Malta Daily

"Alla Mejjet!"

2006-02-02T11:11:00.000+01:00

Mur gibu Nietzsche kien Musulman! Kieku zgur li xi ayatollah hareg xi fatwa kontrih! Din hi l-impressjoni li bhal donnu jridu jghaddu l-gazzetti 'ta-Punent' kontra l-mentalita ta' 'dawk il-Musulmani'.

Izda huwa minnu li l-Punent huwa dar tal-liberta' (niftakar fil-Casa Delle Liberta' ta' Silvio Berlusconi li wasslet biss ghal hijack ta' l-istazzjonijiet televizivi Taljani tul dawn l-ahhar jiem) filwaqt li l-Izlam huwa l-inkarnazzjoni ta' kull mentalita' aliberali li qatt tista' ssehh?

It-twegiba ma tantx hi cara. U dan jidher mill-ahhar front li nfetah f'dik li l-qarreja avidi ta' l-Apokalissi skond San Gwann isejhu, l-'gwerra bejn ic-civiltajiet'.

Tnax-il karikatura tal-Profeta Muhammed qalghu kontroversja bejn zewg dinjiet li bhal donnu qed isibuha dejjem aktar difficli jikkoabitaw flimkien.

Il-Jyllands-Posten ippubblikat serje ta' tnax-il karikatura f'Settembru li ghadda li fihom inghatat stampa ta' kif jahsbu li Muhammed, meqjus bhala l-ikbar profeta mir-religjon Izlamika, kien jidher. Dawn il-karikaturi qanqlu kontroversja bejn il-Musulmani, li jhosshom urtati b'dak li jqisu bhala daghwa kontra l-Profeta, u esponenti ta' l-istat sekolari fil-Punent fejn isostnu li ghandhom kull dritt jippubblikaw karikaturi bhal down. Fost dawn l-esponenti kien hemm l-editur tal-gazzetta Franciza Le Soir li spicca tkecca mis-sid Egizzjan wara li ppubblika dawn il-karikaturi b'sinjal ta' simpatija ma' l-gazzetta Daniza (li ghamlet apologija ghall-fatt).

Dan il-kaz qieghed ta' kuljum jiehu proporzjonijiet ta' gwerra bejn zewg civiltajiet li bhal donnu qeghdin dejjem jifhmu anqas lil xulxin. Kaz simili diga sehh. Dan kien meta l-awtur Salman Rushdie kien ippubblika l-ktieb, 'Satanic Verses'. Dak iz-zmien id-differenzi bejn iz-zewg mentalitajiet kienu hargu fid-dieher ukoll.

Fil-mument li wasalt biex nikteb din il-bloggata kienu diga' nharqu ghexieren ta' bnadar Danizi, kien hemm dimostrazzjoni quddiem ir-rapprezentanza ta' l-Unjoni Ewropea fit-territorju Palestinjan u polemika ferventi fl-Ewropa dwar il-liberta' ta' l-espressjoni. L-ahhat suggett huwa dak li lili l-aktar li jinteressani.

Huwa minnu li l-liberta' ta' l-espressjoni tfisser carte blanche li tghid li trid? Ghandu jkun hemm limitu ghal dak li jinghad?

Nemmen li, ghalkemm il-protesti f'xi inhawi qeghdin jigu strumentalizzati ghal skopijiet politici (vide r-rwol tal-Fatah - partit li tielef l-elezzjonijiet tal-Palestina - f'din il-kontroversja), huwa mminnu li l-identita' ta' l-Izlam setghet giet attakkata u urtat xi nies.

Izda, nistaqsi wkoll, hemm ghalfejn din ir-reazzjoni kollha? Bhal donnu li, kif inhi s-soltu prattika ta' l-integralizmu, gej minn liem naha gej, il-karikaturi nqalghu mill-kuntest u qeghdin jintuzaw bhala strument f'idejn min irid jaghmel kapital politiku mis-sitwazzjoni.

Infakkar li fl-Ewropa hawn ma' l-ghaxar miljun Musulman u ma nstema' bl-ebda kaz ta' bojkott sistematiku kontra prodotti Danizi ghalkemm kien hemm rapportu li ntbaghtu twissijiet ta' attakki terroristici.

L-istrumentalizzazzjoni politika tkompli tikber ukoll meta ninnutaw kif il-karikaturi gew ippubblikati f'Settembru u l-protesti nqalghu fi Frar. Fuq kollox il-komunita' Musulmana fid-Danimarka qatt ma hassha urtata bil-fatt u ma marritx tahraq bnadar f'nofs it-triq.

Min-naha l-ohra izda nahseb li l-istampa Ewropea setghet kienet aktar sensittiva ghall-identita' Izlamika specjalment meta regghet ippubblikat il-karikaturi u ghamlithom standardi tal-liberta' ta' l-espressjoni. Niftakar kif il-liberta' ta' l-espressjoni intuzat fiz-zmien bhala arma qawwija f' idejn il-movimenti antiklerikali u lajci u nfexxet hi nnifisha f'dogmatizmu li jippriedka l-eliminazzjoni ta' dak kollu li hu sagru mill-identita' tal-komunita taghna.

Nemmen dejjem aktar li l-liberta' ta' vera, dik il-liberta' li ggieled ghaliha il-poplu Franciz fl-1789 tigi biss meta kulhadd jinghata cans jesprimi l-opinjoni tieghu f'ambjent toleranti ghal kull sfond politiku u religjuz sakemm dan jirrispetta id-drittijiet fundamentali tal-bniedem u mhux f'ambjent li dejjem mohhu biex jiccensura bnedmin, opinjonijiet jew twemmin.

The Language Question

2006-02-01T17:45:00.000+01:00

Hi There!

After an absence of a couple of months (the last time I blogged was in September) I decided to start blogging once again. I must excuse myself with all those who used to come on the web site and find that it wasn't being updated. Really sorry for that. I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible with commentary on the latest news coming from my community, that is, Malta and the rest of the world with a special attention for Europe.

Not blogging doesn't mean not following. In fact, I have been following closely during these last couple of months Robert Micallef's blog Wired Temples, which, I must say has seen some steady improvement since last summer. I reccommend the blog for anyone who is looking up some info on Malta and the Maltese - I think that it resembles more of a blog portal as it always contains some interesting and thought provoking abstracts taken from Maltese blogs. A particularly interesting point which I could observe when reading the blog was the coverage given to what we may call 'the language question'. I have been following - though not very closely I must admit - the rise of the Maltese language on the itnernet. It seems to me that blogs written in Maltese are rising in importance and effectiveness. Well done to all those who worked for such a result! Thanks to their efforts Maltese now has a solid place on the ' bloggosfera'.

This situation has led me to reconsider my position. I have always been blogging in English. It seems to that it is somehow internet's language. But, I feel rather enthusiastic at the idea of experiencing blogging in Maltese. Thus I decided to turn Malta Daily into a bilingual blog as much as possible.

So let the experiment commence...

