It’s been more than ten years now since I left Malta (click here to read my original article about why I left), and in recent years I’ve preferred not to comment much on Malta, both because I had personally moved on from thinking about the country or following its news, and also from a sense of responsibility. Since I hadn’t been spending much time there, I thought I should let others do the talking since I couldn’t be sure whether things had stayed the same, worsened, or maybe improved since I left.
This year, however, I spent a month in Malta with my family. I thought it would be a good way for my young kids to experience the place where I grew up, or at least the good parts that remain of it. I consider myself very lucky to have been born and brought up in Malta. Some problems that led to me leaving have existed for many many years, way before I was even born, but my childhood and teenage years were certainly great, and Malta was, in my opinion, passing through some of its best times back then.
So what do I think of the current state of Malta after having again spent some time there?
Well, I’m afraid the situation doesn’t look pretty to me.
In short, I would describe the country as an anarchic construction site, and certainly, as a third-world country masquerading as a modern and flourishing European nation.
The Locals’ Views are Changing
There’s one thing that has really stood out to me. When I wrote my article on why I left Malta, and especially when I had actually left a few years before, the feeling was that the problem was mine, and nobody else really felt there was any problem with Malta. This feeling of being the odd one out was probably one of the reasons that drove me to leave and try out other places to see if I was the insane one or not, now that I think of it.
However, that has changed over the years. In my recent trip and even other shorter trips before that, I’ve actually had to resort to imploring friends and even people I met for the first time to talk about something else rather than complaining about the state of the country and how they’d leave if they could. There is a shared sense of pessimism that definitely wasn’t there 5 or 10 years ago. This feeling of mine is mirrored in recent surveys done on Malta’s younger generations. Most of them want to leave and think that the future of Malta isn’t bright.
What Laws?
I describe Malta as being in a state of anarchy because even though there are laws and regulations just like anywhere else, people seem to completely ignore them in the most in-your-face manner imaginable. Of course, some people manage to flaunt the law more than others, after all this is a country that has become known for its corruption at the highest levels, as its greylisting indicates. While corruption and nepotism has always existed on this island, the current Labour party has taken things to another level.
One Big Construction Site
As for the construction site part, you just need to spend a few hours driving around Malta to understand why I describe it that way. There’s dust everywhere (forget dust control measures in Malta, nobody cares), and everywhere you look are cranes and bulldozers destroying traditional terraced houses and erecting the next ugly block of flats. Not to mention the building in what was previously green areas, again thank the unscrupulous political parties for that.
No wonder the cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases have gone through the roof. Oh, and I forgot to mention the lax safety standards in place when demolition and construction takes place. A few people died due to their houses collapsing while works were being done on the adjacent buildings, but this is Malta, and the people responsible get to continue living their lives while the victims suffer on.
The country has always been very limiting geographically; as a resident or native Maltese, you pretty much get to know every part of the islands by heart, meet the same people, go to the same restaurants etc. On the other hand, in bigger countries, you always have the sense that you can do something new, and that was also one reason why I left. With the destruction of Malta’s natural environment, the increase in population, and corresponding traffic and pollution, it has become downright suffocating.
Greed and Selfishness – A Way to Cope?
The greed and selfishness in the acts of people in Malta are unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else. The interesting thing is that for the most part, these people are not even aware that they are doing something that might be an inconvenience or harm others. In fact, if you talk to some of these people in the street, they might come across as very friendly. That’s one of the paradoxes that really drives me crazy on this island.
I have a theory about this. There is only so much abuse one can watch and suffer on a daily basis before instinctively they will act in a similar way. In this way, people begin to justify small misdeeds, perhaps with a typical Malta “u ijwa” or “mhux xorta?” (meaning “it doesn’t really matter” or “it’s ok”). It’s ultimately a way to cope and normalize life in the conditions that Malta is in right now.
But the Foreigners are Coming in Droves!
