Responsibilities, the time for action is subjective
Julian Zarb
Over the past week we have witnessed two protests in the streets of Valletta that, at least essentially, were focused on the increase in energy bills for consumers. While such events are an important part of the democratic process in any modern state, yet there are times when it is more important to use dialogue and discussion to reach a truly sustainable conclusion than to provoke dissent and division. If you take a look at the tourism activity in any country, this can only be a success if there is a real sense of security and well being – no one enjoys visiting a destination where there is discontentment or unrest!
I believe that what happened last week should induce a sense of responsibility for all of us. The issue of energy bills, while it is one of concern for all of us, needs to be considered in the context of civic responsibility. Why do we not ask ourselves – what am I doing to avoid excessive or unnecessary use of energy? Whether we are an ordinary citizen or a high powered entrepreneur, we need to consider our civic duties – we all share the same resources and we all have a right to a decent quality of life here, but i am afraid that the buck does not stop with the President or the Parliament but it stops with each and every one of us. We can have countless laws (we have an overload of these legislative memorabilia I should think!) but if we lack the drive and initiative to put these into practice, then we may as well be living under the basic rules of a prehistoric community – existing for the laws of nature rather than the more rationale laws of a modern society!
I would like to give just a few examples of how we can be more responsible in our daily life – whether we are a student or whether we are a Member of Parliament .
I am a frequent visitor to the University of Malta and it never ceases to amaze me at the number of occurrences I come across when civic responsibility is ignored on campus. The amount of cars (not to mention the types and size that would make any environmentalist shudder at the thought of its impact on our lifestyle!) is inconceivable when you think that just a few paces away from the main parking lot is a perfectly efficient bus terminus that services most towns and villages. I have often proposed through letters and articles in many of our newspapers, that there is a minimum charge for student car parks – if only to make them aware of their civic responsibilities. It is one thing for the student to learn the theories of sustainability and the environment and quite another to make sure that the theory is put into practice.
We all have responsibilities – we tend to emphasize our rights more than the responsibilities. At the moment, I am producing and presenting a radio programme on Radju Maria that should build the basic framework for a code of Responsible Citizenship and the principles on which these should be formulated are very clear: our rights are someone else’s responsibility but our responsibilities are someone else’s right. If we could understand this very simple principle then we could be solving the perennial problem that has plagued us for years now – how to shed this strong sense of paternalism which has divided us more than it has united us!
By way of conclusion, therefore, if we want to re create the concept of real hospitality and service for these islands we need to be conscious about the importance of knowing and implementing our responsibilities as citizens – whether we are university students or whether we are workers, entrepreneurs and politicians – we all have the power to make this work, on the other hand if we use our time to protest when there is a chance of working together, then we may just have lost one opportunity!