Kids - Express Yourselves!

2005-09-22T09:32:00.000+02:00

St. James Cavalier, Malta's centre for creativity has announced it will be relaunching its Young Cavaliers initiative where kids will be able to learn how to express themselves through art.

From St. James Cavalier's newsletter:

"The Young Cavaliersâ?T Club will finally be restarting on Saturday 15th October and ending Saturday 17th December. This fun packed program is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 10. The children will be provided with various materials such as construction paper, paints and clay and they will have the opportunity to work on the exhibitions which will be held at the Centre during the same period.
The kids should be accompanied at the Centre by not later than 9.50am and picked up at 1pm. They should come in comfortable, easy-to-wash clothes, and bring a packed lunch. The classes will be small, so the number is limited. "

A copy of the application form can be found here.

Europe Must Open Up - But How?

2005-09-22T09:20:00.000+02:00

An article written by Commission President Jose' Barroso was featured yeserday on The Times of Malta. The former Portuguese Prime Minister urges Europe to be more dynamic and to open up to the benefits of globalisation. With reference to the European Constitution, rejected by France and the Netherlands, Barroso speaks of the current treaties governing the Union and says that, "With political will and a European commitment, much can be done with the EU's current powers"

Unfortunately Barroso spares very few words on the need for greater democracy, active citizenship and Margot Wallstrom's proposal for a Plan D in Europe. Instead, he argues in favour of making the European Beurocratic machine, which, I remind you, is currently at the helm of small economic growth in the Eurozone, more effective.

But how Mr. Barroso? Your proposal of scrapping unnecessary laws is one way but not the ultimate solution.

Everyone's Creative

2005-09-20T07:54:00.000+02:00

Michael Fenech, chairman at the Foundation for Creativity at St. James' Cavalier believes that, "Everyone can be creative. Creativity is a can-do attitude. It is the ability and talent to want to try, explore and take risks. It depends on having the space in which to take risks and the encouragement to do so. The creative person sees the world, and every opportunity, with new eyes."

From timesofmalta.com:

"In many prosperous societies, creativity is a force that spins the wheel of economy, Mr Fenech stressed. The Centre for Creativity can contribute towards the country's economic and social development and prosperity by promoting creativity - to keep that wheel spinning."

Independent Food fod Thought

2005-09-20T07:45:00.000+02:00

I suggest you read this article on the current state of affairs according to Malta's former Finance Minister, Lino Spiteri. In his article, Spiteri concluded says that, "The island has been independent of the UK for 40 years, at liberty to set and navigate her own course. Achievements through those four decades included the manner in which innate capabilities of our people grew into a dynamic of broad initiative. For all of that time we have also been at each other's throats."

From timesofmalta.com

"We have been politically independent for two-score years. But we have not yet gained independence of the mind. We are not subservient to a foreign power. But too large a part of the national intellect is susceptible to internal division. One reason may be that, in 40 years of independence, there has been not a single national icon.
Who are our heroes, a young person reflected to me the other day. Who indeed? Things can change if the young nurture a process that may have already started. If they insist that, going forward, they do not want to be burdened by the baggage of mindless division. That they are happy and proud to be Maltese and not part of a Maltese tribe.
Thereby, they will not become of one mind, agreeing about everything. They will become of one independent Maltese mind, seeing things from Malta's - and not a tribal - perspective. They can use that independence to make their own political choices and not to have them handed down to them by tribal tradition, blind faith and prejudice.
They can make celebration of independence a national reality. They will be free in the best sense of the word"

It’s Super Sonntag!

2005-09-18T16:58:00.000+02:00

Germans are today being asked to decide on who shall be leading Europe’s richest state for the next four years. The elections are too close to tell as the idea of forming a ‘grand coalition’ between the Conservatives coalition and the Social-Democrat coalition gains ground. The other option for Germany seems to be a traffic-light coalition between the Social-Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals. Both options may steer Germany, and the rest of Europe, to a halt.

From Euractiv.com:
“The top issues are jobs and taxes in Germany's 18 September elections, where the country's 62 million eligible voters will elect members of parliament and the controlling party then selects the chancellor. Turnout is projected at around 80%.
Overall, the pre-election public opinion polls have shown that Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats tend to be trusted by the public to have a better grasp on foreign policy issues and are generally perceived to be more committed to social justice. At its core, the SPD's message is that the key reforms are in place and have more or less been implemented, and now is the time for the country to realise the benefits under another Social Democrat-led government.
At the same time, the conservatives, led by CDU leader Angela Merkel, are generally believed by the electorate to offer a more solid programme aimed at turning Germany's economy around. They advocate faster progress on the labour market, welfare and tax changes. The conservatives promise more radical reforms as a way out of the "failed" efforts of the Schröder cabinet.
In the polls, Merkel's conservatives continue to lead Schröder's Social Democrats, but the margin has shrunk in recent days. During the past week alone, Schröder has closed Merkel's lead from 17% to 6%. It therefore appears increasingly likely that the CDU will not be able to form a centre-right coalition with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) but will instead be forced to conclude a "grand coalition" with the SPD. In this scenario Merkel would still become the country's first female chancellor. However, as the New York Times commented, "given the aura of political invincibility that has enveloped Mrs Merkel since a weakened Mr Schröder called for elections in May, that would be seen almost as a defeat".
Germany had its last 'grand coalition' in the 1960s. Led by Christian Democrat Chancellor Kurt-Georg Kiesinger, it governed the country between 1966 and 1969. It was a 'coalition of the willing' in that the participants were all ready to work together.
[…]
However, the election results are likely to leave no choice but a 'grand coalition' , despite the fact that such a marriage of convenience may not be in Germany's best interests, as big clashes on key issues would predictably hamper decision-making. A hung parliament is looking increasingly likely, which in turn might lead to new elections as early as next year.”

Freedom of Services

2005-09-18T16:56:00.000+02:00

A line taken from a poem which I studied at school goes, “law’s as long as a ten foot snake”. Each time I delve into legal matters I find ample confirmations for such an assertion. The latest confirmation comes from the gaming sector.

News shown on The Sunday Times of Malta today, suggest how the French company responsible for gambling in France is trying to prevent a Maltese registered company from tapping the market. You might say that this action goes against the freedom of movement of services which the European Union prides itself with. Instead, there is no provision which regulates provision of remote gambling services in Community Law.

The gambling sector is a competence of member state. The heavily-controlled sector is regulated by national monopolies while the Maltese sector is in the process of liberalisation following the setting of the Malta Gaming and Lotteries Authority. The liberalisation of this sector, coupled with innovative legislation governing the sector has permitted the creation of a market which generates one billion Euros annually with 97 companies competing or in the process of competing against each other. Furthermore the market is set to generate more than three billion Euros and employ approximately 2,000 employees over the next five years. The United Kingdom is set to be the second country to follow suit after Malta by legislating in favour of the setting up of online betting companies.