Touching on the population increase, today 20% of the Maltese population was not born there. While some try to promote this fact by saying that many expats are moving to Malta because it is so great, the reality is somewhat different. Most foreigners are laborers and occupy low-skill jobs that the Maltese no longer want to do. They move here just because it’s slightly better than the previous place they were based in and struggle to make ends meet. I have made respect for many of these immigrants who not only work hard to earn a living, but actually support the rest of their families thousands of kilometers away in countries like the Philippines, India and Pakistan, as well as many African nations.
So let’s be honest, they didn’t move to Malta because of all the supposed virtues that are trumpeted in the glossy tourist ads, they are there for the money, and will move to another place when things change. A much smaller percentage of expats move to Malta for the weather, and more importantly for tax reasons. Given the destruction of Malta’s environment and climate change making the weather even hotter than it was before, I suspect the weather will become less of a factor, while the Maltese tax system has long been in the EU’s crosshairs and might very well become less attractive if they decide to apply more pressure on Malta to change the fiscal incentives.
Quo Vadis Malta?
Malta the island remains a gem, despite all the harm that has been done to it over the years. There remain a few pockets of beauty but it is getting harder and harder to find them and enjoy them without being disturbed by the actions of other irresponsible people.
As for the local people, I want to stress that there are many extremely friendly, honest, and genuinely great Maltese people, and I have the honor of counting on some of them as friends and family. I admire them for their tenacity in trying to do good things and even change the status quo, despite the adversities. However, the tragedy of the commons is all too apparent in Malta, and the growing number of bad apples ruins the overall pie.
While it’s sad for me to say it, Malta, when all things are considered, is on a steep decline and there’s not much that gives me hope for the islands.
Malta’s two main economic drivers are tourism and the financial industry. These two currently fuel and support the construction frenzy we are seeing, but all this construction is making Malta less attractive for tourists, while the financial industry is heavily dependent on Malta being able to retain its tax incentives. So in my view, both tourism and the financial industry are on shaky territory, and when one or two of those are affected, you can expect a huge construction bubble to pop.
Now that I have kids, the most important question for me has changed from being where I feel the best living, to where I want my children to grow up. And if I was quite confident with my answer to the first question, the second one I can answer even more unequivocally – I can’t ever imagine my kids growing up in Malta.
Thank you Jean for your reply and as you also recommended, time to move on. Nothing is changing for the better and the many people there are still running in circles, complaining, bickering. Every suggestion to break this cycle to improve things is at best finding merely a minority that thinks for themselves and are not bond to any of the big parties but they are also the most frustrated.
Best wishes and good bye.
Hi Jean,
A pity I missed you when you were here. We’ve been here for a year now; quite harsh words but I do agree with most of them. But for me the biggest issue is rather that you feel most Maltese don’t like/trust foreigners. I heard so many stories about this and also my wife found out you only get the jobs the Maltese don’t want. You kind of have to accept to be treated as a second class citizen here, a bit like in the Middle East I guess although I never lived there. It’s typical of countries that are very proud and nationalistic but it’s not the way we like to be treated. So we’ll leave next year. Also because I don’t like to rent and investing in housing here looks like a very bad idea given the price/quality you get. But it is a very international place and we met many interesting people and it has been a great adventure in a place that is surprisingly non-European. best regards.
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for your comment and insight. Some interesting points here.
You mention Malta being surprisingly non-European. I think it depends on how you think of ‘European’. If it’s the feeling and culture you get in mid and northern Europe, then I totally agree. On the other hand, I feel Maltese culture is very similar to the southern European Mediterranean countries. Especially over the past twenty years it’s become more European from my point of view. It’s unique in addition to the southern Mediterranean vibe, there is a strong British influence plus the Arabic elements too.
