When we think about poverty, most items that come up in our thoughts tend to be quite common – people suffering from malnutrition, with ragged clothes and no roof over their heads. These are all realities found around the globe. And so, it seems to be a repetitive tendency for Maltese people to incorrectly assume that we do not have as much poverty, or at all in fact, simply because we don’t see many of the mentioned people in our public areas. Is that so, or does it mean something else is hidden in the shadows of our society?
In October 2019, NSO data provided that under 90,000 people in Malta were at risk of poverty and while for some time this issue was given importance, headlines vanished within a matter of days. But these people have not.
Despite the fact that these people have no voice, they still form part of society and could be a valuable asset for our community. With that being said a question comes to mind as to what are the people that have the power to construct such a change doing about this?
Politicians are there to serve all citizens, not only those that can financially back them up. Their responsibility to be the voice of the people should not only be in the promises that they so greatly make us believe will occur, if we vote for them. Such promises should actually be carried out and any decisions made must always be in the best interest of the whole society, especially those that lack basic needs.
Like everyone these people have their hopes and dreams, so why should these be cut short just because they’re stuck in a cycle and no one is doing anything about it? What are the people that have the ultimate power to help such individuals, doing? Despite the modern times we’re living in, is there still the presence of social classes? And at the end of the day what can the rest of the people do?
We are a community, and that means we walk hand in hand with each other for the benefit of our society. Every year the Maltese people show how generous they are through different charity events, so why shouldn’t we show our solidarity to these people that form part of our community as well, and be the voice that they don’t have? Anyone could end up in their situation and under those circumstances any helping hand would be greatly needed. We have the power of freedom of speech and expression, to express our thoughts about anything, so why not use such power to aid some of our own?
Written by: Deborah Spiteri
A Bird's Eye View 