This scenario shows that when there truly is freedom of services and when entrepreneurs are given the opportunities to work in the right legislative environment, the benefits a country may reap are significant. Malta has managed to build a healthy industry based upon effective management. The Mediterranean state has managed to understand that state control is not relevant anymore in the European Common Market and that original and effective legislation that promotes - rather than forces - certain practices paves the way for success.

Lessons are surely to be learnt from the Maltese Government’s approach in giving the possibility to anyone to seize the opportunities that exist within a market of 450 million citizens. Moreover interested parties are to bolster their efforts in lobbying with the Union for creating a truly free market where anyone enjoys equal access to success, anywhere it lays.

Freedom means opportunities. It means the cornerstone of a greater, more dynamic market - something which suits Europe and the Europeans.

Promoting Language Diversity in English

2005-09-18T16:55:00.000+02:00

Recent reports suggest the Commission is trying to set-up a Language Diversity Agency or else a network that would promote multilingualism amongst Europeans. The striking fact is that there is a possibility of English being the only working language of this agency while promoting language diversity and multilingualism. This is the ridiculous result of compromising between a fair ideal and cost-effectiveness that will make Europe’s efforts less credible on the home front and on the international scene alike.

Time is ripe to step up the discussion on how the linguistic heritage and diversity existing within the European Union is to be preserved and promoted. Moreover considerations are to be made on whether the Union is to help co-ordinate efforts of already existing organisations that were set up by its citizens, thus truly respecting the principle of subsidiarity, or decide to directly compete against these organisations for credibility and respect.

I think that if the Union is to really be a vehicle of the message of Unity in Diversity then it should not promote initiatives that are not aimed at co-ordinating already existing efforts but instead point at being a replacement for the alternatives currently available.

The Commission is in fact proposing an initial expenditure of eleven million Euros for the setting up of an agency which analysts in the field fear it will be another institutional monster that would be only capable of issuing reports and making no decisions that would affect the citizens’ life. On the other and existing organisations like Eurolang are already doing sterling work in promoting multilingualism. Could the European Administration seek ways on how such efforts could be enhanced instead of being disrupted with red-tape?
Languages are the repository of a culture. Moreover languages in Europe, more than in any other reality in the developed world, have the equal possibility of either becoming bridges leading to further prosperity or barriers preventing us from dialogue and understanding. This is why the promotion of linguistic diversity within the Union’s citizens is to be carried out in a proper manner and all alternatives are to be sought before setting out to invest the citizens’ money in ventures which already exist.

Centre for (Promotional) Creativity

2005-09-18T16:50:00.000+02:00

My girlfriend and I yesterday decided to devote our time to discover the beauty of Valletta. We met next to the bus terminus and were soon on our way to St. James Cavalier, Malta’s Centre for Creativity.

Interest in what is happening at Malta’s premiere cultural venue was rekindled after I read reports declaring how the administration of St. James’ Cavalier is struggling to make ends meet. On my way to the centre, which was opened in 2000, I remembered how in London, tourists and locals alike flocked to museums on that particular Saturday morning when I was in the British city. A desolate staircase greeted us as we entered the building.

There are currently three exhibitions going on at the building which was renovated by Architect Richard England. Pat, that is, my girlfriend and I opted to visit the photo exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the Department of Information. Five hundred photos bear witness to the development of Malta and the Maltese over a period of more than a century. The exhibition also features a significant number of machines and photographic equipment that was used by the same Department, previously known as the Central Office of Information.

The photos and films taken by the generations of workers that worked for the Department managed to immortalise the change, sometimes radical, Malta has undergone throughout the years especially after it gained independence in 1964. Anyone who visits the exhibition which runs on to the third of October has the possibility to understand in a better way the labour all Maltese citizens took to build a presently stable nation, able to look into the future with determination to succeed. At least, this is the effect that the visit had on me.

The adventure through different sized and coloured photographs which lasted more than two-hours can be compared to a solitary voyage in space and time. In fact, the presence of very few other people, I would dare say not more than fifteen, accompanied my girlfriend and me throughout the exhibition.

I think that time is ripe to start adopting creative techniques for the promotion of events at St. James’ Cavalier. The failure of conventional marketing techniques making use of traditional slots like cultural TV programmes is evident to all. It is time to think and act differently, possibly with a little more funding from the Government.

National Youth Parliament

2005-09-15T19:20:00.000+02:00

Today I had the opportunity to better understand the job of a Maltese Parliamentarian as I participated in the second edition of the National Youth Parliament, orgnanised by the National Youth Council. The simulation of a parlaimentary chamber was organised as part of the events organised by the Council to mark the European Year of Active Citizenship.

All kicked off in July when the four fictitious parties which made up the chamber today met for the first time. All our preparations spanning for well over a month reached their climax today during a three-hour session at the Maltese parliamentary chamber. The session witnessed a sizeable attendance from youths in the strangers' gallery - a very positive sight as this shows that Malta's youth are truly interested in Malta's politics.

The motions the four fictitious parties presented today were all of a high standard. The party I participated in, which was known by the name of the Harmony Party ('il-Partit ta' l-Armonija') prepared a motion on the topic of housing and the property market. The other parties submitted motions on the topics of youth education and work, the role of women in society and the preservation of Malta's cultural heritage.

I will definitely treasure the experience gathered during this month as it helped me continue understand the beauty of active citizenship. I have had an opportunity to further my knowledge of the current situation by tackling the issue of housing and the property market and coming up with effective proposals for the situation. But, most of all I have managed to make lots of new friends and strengthen the relationship with others.

I really hope that after this event more opportunities will be grasped by youth organisations to network with each other on an array of issues affecting our society. This event has shown how all organisations and individials have ample room for greater co-operation in promoting a better society - thus a better quality of life for all.

Harmony Party's (Partit ta' l-Armonija) Motion on the Property Market

Harmony Party's (Partit ta' l-Armonija) Report Attached to the Motion

Improving Malta’s Position Through its Tycoons

2005-09-12T15:02:00.000+02:00

Certainly, if I ever were to enter the world of politics I would surely promote the idea of Maltese business tycoons teaming up to seize the opportunities European Integration offers. I would definitely be working to decrease hostility amongst entrepreneurs and increase co-operation based upon the German Model.

Let me explain myself, Germany, France and Italy have all adopted a business model where national pride comes first and foremost. As a result, companies operating in the same sector buy shares in each other. This would mean that a given company would receive a higher dividend from the competitor that manages to reduce its market share. This enables companies never to be driven out of the market and instead gives them opportunities to tap the international market in an aggressive manner. This intricate web of cross ownership has enabled France and Germany to gain control of important sectors of the European Economy despite the economic problems they are currently facing.

In Malta this situation is not materialising. Instead of teaming up with each other, some of Malta Tycoon’s enter into useless conflicts which often reduce their companies to insolvency. Moreover the Government is always speaking of foreign direct investment, as if Malta lacks the money of performing some great investments itself.