With regard to the Maltese people’s dislike or distrust of foreigners, I don’t feel I’m in the best position to comment on it, being Maltese myself. However, it’s something that keeps coming up, as you mention. For sure, there are many day-to-day situations where a few words in Maltese will get you unstuck or give you somewhat preferential treatment. It’s what you’d expect in any small community, though. When I lived there I can’t say I ever felt that there was any animosity towards foreigners. If anything, there was an inferiority complex on the Maltese side, and the foreigner was always treated as someone who knows better, at least in the professional sector. When the poker and betting companies started to arrive, bringing with them foreign employees, you could start to see some animosity, as most of these employees flouted their money and acted in poor ways on their nights out. But again, that was a relatively small niche.
Over the last decade, it is most certainly true that a lot of foreign workers have moved in to take over jobs that the Maltese didn’t want, most notably in the construction and caregiving sectors. There might be some sectors where the Maltese are feeling threatened by the arrival of more foreigners who could take their jobs, leading to situations like the ones you mentioned. I believe that Maltese employers would also be wary that while many Maltese find it hard to leave their country, many foreigners only end up staying in Malta for a few years before moving on (for whatever reason). Thus the employers would probably rather invest in a Maltese person, given equal qualifications and suitability for the job.
Hi Jean,
Thanks for your mail. As you know we have lived 5 years in Cyprus before and also spent time in Barcelona. I very much like the mediterranean culture. But I agree that I guess having we had become too mid-European again in the last 10 years working in Switzerland and Belgium as we had quite a culture shock. The non-European element for me is in the (what i call Arabic) trading culture where you almost literally everything need to fight if you do not want to be taken for a ride (by your landlord, your employer, service providers…) for often basic rights. We did not have that experience in other Mediterranean countries. We always felt welcome. I can understand the distrust of foreigners given the history (although we’re coming from a country that was also occupied by many) but I also think it is something that has become stronger in recent years (eg from today’s paper: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/editorial-it-s-foreigners-aliens.976169.) due to the feeling (that I share) that there are just too many people living on a small space and they are an easy scapegoat. The influx of foreigners is only quite recent in Malta and I think it takes time for society to adjust but government is rather fuelling the distrust; there is widespread abuse of especially TCKs in all sectors (often akin to slavery imo) but it is deemed quite normal, these people are almost seen as a commodity. And the corruption wow…couldn’t believe it.
Thanks for expanding on that point Patrick. I agree that the culture you describe is very much present. It is indeed probably a relic from northern African culture (I’ve had much worse experiences in Tunisia, and heard horror stories from Maltese who tried to do business in Libya), but there really is no excuse for such behavior now that Malta is supposed to be fully integrated into Europe.
Nothing more to add to the other points; fully agree.
Hi Jean,
After a long time, another interesting and for the reason that it reflects on the reality in Malta, a welcome article of yours.
It’s been an interesting reading and also seen and written from a distant angle for the reason that you have been on a month holiday in your country of origin for a month after an absence of a couple of years. That of course always gives one a different impressions and thoughts for comparison in contrast to those who reside in Malta.
My interest in Malta has kept for years to follow the developments in Malta for the past couple of years closer, after I also lost it for six years when my interests moved to somewhere else.
When I have been to Malta the last time in 2011 and spent my last holiday there in 2019, it was really very apparent to see what has changed in the years between. What was already some nuisance in 2011 with articles about the ‘cranes sticking up to the sky’ and it wasn’t like in 2019 back then, things have gone worse. I missed what was going on in Malta between 2013 and 2018. I also noticed that the noise pollution in some ‘quality tourist’ areas increased. On my last stay at the very same hotel where I used to go in Sliema, it felt like two places are having a competition for who has the music turned on the loudest. It wasn’t quite that worse like what I have read in the Maltese media during the past couple of years, noticing that in some areas not too far from where I used to stay, along the coastline there are people partying until 4 a.m. and those local residents as well as some tourists, are deprived a night’s rest for the noise that is running wild. The authorities in Malta, appear to either are careless and ignoring complaints (of which there are nearly countless by the locals) or there is no interest on part of the Maltese government (the local councils are also complaining to the government to no avail) to get a grip on that problem and put an end to it with time restrictions on public gatherings after midnight.
