Responsibility

 

The editorial of today's Times is a useful reminder of the obvious: that society should protect the weak and vulnerable rather than those who abuse them. The article refers specifically to paedophilia, but our society's tendency to cut the link between one's actions and the necessary consequences extends far beyond this particular example. Our courts are notorious for their ridiculously light sentencing and for occasionally granting bail even to those accused of the most brutal murders. Companies with government participation continue to exist and compete with the private sector for employees and customers even when they are losing money. People who are not fleeing persecution but simply want higher paid jobs can enter our territory illegally without any consequences and, if they are patient enough to wait for a maximum of 18 months in detention, will have their presence in Malta effectively regularized.

In recent days it has also become apparent that the culture of 'no consequences' also extends to our interpretation of events beyond our shores. The past weeks have seen countless letters and articles in our newspapers, some of them by important public personalities, all seeking to grant Lebanon immunity from any consequences for military actions launched from its territory by a private army which it allows to operate.

It might at first sight appear that sparing people the cost of their own folly is a generous and noble thing to do. Unfortunately, until we manage to change the laws of nature, evil or foolish acts will continue to have a cost. The only choice we have is between letting this cost be carried by those who commit such acts or else shifting it on to the shoulders of the innocent.