Certainly, Malta’s coffers do lack the money needed to give a stimulus to our economy, but the Maltese citizens’ pockets don’t - especially now, following the government’s initiative to repatriate all money which was in bank accounts abroad.

Therefore it would not be wrong to say that in Malta there are currently significant sums of liquid assets that are not being invested properly. This is where I smell a golden opportunity for Malta, the Maltese and their business tycoons.

I think time is ripe for entrepreneurs to come up with concrete projects and ideas which involve the participation of their competitors in order to gain a sound footing in the Mediterranean and European economies. These proposals are to be made available for local investment on the Malta Stock Exchange.

In other words, I want to see Malta present abroad trough its companies. Moreover I firmly believe that creative and opportunist Maltese businessmen, when given the appropriate chance and the right conditions, will succeed in their endeavours. Therefore I want Maltese companies to internationalise their operations. This would not only help the Maltese businessmen and their Maltese shareholders but also amplify Malta’s voice in international affairs, as economy is the prime driver of politics.

Maltese companies can tap lots of sectors ranging from financial services to tourism to transport to engineering and construction. We certainly do have the expertise and know-how in order to engage in projects abroad that would yield returns on our home soil. Money would not leave Malta to be hidden in secret bank accounts as it was before, but would instead be invested in order to generate a greater dividend, thus benefits, for all Maltese.

Malta can already witness the success stories of various companies that managed to international their operations and are now reaping the benefits of such a move. Examples of such companies include Corinthia Hotels International, which knows its genesis with Alfred Pisani managing San Anton’s Corinthia Palace Hotel. It was a long and difficult process which is now enabling the Maltese company to tap into new opportunities for success, as recent news suggest.

This is why the government and all interested parties are to embark on a strategy to create the necessary conditions for Maltese tycoons to make such a move. Some steps in this direction, including the setting up of the Malta Business Bureau, have already been made. It is time now to speed up the momentum.

Malta’s Pravda

2005-09-10T15:06:00.000+02:00

It seems to me that the English MATSEC Board is the remains of the once glorious Russian newspaper, Pravda. The newspaper, which its title in Russian means Truth, was the Communist Party’s vehicle of misinformation and lies.

I am writing you this piece shortly after my friend received her English MATSEC revision of paper report, supposedly compiled by a well-intending educator within the establishment. Her morale, being already low after receiving a result back in July which she believes is unfair and unjust, continued its free-fall today as she read through the examiner’s comments.

The comments included a frontal attack on the candidate with the use of adjectives such as “superficial” and “naïve”. Mind you, the same candidate was deemed as possessing a mature attitude in the other A Level she sat for, Maltese, where she got an A. She sat for this exam just seven days after she sat for her English paper.

I fully believe that the MATSEC system, apart from playing the role of a sieve between higher secondary education and tertiary education, is also responsible in building Malta’s future generation and assessing the educational system’s success in creating mature individuals ready to face the world’s challenges. My beliefs were let down as my friend read to me the report on the phone shortly after she received it.

If a system is truly bound to create fully mature individuals capable of achieving success, and is not committed to keep numbers and statistical data in check, then it would never strip its candidates from their human dignity and reduce them to mere dart-boards, exposed to examiners’ attacks.

If a system is truly committed to eliminate the naïve approach to life then it would surely engage itself in constructive criticism, and not the opposite. The destructive forces present in the examiner’s report I had time to share, are more suited to King Lear’s “marble-hearted fiends” (quoted from Shakespeare) than to an educator with good intentions.

I believe that an educator role is to build, never to destroy. I firmly believe that an educator is a pivotal link between the present and the future. He has the power to decide what values are transmitted to our future generations. This is why I appreciate and thank all those educators who try to transmit the values of respect for human dignity, constructive criticism and a real commitment to reveal a edifying truth. On the other hand, I condemn all those who pass on the negative values of cynicism and fatalism, both of which are blatant lies in face of the human being’s true power: his ability to succeed.

This is why I believe that the English MATSEC Board is Malta’s Pravda, as it is putting black on white, every single year, the greatest lie that can ever be said to the human being: that he’s a failure. It distorts the truth behind a disappointing result and, in order to keep all numbers in check, murders the whole notion of what education stands for. Just like how Pravda sacrificed the Communist Project to keep bosses in their places.

Wouldn’t have been a lot better if the report contained tips on how a candidate should improve his skills thus showing him a pro-active way of doing things? Wouldn’t that have been a positive value to transmit to our future generations?

Malta Daily Poverty Special Edition

2005-09-08T18:48:00.000+02:00

It’s the last chance to save the world’s poor says a UN report as world leaders prepare to meet in New York next week. As 175 heads of state and government will be meting next week in the UN General Assembly, thousands will be dying of malnutrition, poverty and AIDS/HIV at the same time.

The Poverty Special Edition is a series of articles and features in the run-up to the U.N. Summit which, amongst other topics on the agenda, will be reviewing the world’s progress on the Millennium Development Goals: a set of eight objectives aimed at creating a more humane world by 2015. These articles focus on the issue of poverty and what action is being taken to solve the problem. A number of articles also focus on poverty in Europe and what is being done by Malta and Europe to alleviate the problem in the European Continent and worldwide.

Teaming Up against Poverty

2005-09-08T18:45:00.000+02:00

There is no need to travel to Africa in order to witness poverty. It may be present, though not in the graphical sensationalist proportions seen in Niger, just a turn away from home. In fact, in Malta, analysts estimate that 18% of the population lives just above, on, or below the poverty line. This means that one in every six Maltese citizens is experiencing difficulties in coping with life.

Difficulties may take the form of an unemployed on unemployment benefits, or an old person not managing to live off his pension and even worse living in solitude. Also a significant number of people in Malta are still living in degrading sub-standard housing when nearly one of every four houses in Malta is left vacant. All this means that war on poverty in Malta is not won yet.

This is why the Government and Civil Society are to continue striving to fight poverty in all its senses. The central government, together with local governments and NGOs, is to step up its efforts in ensuring a dignified life for all citizens. Social Cohesion is an aim to be taken up by everyone. The Lisbon Agenda, Europe’s strategy for a better economy, society and environment is also to be interpreted in social and environmental terms and not only in economical terms.

The Millennium Development Goals, which representatives of the Maltese Government will be discussing next week at the UN General Assembly in New York, also apply to Malta. Though Malta has registered great social progress in the past, and today enjoys an acceptable standard of living, every citizen shall continue striving to guarantee greater environmental sustainability, a better and more sustainable healthcare system and a greater literacy rate. Moreover a culture based upon solidarity to those in need shall continue to be fostered through effective partnership with civil society organisations.

This is why, on the eve of such an important world event, I believe in greater care within the community for all those who are in need. Furthermore, I think the Maltese government should work harder in networking with all Mediterranean countries, especially with those on the African side of the Sea to reduce poverty and inspire development – the kind of development that ensures a humane life for all.

