The ‘I-hate-my-country’ syndrome

The announcement by British comedian Paul O’Grady that he would leave the UK if the Tories win again because “he cannot stand living under this bloody government any more” has hardly caused a ripple. Instead, I think these kind of empty threats have the opposite effect on people because they turn into something of a joke. It follows a similar declaration by the much-hated commentator Katie Hopkins (who succeeds in offending everyone) who promised to leave England if Labour won.

Suffice to say that she is so hated that her statement was described as the biggest boost to the Miliband camp since the campaign began.

I often wonder why people think these kind of dramatic pronouncements will really have an effect on voters. I doubt that anyone really bases their vote depending on where celebrities choose to live. The truth is that at some point or another, we have all said that we hate the country we live in. I know I have in moments of sheer frustration and exasperation. But the irony is that it seems that everyone, all over the world, is complaining about their homeland and many even end up moving to other countries in search of a better life.

The Maltese have a long history of emigration, and never has it been as easy as it is today to pack up your bags and leave for pastures anew (whether you will actually find a job is another matter).

Meanwhile, Italians are going through such a rough patch because of unemployment that they are coming to Malta. A recent article in the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano carried an interview with economics graduate Vittoria Rinaldi, 30, who had given up on Italy where she had felt completely undervalued as an employee and “you were just grateful you had a job”.

She came to Malta to study English, started looking for work, and soon found a job with the gaming industry. Reading her description of how much better employees were treated in Malta and how great it was to live on our island, I had to smile. It is in such a sharp contrast to the way we often speak of our own country.

But that’s how the life is – we always seem to want what others have. Speak to many 20 and 30-somethings and they will tell you how they cannot wait to leave Malta because they cannot stand it and the reasons they give are all valid: it’s too small, it’s dirty, it’s over-developed, politics permeates everything, getting a good job or a promotion depends on who you know, corruption is often a way of life, the opportunities are limited and did they mention that it’s too small? Yes, Malta’s tiny size can, and often is, incredibly stifling especially at a young age when you yearn to be free and disappear somewhere where your every movement is not judged by people who have known you your whole life.

In fact, I would actively encourage anyone who feels this way to try living abroad for at least a year if only to gain some perspective, broaden their outlook on life, gain independence and open their minds to what is out there, away from Malta’s over-protected shores.

I would go so far as to suggest that, rather than stipends, the government should grant travel subsidies as a form of investment in education. I admire parents who make travelling with their children a priority because nothing, but nothing can compete with learning about different cultures by actually visiting a country. Travelling blows away the cobwebs in your mind, especially if you allow yourself to actually experience how other people live, rather than huddling in pre-packaged tour groups with other Maltese people.

It is when you live in another country for a while, however, that your perspective really shifts and the sharp edges of your discontent (and even bitterness) towards your own country are softened somewhat. You begin to see that human nature is the basically the same the world over, governments renege on their promises the world over, and the quality of life is… well, frankly, it is what you make it. You could be living in the largest, most affluent country in the world, but if you have compressed your own daily life to the same old commute, where it is just a daily grind of work-home-shopping-home-TV and then back to work again, you might as well be living in a backwater.

Having said that, this is not a rose-coloured eulogy to Malta or an attempt to justify what is patently wrong. There is definitely a lot wrong, especially the short-sighted way this government is granting permits to build, build, build without a thought to the environment or sustainability.

What will we do if and when the economy hits a slump and we are faced with gaping holes of half-constructed hotels which have no hope of ever being finished because the money ran out? What will we do when there is no more greenery left because concrete has edged its way and encroached into every last remaining corner of the countryside? New “luxury” developments are being marketed constantly, but what about the cramped, unfinished, unlivable and downright ugly apartment blocks which will never, ever be sold?

These are the things which make me “hate” Malta, but it is a fleeting kind of hate, and probably more better described as anger. An anger born out of the fact that you love your country so much that you cannot stand to see it ruined by politicians who treat it like their own fiefdom.