But one also has to put into consideration the reckless and selfish behaviour of some ‘non-quality’ tourists who only seek a cheap holiday to get drunk to the hilt and for whom the locals in Malta seem to don’t exist. Those Maltese and also foreign nationals who run their business along the coastline are only interested in making money as much as they can. Some parts of the pavement are also already claimed by some of them and a Kiosk is sometimes placed right in the middle of the way, making it a challenge for every pedestrian to ‘circumvent’ to pass it. Complaints as usual, it takes much efforts by people to complain to the authorities (the Plan-ning Authority – PA) and get them to take action. This is supported by the Maltese media and I am convinced that if it wasn’t for them backing up the locals who have to suffer under the pre-sent circumstances, the authorities would not act at all.
When I was back in Malta in 2019, things were not quite that worse as they have developed within the past two years, even the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic (which some Mal-tese still deny to exist and ignore or like to downplay it as ‘just being an ordinary flue’) just postponed the development for a short time. The trend was already going worse and when I read all those articles and also some comments posted by those who are affected by the noise pollution, Malta looks like hell and not like a gem in the Med to me. But somehow, the locals are left to cope with it, always being let down by their own government, but not just that, also by their fellow Maltese who are also apparently indifferent to these problems as long as they are not affected by these problems. They – just yet – have the advantage to live in areas which haven’t been ‘discovered’ by the greedy building industry to ruin their environment the same way as they did in the years before in other towns in Malta. I also noticed that this ‘plague’ has reached Gozo as well. It is clear to me by now, more than ever before, that this ‘building craze’ is not to end until the whole of Malta is ruined by it.
Politics in Malta are also getting worse, but I won’t waste much time on it anymore because it is always the same running in circles on both sides of the two big parties, PL and PN. There is also an apparent disconnection between the leading ranks of both parties to the grassroots members and where the PL is always advancing those who like to profit and I can only guess what the PL wants from them in return which might be a bit more than just ‘the vote’ on election days, the PN is always ‘content’ with the usual infights and ingratitude towards long serving members.
Then there are those not in power, but more concerned about the country itself, the NGOs. But their means are also limited due to the fact that they have no political power. They can manage to organise a protest and do something to bring about a stop to commercialise every spot that is of interest for tourists and locals alike (Comino), but that pressure put on the Maltese govt. also has its limits in success and in the light to prevent such things from happening again. It all seems just temporary, and once the situation has calmed down and the reason for it almost forgotten, it looks the way to just start over again.
When one goes with the articles of the Maltese media and also takes the trouble to read through the comments by readers, the bigger picture in a way how they and their comments reflect on the whole situation are – depending on the commentator – even more crass and the polarisation that holds them in its grip is really a matter onto itself and themselves.
There are those who no matter what, come what may, stand to the governing PL, the destruc-tion of their home islands for the sake of profit for those who already have plenty of money made out of it but apparently there is never enough of it for them, doesn’t matter. The environ-ment destroyed, the local and unique Maltese architecture sacrificed to that profiteering is tak-en as a means from which they think that they benefit themselves through the fiscal policies of the PL govt. and as long as the building craze affects the towns along the eastern costal area, from Gzira via Sliema, St Julians to Paceville, they don’t care as if this would be just in another country far away. There are really many narrow minded people commenting on websites of the Maltese media and worst of all, they are also proud of themselves being that way.