StoPoverty! Malta Activities

2005-09-08T18:41:00.000+02:00

Forty Maltese NGOs have teamed up to raise awareness on the problem of poverty and the Millennium Development Goals in view of the UN General Assembly to be held next week. This network organised its first activity on the 1st July and will again be organising a number of activities next Saturday 10th September.

In the manifesto shown on its web site, StoPoverty declares that:
“The current year gives us a concrete opportunity to test the political will of the world leaders who pledged their commitment towards initiatives put forward in the Millennium Declaration adopted in September 2000.”

Events on Saturday will be held in various localities around Malta and Gozo. This includes petition signing in Valletta, Victoria (Gozo) and Marsalforn, a peaceful protest march held in the evening in Sliema, an inter-faith activity held in Sliema and a party in Paceville.

Tuninter Suspended from Italian Airports

2005-09-07T18:17:00.000+02:00

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Tuninter from flying to Italy after an investigation found out that a wrongly installed fuel gauge was the cause of last month's ATR crash off Palermo, Associated Press reports. Tuninter operates at least two flights from Malta to Tunis on a weekly basis.

From yahoo.com news:
"The Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday suspended a Tunisian airline from operating in Italy after an investigation found that one of its planes went down off Sicily last month because the wrong type of fuel gauge had been installed.

The Tuninter ATR-72 hit the water near Palermo on Aug. 16, killing 16 people, after the plane ran out of fuel because the gauge was the wrong model and did not show that the tanks were nearly empty, according to ANSV, the Italian national agency for flight safety. The Civil Aviation Authority ENAC acted on the agency's recommendation.

[...]

ENAC said it was suspending authorization for Tuninter to operate in Italy immediately and it asked the European Aviation Safety Agency to carry out urgent checks on procedures for the installation of fuel gauges on all ATR-42 and ATR-72 planes"

CHOGM 2005 Series: Focus Malaysia

2005-09-07T11:22:00.000+02:00

Malaysia is the first country I shall be focusing upon in a series of articles focusing on participating countries and issues concerning the CHOGM 20005 meeting to be held in Malta.

Malaysia is a strong economy with a weak human rights record. Having hosted the CHOGM in 1989, the 24 million inhabitant federation is an influential player in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and an exporter of electronic equipment and petroleum amongst others.

The fourteen-state federation, currently governed by a constitutional monarchy, gained independence from Britain in 1957 after its states became colonies and protectorates of the British Empire in the late 18th and early 19th century. Malaysia experienced a short spell of Japanese occupation between 1942 and 1945. The Southeast Asian country has a low unemployment rate currently standing at 3% and its economy last year reached a peak growth of 7%. This followed a crisis in 1997 when exports went down by 11%.

Several ethnic groups are present in Malaysia. The majority of the population (50.4%) is Malay followed by Chinese at 23.7% of the population. Other ethnic groups present in the country include the Bumiputera and Indians. This results in a mix of religions with Islam being practised by the majority followed by the presence of Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity and Sikhism. A diverse linguistic scenario is also present with more than ten languages being spoken with the official language of the country being Behasa Melayu.

Democracy, an essential aspect for all Commonwealth Countries, is present in Malaysia – at least on paper. In fact, the country’s democracy is governed by a bi-cameral system (known as Parlimen) where the lower house, known as the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat) is elected by general elections held every five years where everyone aged 21 and over is able to participate. The Senate (Dewan Negara), is composed of 70 members, 44 of which are appointed by the paramount ruler who is in turn appointed for a five year term by the hereditary leaders of the fourteen-state federation.

The current paramount ruler is Syed Sirajuddin while the current prime minister is Prime Minister Abdullah. The latter hails from the National Front Coalition government which controls 91% of the seats in Parliament. Prime Minister Abdullah replaced Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2003, in the first ever leadership change since in more than two decades.

As you can imagine, the opposition, being small in size, has a very difficult job in ensuring a proper democratic system where all individuals are respected. In fact Human Rights Watch claims several cases of abuse of power and lack of judicial independence in the resource rich nation. One of the thorny human rights issues mentioned on the human rights organisation web site is the presence of an Internal Security Act which is supposed to protect Malaysia from any internal security threat but which is sometimes used to rack down on opposition and dissidents of the current government. This Act paves the way for arbitrary detention of alleged Islamic militants. Human Rights Watch says there are currently 80 people detained under the ISA.

The same organisation also mentions a series of laws regulating the media and a day-to-day monitoring of the media which are curbing freedom of expression on media. This activity is muting media criticism of government policy. One of the very few news web sites which are openly critical of the Government is Malaysiakini.

Deportations of a large number of illegal migrant workers and refugees which started in 2003, is another problem Malaysia is faced with. In 2004 government decided to deport more than 1.2 million migrants and refugees. Since Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugee treatment, it does not recognise the presence of tens of thousands of Indonesian refugees fleeing from the war-torn Aceh region.

The medium-income country, currently facing a number of environmental problems including air pollution from industry, water pollution from sewage and deforestation, was involved in a number of disputes with Commonwealth members Singapore and Brunei some of which are still present today.

CHOGM 2005 may be an opportunity for these countries to enter into a more positive dialogue with each other that would yield greater benefits for all parties involved. Moreover the high-level Commonwealth Meeting is an outlet where countries, organisations and individuals may exert pressure on the Malaysian government to ensure greater respect for human rights and continue committing itself towards greater proliferation of telecommunications and technology.

The Need for a Maltese Par Condicio

2005-09-07T11:20:00.000+02:00

The Italian media is currently ruled by a law which ensures that all political parties are given equal coverage. This law ensures a proper functioning of democracy at all times. It was enacted after considerations were made of how current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns three Italian TV stations.

The situation in Malta is in a way similar. The local TV scene sees two major TV stations that are owned by the two largest political parties in Malta: Super 1, which is owned by the Labour Party and Net TV, owned by the Nationalist Party. This scenario means that the traditional parties have an unfair advantage on smaller parties when carrying out their propaganda.

If real democracy is to be present in Malta, then all parties are to be given equal opportunities in transmitting their message to the public. It is for this reason that I think a Par Condicio Law, ensuring that all political parties are given coverage on all stations, should be enacted. This law should give greater powers to the Broadcasting Authority in ordering spots and interviews with exponents of different parties, not only on State Television but also on all television stations operating in Malta.

I think that coverage levels given on all stations should be set to a minimum mark being calculated basing on how many votes the party concerned would have obtained in the previous general election. Newly-formed parties should obtain a minimum number of hours per week during which to transmit their own propaganda.

Furthermore, the Broadcasting Authority should strive to make sure all parties are given an equal opportunity to express their views on TV and radio talk-shows.

This situation would mean an improved state of democracy on local media – an aim which everyone who has freedom of opportunity at heart should embrace.

Havoc Rules during Marsascala Meeting

2005-09-05T23:36:00.000+02:00

Democracy was left speechless yesterday as unruly behaviour from some Marsascala residents greeted the representatives of Waste Serv, the Government's waste management company that is proposing a re-development of the Sant'Antnin Recycling Plant.

