Every day starts with the same struggle

I wake up at 05:30 AM, hoping to catch the 06:00 AM bus to get to work on time, but the early buses leaving Marsascala are always full, so it’s a matter of luck. When I finally arrive, I get to spend most of my day doing work I don’t enjoy for little pay, only making it home by 06:00 PM if I’m lucky. Tomorrow, the whole thing repeats.

Even though economic ‘progress’ has been made, my life isn’t getting any easier. It’s tough living paycheck-to-paycheck, rushing to the ATM the day I get my pay. That’s not progress to me. A necessary trip to the supermarket leaves me dangerously close to broke. 

Some will tell me to look for a better job, but I’m stuck not having enough time to do so because I have to pay my landlord half of my monthly income. In my little free time (i.e., while on the bus to and from work), I check property prices on my phone, hoping they’ve dropped, but they never do.

I ask myself: do I really want to spend my life working to pay a loan? Is there something else besides ‘working’ that we should be spending our time on? Whilst trying to keep it together? Are our political representatives investing in our wellbeing? 

An Open Letter to the 2024 MEP Election Candidates

We need you, our potential elected representative in the EU Parliament, to champion legislation to reduce inequality and ensure more people have disposable income. We can all agree that when more people have more money to spend, it helps the economy grow, so let’s focus on policies that help those who need it most.

We want to have walkable neighbourhoods that cater for different forms of transport, including a public transport system that doesn’t let people down so we spend less time stuck in traffic and more time enjoying the benefits of the economy.

If you are elected, will you commit to push for policies and incentives to help small countries stimulate investment (from private or public sector, or a partnership between the two) in other transport options besides cars and widening of roads?

On another note, having open spaces where families can spend time together is a great way to encourage people to meet and spend time together. These spaces would offer people of any financial background a place to meet up. A space that fosters a sense of community, where the air feels fresher and cleaner. How will you work to ensure EU policies require national governments to invest in green lungs?

Your turn to take action.

It’s time to start asking questions, demanding answers, and making our voices heard. 

In a world where everything competes for our attention – our jobs, children, our phones, etc. – we don’t have much time to reflect. I invite you to take the time to stay in a quiet space and reflect on the following: 

• Is my quality of life something I’m happy with?
• Is my work being paid for what it’s worth, and can I afford the necessities and have money left over?
• Am I happy with my environment, the public transport system, and the availability of public spaces?

The MEP election will be on Saturday 8th June 2024, so make your voice heard, contact your candidates and ask them to state clearly what they stand for and what they will do for you. Use this article for ideas or prepare a few of your own talking points, but what’s important is that you reach out to your representatives and demand that they push for change. Voting is important, but it’s more powerful if you know for sure your candidate has publicly pledged to work to reduce inequality and improve our quality of life.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily represent a position or perspective of this or any organisation

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