Now, this noise pollution has also arrived in Valletta and it was quite natural for the locals living there that they protested against a new regulation that allows bars and other venues to have their music and outdoor services extended to 1 a.m. with music played on ‘a moderate level’. Everyone who has been to Malta for not just once, can imagine what such a regulation means and it is in practice far from being ‘moderate’. It has already an effect on the higher class hotels in Valletta with guest complaining about the noise too and everybody who has endured all that for one week, is much probably not to return to Malta as a tourist in future. But who cares? The govt. is indifferent to that, apparently, and there will always be tourists to Malta, but I think that the Maltese govt. can rather forget about getting the ‘quality tourists’ as they seek to have them, because word spreads when the people are back home and tell others about what they ‘experienced’ in Malta. I count myself among those ‘quality tourists’ by the way they are de-scribed. I went to the sites that interested me, spent money on books and other things and took a stroll along the Strand and went back to the hotel to have a rest. No misbehaviour on my part and no harassment of locals living in that area as the drunkard tourists are doing (of which I have read articles then and now in the Maltese media). I have come to the point that my inter-est in further holiday in Malta have rapidly declined by what I have seen three years ago and what I have read since then. For the money I have to spend for a holiday in Malta, I can go elsewhere and have it more comfortable and with less noise in the surrounding area and it even costs me less money.
It is rather sad to see Malta still on the road downwards and no rationality in place by those in power, desperation and often failing in taking action by those who with all their hearts and minds are to preserve at least what is not yet taken by the greed in Malta.
People in Malta, going by the comments and maybe you have heard it yourself on your recent stay and got it from them directly in your talks, are always whinging about the situation in Mal-ta. But they are also not inclined to break the circle they have put themselves in to get out from this polarised idiocy that rules their day. The alternatives to vote for are there, the ADPD is what I personally would prefer because they have a concept for the future which is also envi-ronmental, social and about justice. Not like the pressure group NGO Repubblica which is still obsessed with the Daphne Caruana Galizia case and haunting the PL on every occasion that passes by.
There are other NGOs beside them, not as much connected to the ‘blue heroes’ of Dr Grech’s PN faction, like Occupy Justice which also runs along the Daphne Caruana Galizia case. In my perception, although I have also noticed that she was right in various cases as this has been proved by evidences coming to the fore in recent years, she has been made a person, heroin for many, which in her real life, she wasn’t the way as she is no depicted and worshipped. I am of the impression that those who are the loudest of her supporters since she was murdered, are probably those who let her down while she was still alive. Maybe too scared to put their support for her in the open, in public, rather reading her blog entries every day and can’t wait to have her publish something new. But no courage to go along with her in public when she was harassed and assaulted by those who hated her.
When you write about the mentality and the characters of your fellow Maltese, I don’t doubt what you say. Just that for myself, as not being a Maltese, I have made some different experi-ences. I have to ask you to excuse myself for putting it that way, but beneath the surface of the usual friendly and welcoming attitude of the Maltese towards foreigners, there is a certain ‘falsehood’ that always goes along with it and from time to time, shows its face.
As long as you are customer and they earn their money from you, things are going fine, most of the time, but I also encountered staff in some museums in Valletta who looked at you when buying a ticket like some sort of ‘a disturber’ as I really could read that from the mimic. Not just once and curious enough, such occasions occurred when visiting some Heritage Malta sites. The staff at Fort St Elmo was very friendly in contrast to the couple at the Muza. When one visits the private run sites, it is quite different because they can’t afford staff to be like the aforementioned. All in all, one can get along with such little ‘issues’ and take it as some sort of Maltese mentality and differences in accordance with the individual. The differences between the State run and the private run locations remains striking nonetheless.
When one gets into contact with the locals on internet commenting facilities, there one experi-ences the ‘reality of the Maltese’ because there is no business involved and they don’t have to wear the ‘customer friendly mask’. There is always some ‘reservation’ towards non-Maltese and there is even blatant hatred towards those immigrants who come to Malta who take the jobs the Maltese themselves don’t like to do anymore. The anti-EU attitude among the PL sup-porters is not just very strong, but to me really disgusting and it cries of ingratitude for all the benefits that came along with Malta’s membership in the EU. The PN supporters are quite the opposite, the other extreme and would rather like to have the EU run the govt. of Malta instead of the PL because the PN is too weak to get voted into power. Nothing in between, no centre ground, no common sense, always bickering with the opposite, the usual crap that goes on in every internet place where people meet and exchange posts. No sense for rationality, no incli-nation to look beyond the shores of Malta and consider how developments, like this climate change which is undoubtedly in full swing, is to have on Malta.