In a customary public consultation meeting that is held by MEPA - Malta's planning authority - each time a large-scale development is proposed, an unruly crowd booed and jeered as WasteServ representative Chris Ciantar tried to explain the proposed development that is estimated to cost EUR16.7 million. The three-hour long meeting was held to give anyone the opportunity to voice his concern on the proposed project. It was turned instead into what resembled more of a 'curva' in an Italian stadium with scores of hooligans trying to take over the meeting.

The meeting, which was held at the Corinthia Jerma Palace Hotel, witnessed the presence of more than 300 angry residents but no Nationalist MPs and councillors. They made their voice - and sounds - heard as Ing. Chris Ciantar of WasteServ tried to explain to the public what is the proposed project. The crowd showed placards carrying messages against the recycling plant which has already generated a lot of inconvenience amongst residents since it was opened in 1993 as Ing. Ciantar tried to explain that the whole project was going to improve the whole situation.

Ciantar, who is WasteServ's Head of Strategy and Development said how the proposed plant will have a capacity of 71,000 tons of waste while the current plant has a capacity of 80,000 tons but is currently processing around 40,000 tons of waste due to some inefficiencies. He said that the EU-funded project is also going to produce enough energy for 1,400 households when the plant becomes fully operational. Waste Serve’s representative also showed to the public an animation - which the Zejtun Mayor afterwards termed as a “Beano cartoon” – that described what the proposed development consists of and how the proposed plant would work.

Ing. Ciantar’s statements were soon repeated by Ing. Mario Schembri, a representative of the independent consultancy firm which carried out the Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed development. Amid negative reactions on the consultants’ alleged independence from the committee formed by the seven Labour mayors representing their respective localities and mockery from the crowd, Ing Schembri moved on to explain the deliberations of the report which pointed at “no significant socio-economic impact” of the project. The crowd rose in uproar as the consultant concluded that the project as proposed is a good and acceptable solution.

The inhabitants present at the meeting seemed to harbour a different opinion on Waste Serve’s proposals. With some citizens fearing a Mafia style plot against the Southern region of Malta, inhabitants went up one by one to the stand where they voiced their concern about the project after mayors and Labour councillors delivered their speeches.

The fine intervention delivered by Stephen Borg, representative of an environmental association in favour of il-Maghluq – a site of prime ecological importance in Marsascala – is worth mentioning. Borg claimed how the proposed development will have a negative effect on the protected fauna nearby with protected trees, some of which are hundreds of years old, being exposed to a serious danger.

Joe Sant, a Marsascala resident, proposed the European Union to investigate how the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out. This point was raised after claims were made that parts of the report were conveniently copied from British technical reports which soon afterwards spoke of the risks which the (EIA) purposely omitted.

Owen Bonnici, a Marsascala councillor who stood for EP elections under the PSE party, further claimed that MEPA was not respecting the principle of Equality of Arms when handling the issue of public consultation of the document. This claim was made as no time was given to the local councils to come up with their own reports on the proposed development to counter the EIA published last June.

As exponents against the development stated their points, the audience sat quietly and listened, only interrupting at times to remind the speaker of some points it wished to be mentioned.

The audience was soon to take centre stage again as it walked out of the Gabriel Suite, when chairman Vincent Gauci, MEPA’sassistant director, asked Ing.s Chris Ciantar and Mario Schembri to wind up and give their comments to what all the speakers had said before. This move was criticised by Labour MP Helena Dalli.

The other Labour MP present at the meeting, former deputy leader George Vella, was to make one of his exploits soon afterwards as he attacked Ing Mario Schembri for inaccuracies and contradictions present in the report.

The meeting, which started with an agitated crowd of more than 300 people and a heavy guard of soldiers and policemen, came to end three and a half hours later with less than 50 people inside the hall, most of which form part of the committee opposing the plant. They walked away satisfied for the great show of badly lettered placards, boos and jeers they managed to put up.

The general public, the kind of public which stays away from heavily politicised meetings with a strong socialist militant accent and truly loves his own environment, has now got till the 12th of September to voice his concern on the issue before MEPA takes a final decision.

Malta ‘Verbally Agrees’ to Books’ Digitisation Project

2005-09-04T15:55:00.000+02:00

Last week, France reinstated the need for Europe, “to seize its place in the future geography of knowledge” in light of the current dominance of US enterprises in this sector. It is in fact working on its proposal to have a European Digital Library where European books would be made available online thus preserving and proliferating European knowledge.

This project was first proposed in May 2004 in a letter from Jacques Chirac to Commission President Jose’ Manuel Barroso and then Council President Jean-Claude Juncker. The letter was also signed from the Italian, Spanish, German, Polish and Hungarian leaders. It called for Europe to co-ordinate its efforts in order to preserve its heritage and make sure it is “made accessible online”.

The national libraries of nineteen member states announced their agreement to the proposed project in the form of a statement. Britain gave its implicit support while the Portuguese library is set to approve it. Where does Malta stand?

The Maltese National Library and the Cypriot National Library only verbally approved the statement.

This is a weak sign of the George Cross Island’s commitment towards the preservation of European cultural heritage including Malta’s own heritage. Given its size, Malta is adorned with a wonderful number of books and manuscripts describing the archipelago, its history and its people. If they are not put online they are not made accessible to everyone and are thus risking intellectual extinction.

There needs to be a co-ordinated and committed effort from the Maltese public and private sectors alike to preserve and promote our heritage – and also to make it accessible to scholars worldwide. We cannot afford any lag in the process of development as Google announces it will be improving its Google Print service.

We have already come a long way through in the provision of an efficient and effective e-Government service but we really need to keep up the momentum and move on to promote our knowledge heritage worldwide.

Will De Soldanis’ description of Gozo, or Megizer’s notes on Malta, or even Dun Karm’s romantic poetry ever be made available online ready for anyone to read and appreciate?

I really do hope so.

Fourteen Killed in Another Paris Fire; Arson Suspected

2005-09-04T15:46:00.000+02:00

The third fire in ten days hit Paris last night. Fourteen died in what the Police suspect to be an arson attack.

From telegraph.co.uk:

"Fourteen people have died in a suspected arson attack in an apartment block in Paris, the third major blaze in the French capital in just over a week, police said.

The death toll, which stands at 14, is expected to rise
Two children were among the victims, most of whom were killed by smoke and fumes, and at least 13 people were hurt in the fire in the 18-storey building in the southern suburbs of the capital, a police spokesman said.
'The official toll is 14 dead but the toll is unfortunately going to rise,' he said.
Local officials said they suspected the fire was started deliberately in a letter box in the entrance of the building, and were looking for four young people seen in the hallway just before the blaze started.
'The first indications point to a fire caused by a criminal act,' said Patrick Seve, mayor of the L'Hay-les-Roses district where the fire broke out around 1am.
Many victims were choked or suffocated by the fumes in extremely high temperatures after opening their doors. People who stayed in their apartments were safe.
Unlike the two other fires in the past 10 days, the blaze did not sweep through rundown housing for immigrants but was in a low cost social apartment block known as an HLM, housing about 800 people in 110 flats. "

It’s all a Matter of Respect

2005-09-04T15:44:00.000+02:00

Maltese nationals will not know whether the airline they fly between foreign countries would be deemed as safe or not by Maltese authorities, unless a Europe-wide airline blacklist is published later this year. This happens as civil aviation sources told The Times of Malta yesterday that Malta does not intend to publish its own blacklist for national use - a decision that smells of disrespect towards the Maltese consumer.

