God save the …

In Maltese we have the saying “nispiccaw bil-God Save the Queen” (ending with the God Save the Queen, the British national anthem), which is used to highlight the fact that something had ended in a bad way.

It’s further proof of our colonial roots. Some say we Maltese are still a colony, at least in the way we look at ourselves in the mirror. Going back through our history we see the Maltese at one time fighting for more independence but in other times trying to attach themselves to a foreign power for more (perceived) prosperity and peace of mind.

For example, the Maltese tried to protect their semi-autonomy in the 15th Century after the infamous uprising against the feudal lord Gonsalvo Monroy. They lost this autonomy when the Maltese Islands were given to the Knights of St. John.

Then again, a few ‘enlightened’ Maltese proved an invaluable Fifth Column for the French invaders led by General Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798. When the relation with the new masters turned immediately sour the Maltese leaders sought new times with an emerging maritime power: England. It took 164-179 years for the Maltese to get rid of the English.

The colonial experience has left its mark on the Maltese way of thinking. The relative prosperity under the Knights, who could afford giving hundreds of loaves of bread for free every day and feed their sick at the Sacra Infermeria with silver cutlery, was a stark contrast to the continuous struggle for survival of the Middle Ages.

There were few instances where the Maltese really got the Knights on their nerves, such as with the uprising of the priests in the 18th century when the Order’s decline was starting to take its toll.

Many Maltese still shouted ‘Viva s-Sultan’ (Long Live the Grand Master) as long as they got the free loaf of bread.

When the French simply stopped giving this free loaf of bread, the Maltese revolted against the French insensitivity on Church matters and asked the English to kick the French out of Malta.

From then on many Maltese shouted ‘Long Live the King/Queen’ as long as the British brought the money-spending sailors of the Royal Navy in the Grand Harbour.

The movement for independence gained ground, like in many other colonies, after the Second World War. Once we got our independence on the 21st September 1964, the Maltese quickly substituted the Queen with the government. Some one had to give the freebees and continue the old tradition established by the Knights.

From then on many Maltese shouted “Viva l-Lejber” or “Ejjew Nazzjonalisti” and as long as the two main parties took care of their supporters with jobs for the boys (and girls), the majority was happy.

But then the Nationalist Party raised the issue of membership in the European Union and it managed to convince the majority to support this vision. And maybe quite a few Maltese would have thought that it would not be a bad idea to have the EU now giving freebies to Malta, in the old tradition.

So the Maltese always look up to who’s in power to get that little something extra without the extra effort. And then, is something goes wrong, it’s always fancy to say it’s the government’s fault or Europe’s fault. And the Maltese can say it quite rudely with ‘f*** il-gvern’ …

But this entry is not intended as a historical lecture. Actually it was inspired by the fact that the government’s far-reaching attempt to go online is bearing its fruit and is being recognised even abroad.

Indeed information technology is already changing the interaction between authority and citizen. Having government services online, such as renewing a driving license, asking for a birth certificate, or simply asking a question, goes much deeper than avoiding the queues.

Government is becoming more accountable. It is difficult to erase the flow of work when it is digitised and this is making service providers more accountable. On the other hand, the government knows everything about you, and even the remotest corner of government can be aware of what you are up to as a citizen within seconds.

The relationship between government and citizen is changing. No, not the Big Brother scenario again. I like to look at it more as an era of empowerment of the citizen and government. There is nowhere to hide, for both of them.