Malta is in a mess and so are the people who live there, with a government that is still just after the money and this gives one the impression that they would give everything in order to keep the profits going, no matter what and every critic on that way is ignored and as one could see by the past GE, there is a majority of the electorate who honoured it in voting for the PL but also an increase in non-voters who are fed up with both, the PL and the PN and have no inter-est to give their vote to small parties to strengthen them.
No argument, however reasonable and considered, can bring them to think for themselves and stop supporting parties who always revolve around themselves and their own as well as their cronies vested interests (on both sides). The people always complain about the present situa-tion but paradoxically, they seem to love it as well. That is in my view completely insane and it doesn’t make sense to me to support and vote for a party to have that in government despite the proved fact that they don’t give a damn about people and the heritage.
The Malta I once liked has almost vanished and now I am asking myself whether this was just an illusion all along although I am also a realist, but the charm of Malta certainly went out to the sea, never to return.
Thanks for your thoughts Thomas, everything you said is true, unfortunately.
One day the Maltese will realize that it is useless to have made a lot of money when you have destroyed your culture and your environment. I suspect by then all the young bright minds who respect themselves and the future of their children would have left the country to seek greener pastures, adding to the woes of those who remain.
Thanks for your reply Jean and I hope that your recent visit to Malta wasn’t quite that frustrat-ing as it can be in regards of the political developments and the status of environmental and development issues can be.
In spite of the bleak perspective emanating from the situation in Malta, there are still people who refuse to simply resign and let things go on as they do.
There are some NGOs in Malta, to name Moviment Graffitti, who stand up against the PL poli-cies and are activists. One hardly notice them on the usual commenting facilities on Maltese media outlets. I presume that they have better things to do than to engage in insane tit-for-tat childish, insulting and abusive exchange of comments.
This Moviment Graffitti NGO is from time to time present in the Maltese media, but only there. If one doesn’t follow the Maltese media outlets, one hardly get to even know their name. But nevertheless, they are environmental activists and in recent weeks, they have staged some actions against the commercialising of the Comino island which is also an NATURA 2000 area. That means that such areas are by EU regulations and followed by national regulations pro-tected special natural environmental spaces. This didn’t hinder some people to occupy some spots for themselves and there have been articles in the Maltese media now and then. Too much to go into further detail, but fact is, that this year some smart business people set up sunbeds and umbrellas on the rather small landing shore for which on has to pay. The first time when Moviment Graffitti staged a day of action in order to bring pressure on the Maltese government to end this sort of commercial occupation, they were successful, but this also led to much critics towards the Maltese government and authorities for having let it come to that in the first place. They were successful for the time being, because some weeks later, it all start-ed over again. This time, the Maltese Police was engaged in that matter to protect each side from another to start serious quarrels.
Then there is the ADPD, a centre-left Green Party in Malta, which is in my personal view, the only party I could vote for in an election if I would be Maltese. Neither the PN and apparently not the PL have a real interest to improve many things in Malta because if one means business to change things, it would have a huge impact on the economy in Malta. It would mean to have a transformation process that usually is to take years and some of the already rich would have to face a severe curbing of their sources of income, unless they switch to environmental tech-nologies or developments, quite contrary to what one has seen during the past eleven years and is still going on today.
From all what I have read on the Maltese media, including videos there and on YouTube, inter-views etc., there are still people who want to change the negative developments and reverse them into positive improvements, but they all have no political power because they are all ra-ther small NGOs in compare to the two big parties. I have the impression that they either don’t communicate with one another, or worse, quarrel with one another the same way like the PL always refuses to cooperate with the present leader of the PN, Dr Bernard Grech (he has not just once reached out to the government in the national interest and was rebuffed by the pre-sent PL leader and PM of Malta).