Even though Maltese civil aviation authorities do carry out their job quite efficiently in determining the safety levels of an airline flying to and from Malta, they seem not interested as to whether help Maltese citizens make informed decisions on which airline to choose when flying between two non-Maltese airports. Therefore Maltese citizens may be exposed to unnecessary safety risks when travelling.

It seems that authorities fail to understand that the principle of freedom of movement does not only mean the possibility to travel from Malta to another country but also an increased chance to travel between third countries, say for example from Luxembourg to Stockholm. This means that the relevant authorities are to extend their concern away from our jurisdiction and make sure Maltese citizens are safe as they travel.

Therefore an airline blacklist is no privilege but a necessary document which respects the right of information which consumers are entitled to. Furthermore it ensures that Maltese citizens are safe when they travel, all the time, anywhere they are.

This is why all parties concerned with this issue - starting from consumer rights associations - are to exert pressure on the authorities in order to publish the national blacklist showing which airlines do not have a good safety record according to Maltese authorities.

In the meantime Maltese civil society is to continue lobbying in favour of the Europe-wide blacklist which the Commission is proposing. Malta, which controls a significantly large airspace when compared to its size, has an interest in taking a pro-active stand – and not a ‘rubber-stamp attitude’ - in this debate as the wellbeing of every passenger crossing our airspace is to be ensured at all times.

All actions taken are to come out of respect towards the consumer and a clear priority to preserve high safety standards during travel. After all, consumers are all human beings whose life is to be preserved at all costs.

Marsascala Day 2005

2005-09-04T15:37:00.000+02:00

Today, my hometown, Marsascala, celebrates another year of civic activity. This year, Marsascala Day falls on the eve of BF-Day – Big Fight-Day. In fact, a public consultation meeting will be held tomorrow at the Corinthia Jerma Palace Hotel with the topic on the agenda being the proposed development of the Sant’Antnin Recycling Plant.

Labour mayors of seven localities in the South-East of Malta continued fighting yesterday against the proposed development alleging they have the backing of residents in their localities. They certainly don’t have mine.

I find myself both against the proposed consultation process concerning the development and the way opposition against it is being carried out. The only thing these seven mayors have managed to attain is a politicisation of the debate, something which is useless and is in line with the Government’s and Waste Serve’s attitude of non-consultation with the public. Instead of advocating local public opinion, the Seven Big Boys are showing how effective puppets local councils can be in the hands of the Labour Party.

My hometown is today celebrating its day with a majority of councillors believing that the only issue concerning their locality is the proposed development. Little is being said on the need to improve community service or the number of sports facilities. Few is being done in order to seize the advantages of European Integration in education and nothing has been proposed on how to implement the concept of lifelong learning amongst the community of Marsascala.

I long for the time when the same council used to truly work for its citizens and strongly anticipate the next election where hopefully this situation will change.

Marsascala’s happy days are not here yet but are drawing at the corner.

Russia Mourns Beslan

2005-09-03T19:55:00.000+02:00

Today is the first anniversary of the Beslan school carnage where 331 people died after being taken hostage by Chechen rebels on September 1, 2004.

CNN reports:
"Piercing wails cut through the air as grief-stricken residents of this southern Russian town held a moment of silence Saturday, a year to the day after hundreds of their relatives and neighbors died in a hail of gunfire and explosions that ended a horrific school hostage crisis.
[...]
By the time the clock struck at 1:05 p.m. (0905GMT), the time of the first explosion that announced the bloody end to the three-day hostage crisis, at least 4,000 people had squeezed into the courtyard outside the Beslan school gymnasium where the victims endured terror, thirst and hunger.
As a bell tolled, children released 331 white balloons into the air to symbolize the souls of the dead. The moment of silence was broken by a wave of wailing that rippled through crowd, and at least one woman collapsed.
"They died here, they were burned here, their souls are still here," said Alona Bistayeva, 42, standing in the line of dazed-looking people waiting to file through the gymnasium to pay their respects. "It's a process of farewell, and of not forgetting. A person forgets this, and all of a sudden it happens again."
From the school, the crowd moved to the cemetery, where thousands watched the consecration of a soaring new memorial while weeping women tended their relatives' graves.
As bells tolled over loudspeakers, a short poem was read out and then a list of all 331 victims that took 25 minutes to read. Some people wept; most bowed their heads.
Then, a wave of sobbing swelled from crowd as a white sheet was pulled off the 8-meter (25-foot) statue of four women holding up a tree of angels.
White doves released into the air circled over the crowd several times as mourners bent down and touched the earth on their relatives' graves with both hands.
In the Russian capital, where flags were flying at half-staff Saturday, a pro-Kremlin youth group planned a large rally off Red Square to mark the Beslan anniversary amid calls by state-run media for opposition forces not to try to take advantage of the tragedy to sow discord.
Earlier Saturday, Putin opened the weekly meeting of his Security Council with a moment of silence. He then announced that he had instructed prosecutors to send investigators to Beslan to verify the information he had been provided at a Friday meeting with members of a mothers' committee who have demanded that negligent or corrupt officials be prosecuted over the attack."

Malta Feels no Need to Publish National Airline Blacklist

2005-09-03T19:41:00.000+02:00

In an article shown yesterday on The Times of Malta, sources told the paper that local civil aviation authorities are not planning to issue an airline blacklist for national use. Such a blacklist would list all airlines banned from flying through the national airspace after having been found to have a poor safety record.

Unlike France and Belgium, who published their blacklists last week, Malta says it does not need to draw up such a document for national use as the idea of having a Europe-wide blacklist is currently being discussed.

The same sources told the paper that Malta would not oppose such an initiative from the EU.

Malta Demands Conditionality in Development Assistance

2005-09-03T19:15:00.000+02:00

Maltese Foreign Minister Michael Frendo yeterday raised the issue of irregular immigration during the Informal Foreign Ministers Meeting, also known as Gymnich, which was held at Celtic Manor, in Newport, Wales.

Minister Frendo was quoted saying by The Times that ACP (African Caribbaean and Pacific) countries receiving development aid from the EU should play their part in carrying out their obligations according to international trade agreements. He said that development aid agreements signed with these countries should be accompanied with effective repatriation and reintegration agreements.

During his intervention, Dr. Frendo also welcomed the new package on irregular immigration as proposed by the European Commission where a common asylum policy is being proposed. A detention period of six months is one of the Commission's proposals.

