignored KSU’s no-abortion policy which means that neither pro-choice nor pro-life material was allowed to be shown.
The first question that comes to mind is, why on earth does KSU – a student organisation – have an abortion policy? KSU is the University’s student union — they’re not the government, not policymakers, and definitely not healthcare providers. Telling anyone what they can and can’t talk about is already Orwellian enough, the fact that is happening at a university makes it all the worse.
KSU’s reasoning is rooted in the belief that these controversial conversations are supposed to be tackled in specific spaces where they’re given “the gravitas they deserve”.
But I think that’s fucking ridiculous.
Are we really going to pretend like important conversations only happen under a spotlight with a carefully curated panel of experts, or worse, politicians?
Conversations are meant to be had everywhere and anywhere, but especially at University. If anything, student organisations should be working to facilitate these conversations that are important, and yes, controversial.
Universities are meant to be hubs of intellectual exploration and critical thinking. They are institutions that are meant to embody the spirit of curiosity and innovation, serving as incubators for ideas and catalysts for social change.
What KSU wants is a structured, sterile debate about abortion. It wants a forum, experts, and overall formality.
But let’s be real with ourselves. There are a lot more students who attend Freshers’ Week than there are attending KSU’s organised panel discussions for multiple reasons. Some may not enjoy the formality of them, others may not be able to dedicate a full two hours to attending them, and many may not be aware they’re even happening.
Personally, I’ve had the most interesting and eye-opening debates in casual settings; in a car with a friend, at the office with a colleague, even at a protest with a police officer. That’s exactly what Moviment Graffitti was doing – fostering unstructured debate and planting a seed of conversation through images, t-shirts and pamphlets containing information on family planning services, contraception and abortion.
But that’s apparently too much for KSU to handle.
Everyone should feel free to discuss and challenge the status quo at any point but especially at University, we cannot abnormalise political activity by saving it for special spaces.
Freshers’ Week is a time when new students start to transition into their next phases of life. They’re becoming adults and with this comes civic responsibility. As soon as new students enter the University’s quad, they should feel empowered to have the difficult conversations, be it with a friend, a lecturer, or a stand organiser.
This is especially true when it comes to abortion.
Unfortunately, KSU’s actions are symptomatic of the way we handle difficult conversations in Malta: by not having them. Granted, abortion is one of the most controversial subjects we have, but it’s true of many other areas of Maltese society. It’s about time we all grew up and learned to have difficult conversations.
A part of the problem is our leaders and decision-makers who constantly tip-toe around the topic because they’re afraid of losing their popularity by being controversial. In essence, they’re incapable of leading. Robert Abela, Alex Agius Saliba, Daniel Attard, and Rebecca Buttigieg have all “called” for discussion on abortion but never actually discussed it themselves.
Their job as policymakers is not just to give society the go-ahead to talk about a topic but to issue proposals and make decisions, and then ask for public feedback.
As ADPD leader Sandra Gauci rightfully said “We need to stop being afraid of the Babaw”. Our policy-makers have spent too long calling for conversations on abortion and never actually having them, our students can not be the same.
If our politicians don’t want to talk about abortion, then our students NEED to even more.
It’s no secret that most student organisation members have political aspirations, but that doesn’t mean they need to mimic the stupidity and ineffectiveness of our current politicians. They should actually be driven to do better.
Insisting on limiting discussions and conversations about basic human rights to specific places and times only serves to make political participation inaccessible and borderline elitist.
Students spend so long engulfed in their studies and unable to dedicate their time to things other than that. So why make it even harder?
KSU’s decision to take down Moviment Graffitti’s stand was horrifically misguided and self-righteous. KSU has no right to control discussion and it’s concerning for it to even think it does.
Plus, what activist organisation would Moviment Graffitti be if it agreed to censoring activism?
READ NEXT: Opinion: Towards A New World Struggling To Be Born
