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Dignity, perhaps, is not a concept that is clear to everyone and above all it cannot be measured in cold marble and rough bricks. It is true that unfortunately the Italian language has two meanings: one is what we citizens know very well, that is, the awareness of one’s own moral and human value; the other outlines a high hierarchical level. What meaning of dignity are those who strongly yearn for the purchase of the EFG building talking about?
For me, dignity is a feeling made of effort and respect for oneself and others. Dignity is those who work two jobs to make ends meet, dignity is the people queuing at the welfare offices of the various cities, dignity is those who do a humble job with a miserable salary, dignity is the parents who don’t know what to put into table. The dignity is that of those who, not finding work in Ticino, go to work outside the canton, distancing themselves from their loved ones. The profound dignity is the family members of those who lose their lives in the workplace, of those who see a husband or son leave and do not see him return home. You should know the dignity of these people: they are the ones who should be protected and such a large expense certainly doesn’t help. This is the meaning of dignity and these are the people who pay taxes, we should at least have respect for how the money of citizens’ efforts is spent. Reaching the highest positions and climbing the hierarchy should have another way of definition and in any case everyone should remember where they started from, despite the function they hold.
Justice should be an example of humility, fairness and attention towards others, that is, us citizens who are increasingly asked to make sacrifices. Demanding an immensely large, expensive and superfluous workplace is certainly not a question of dignity. In the various debates we have all seen the enthusiasm and strength with which those who want this building have expressed themselves, let’s say that in some cases it has been rude and not very televised verbal and non-verbal language that have come together. Those who spoke about dignity were people who raised their voices, waved and slammed papers on the tables, railing against those who tried to explain that a quarter of a billion is really a lot of money. To talk about dignified conditions it would be desirable to do so in a polite manner, at least to be more credible. Whoever decides to defend should do so by vocation and whoever judges should comply with the law, all this can be done in any building with the necessary requirements; I don’t think Ticino marble falls within these prerogatives. Voting no means recognizing our value as citizens, because the social cuts that will be made will take away another piece of serenity from us and then we will have to rely on all our dignity to survive a life of work and increasingly difficult bills to pay.
Valentina Mühlemann, already a candidate with Avanti and Ticino&Lavoro