There seems to be no interest among all those who so strongly oppose the PL policies and I mean not just the usual Daphne Caruana Galiza debate that is always overloaded with strong emotions, to form a strong alliance among them to challenge the governing PL and thus either force them to change their policies and that means at the expense of the big developers or to vote them out. This has failed in the recent GE of March 2022 where the PL even won by a landslide and secured its power up to 2027. The numbers of non-voters have also increased, not that dramatically but still more than in compare to the last GE in 2017.
It is also a matter of the generation gap. The young versus the old. Those who have their whole live ahead of themselves and those who are already retired. Your other blog entry (“Why I left Malta”) is full of comments also by those younger Maltese who just like yourself, packed and left. Starting anew in another country and having the opportunities and prospect for a bet-ter life which they cannot get in Malta. But one cannot change anything or much from the out-side, to change things one has to be with those on the inside who struggle themselves against all the odds to improve things and always experience utter frustration because the government always does as it pleases and the Planning Authority of Malta is, going by the media articles, just like some part of the Maltese administration who has to do as it is told from above.
Such is the essence of the articles in the Maltese media in regards of their work and the pow-erlessness they appear to have on many developing projects that often go with the demolish-ing of old traditional built houses in Malta. There are many articles and there are also further small NGOs in Malta, also with younger and enthusiastic people who put many efforts and time in activities to preserve the heritage of Malta which is under the threat to suffer the same fate like many other buildings of that like before. They start public petitions but despite the support from within the public, the actual result is more often frustrating as that they succeed. Collect-ing the tiles from the floors of a house that is due to be demolished or taking them when the dustbin has already hit the house and take them from the rubble. That is also a really desper-ate way to preserve Maltese heritage. One can find them on social media and see what efforts they take to ‘rescue’ these from being destroyed and thrown on the rubbish.
These are the small things which always shed a tiny light into the darkness that commercial greed produces. I have much respect for those activists but I also have to see how futile it of-ten is for them and for those who don’t go confirm with this new Zeitgeist.
It is sad but a fact that many people in Malta (but not just there as this applies to other coun-tries too) are more engaged in quarrel and hinder each other than to try find a common ground to work together and support each other. I am not sure whether this is really just some part of the Maltese mentality cos in comparing them with others, my own country included, it appears to be more a matter of our times where the negativity always prevails and people have lost their sense for listening to others or reading what they write in media outlets or social media and think about the opposite opinion.
That is the Zeitgeist I was referring to, a real destructive one and some people really come across as being happy with it, always being against this or that party, politician, person, NGO or whatever, but no constructive critics or suggestions, always one-sided in thoughts and writings. Never to find a common basis for civilised discussions where common sense can work and prevail. I wish it would be more like that, people coming together and work together than this insane ‘everybody against everybody and no way to compromise’.
I often thought, from time to time, that in the light of all what I have told you, I better be finished with reading about Malta because in the end of the day, it’s not of my concern and some of the mean Maltese would happy tell me that ‘it’s none of your business’ and I probably might be better off with just leave it at that and never mind the way the Maltese are ruining their own country and at one day face the consequences of it. You know, one can have a week’s holiday around the Mediterranean for less money than going to Malta and the more heritage (not just the famous ones and the Museums) in Malta is neglected and left to rot, the less attractive Mal-ta becomes as a holiday destination.
I think that it is best by now for me to move on. Therefore, my best wishes to you and thanks for your time reading my lengthy comments and publishing them on your blog and also for your always polite responses.
Thanks for your thoughts Thomas. I think it is the best decision to move on, especially if you don’t have any real connection left with the islands. For those of us who grew up there and have family it is a bit more painful to see what’s happening, but in the end even we have to take the decision to focus on our new lives elsewhere rather than keep following the developments back in Malta. That is why I think it is so crucial to draw the line and leave the country if one is really feeling pained by the situation and sees no hope for the immediate future.