Who are the Greens?

Harry Vassallo continues to talk about recent political developments and explains why Malta will not see a coalition in the near future. I agree with Harry on many points (I guess it is evident by now). Where Harry and I do not see eye to eye is on the Green issue. By this I do not only mean that I am not a Green. In a wider sense I am referring to the manner in which Harry labels all people who are dissatisfied with the MLPN monopoly as automatically being Greens. Look at these paragraphs from Harry's article in the Times today:

Being in politics and not being power hungry is a superb political action in itself. Our refusal to be co-opted to Parliament in the 2003 pre-election negotiations is invaluable in evidence of our good faith and our firm commitment in favour of authentic democracy. No other political party can lay claim to anything like it. Whenever we have taken up the burden of responsibility in local council or in crucial historical moments we have borne it well. When the time comes we will again.

In Malta we can give the country a Parliament. We can create the mental distinctions still largely absent between Parliament and government, government and the state. We can give the Maltese ownership of their country's institutions and give Maltese governments the humility they need to acquire in relation to ordinary citizens. If we achieve only that in five years we will have earned every cent of public money we may have received. The system can begin to work and the anti-system to retreat.

This is our vision of Malta's political development. We know that it is not yet shared by the vast majority of our compatriots and by none of our political adversaries. We know that they are currently proposing an impossible electoral threshold to perpetuate the status quo. They can retard the country's political development, they cannot avoid the future indefinitely.

Our greatest challenge is not a discussion on coalitions but to communicate our vision, to create the political culture that will allow citizens to choose a decent and better future for themselves rather than just choose which of our adversaries will rule over them. The next government will be just like the rest, whichever party wins the election. The time is ripe to begin a much greater change. It will take time, so the sooner we start the sooner we will enjoy its fruits. Not all of us will go for it, certainly some of us, many of us, those of us who can already make out the music.

Great stuff. I could not agree more. The only problem is that Harry seems to think that all people who think that way are automatically Green. Wrong. Harry and I and many other thousands now have a common platform. The platform for change. A Reformist platform with a capital R. We do not like the status quo and we have a vision of a better future. I am prepared wholeheartedly to support that platform... but that will never mean that I am a Green. I am currently 'lending' my vote to the Greens for a greater cause than Green politics themselves. As I have said once and will go on repeating... we aim for the same result and if another party could satisfy this cause of mine I will gladly back it.

So not so fast Harry... we are not as Green as you seem to think!