The topic of irregular immigration was put on yesterday's agenda after a joint request by the governments of Malta and Italy.

Link: European relations with African, Caribbean an Pacific (ACP) countries

Launching the CHOGM 2005 Series

2005-08-31T18:42:00.000+02:00

Less than a hundred days before the Commonwealth Heads of Government kicks off in November 2004, I shall be posting you with a series of articles on the Commonwealth countries participating, the prospects of the meeting and a series of tips about Malta to foreigners on stay during the Meeting. The series shall also contain links to press articles about the CHOGM worldwide.

This initiative is being launched in order to create awareness on the political significance of the CHOGM amongst the readers of Malta Daily Blog.

Monti to the Full

2005-08-31T18:41:00.000+02:00

Ex-EU Commissioner Mario Monti launched a proposal last week to recreate a solid centre government, free of any bi-partisan conflict, with the aim of re-vitalising the ailing Italian economy. This idea was launched on Italian daily La Stampa following Monti’s observation of the current state of the Italian economy and deliberations on the inability of either side of the bi-partisan settlement to tackle the serious problems Italy is faced with.

Monti’s comments may very well be applied to Malta. With our GDP currently standing at 0.1% and exports down 14% in the first quarter of 2005, the Maltese bi-partisan political spectrum is still proving itself incapable to come up with any concrete proposal that will help Malta solve its problems. This is why the need for a moderate party operating in a ‘Grande Centro’ (Grand Centre) in Malta is greatly felt.

Instead of delivering results to the Maltese electorate, the present system is proving capable at delivering only useless bickering that is wasting Malta precious resources. These could instead be spent on making Malta a success story in the Mediterranean region. The current state of affairs is chaining Malta to a ‘status quo’ situation where new ideas are simply ruled out. This state of affairs cannot continue as it is embarrassing our nation on the international scene with foreign diplomats believing that Malta is only good at complaining and criticising and not proposing.

This is why there needs to be a new centre party, free of any useless conflict, committed only towards Malta. There needs to be a new centre party capable of proposing and achieving national unity and progress for all. There needs to be a new pro-active party full with positive answers to Malta’s problem.

There should be a new centre party because the people feel disgruntled and lost in their own society, as relatively low participation rates in local elections show. This is why this new centre party shall be an effort coming from the people, directed towards the people, implemented together with the people.

This is why I agree with Monti to the full as the bi-partisan system in Malta has proven to be of great damage to society unless some major structural changes are carried into both major political parties.

Malta’s Aims on Irregular Immigration

2005-08-31T18:37:00.000+02:00

In an article shown on The Times of Malta on Thursday 25th August, Minister for Home Affairs Tonio Borg outlines a three-pronged diplomatic approach Malta is following in order to find a solution for its own irregular immigration problem. The three main aims described by Minister Borg are to:

“¤ Request resettlement in European Union countries;
¤ Participate in EU joint repatriation flights;
¤ Strive for ad hoc repatriation arrangements with neighbouring Libya from where most of the immigrants start their Europe-bound journey”

A reflection on the Borg’s three aims may lead us to the conclusion that all three aims, if successfully pursued by the Government, will have their own repercussions on Europe thus on Malta. This is because Malta is not proposing any concrete measure that would alleviate the economic and social problems irregular immigration poses on European Society. By sending immigrants elsewhere in Europe would mean keeping the same problem but at the same time creating economic pressures on other countries thus possibly reducing the economic potential of Europe. The proposals Malta is putting forward can thus be seen as not being holistic and having an effect only in the short-term.

The first aim - “[to] Request resettlement in European Union countries” - will only dilute Malta’s problem. If this plead were to be accepted then Malta’s problem will only be partially solved, as the numbers of irregular immigrants will reduce but the number of arrivals won’t. It is also possible that the number of arrivals would increase as the disparities between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of the World would continue to increase. Moreover this request is highlights the ignorance of the Maltese government on the current state of irregular immigration in the European Union. Malta is not, as some want to make the citizens believe, the only country facing this problem. The European Commission estimated in 2003 that there were more than 3 million irregular immigrants in the fifteen-state European Union.

This request can very well be replaced with an application for funds under the AGRO [link to AGRO web site] project and a proposal for the setting up of a common border patrol agency between Mediterranean countries. Common border patrol initiatives, previously launched by Spain and Italy on two different occasions, are an effective measure on how traffickers can be caught thus reducing the number of risky voyages across the Mediterranean.

The Government should also strive to push the Tampere conclusions on immigrants and asylum seekers high up on the European Agenda. Tampere is the name of a European Council meeting where important decisions on the issues of justice, security and freedom were taken. One of the proposals was to set up a common immigration and asylum policy within the European Union. This may couple the efforts of a common border patrol agency for Europe’s borders.

I find myself in total disagreement with the third proposal where the government is proposing to, “Strive for ad hoc repatriation arrangements with neighbouring Libya from where most of the immigrants start their Europe-bound journey”. Libya is not a signatory of the 1951 Geneva Convention, an instrument which guarantees humane treatment to asylum seekers and prisoners of war. Therefore, by sending the immigrants back to Libya, would effectively mean Malta agreeing to any treatment inflicted on the immigrants as soon as they arrive into Libya.

The third aim would rather be replaced by a clear commitment from the Maltese Government to ensure a better global governance system where the existing economic and social disparities between the North and South would be reduced. Malta should lobby in the European Council of Ministers in favour of a stronger international voice of Europe in world affairs and bilateral co-operation between the European Union and the United Nations.

Only a holistic approach to the problem of irregular immigration and consideration to our European partners’ problems concerning illegal immigration will permit Malta to come up with real proposals that will have an impact in the long-run. Only through substance will Malta obtain support from its international partners.

Impressions of Paris Fire

2005-08-31T01:04:00.000+02:00

The International Herald Tribune is displaying on its web site a slide-show on the Paris Fires that hit a block of apartments inhabited by immigrants on August 30th.

From IHT.com:

For the second time in four days, flames tore through a dilapidated building housing African immigrants in Paris, this time killing seven people and sharpening a debate about the living conditions of tens of thousands of the city's poorest residents.
The latest blaze, on Monday night, brings the combined death toll of three such fires since April to 48, including 28 children.
The images of Africans fleeing the flames of their homes have become a powerful illustration of three related challenges facing many Western countries: Immigration is rising, economic inequality is widening and housing prices continue climbing.
About 40 West Africans, most of them from Ivory Coast and many of them illegal immigrants, had been squatters since 1999 in the five-story building that burned. It stood in the Marais district near some of the city's most sought-after addresses.
There were no fire extinguishers nor any running water to wet towels against the smoke.
The fire probably broke out on the second-floor landing of the wooden stairwell around 10 p.m. and took three hours to contain, emergency officials said Tuesday. The flames raced up the stairwell, trapping several inhabitants in the upper stories.
Two men saved their lives by jumping out of windows, suffering serious injuries. One mother, who was later found dead with her three-year-old child, pushed her six-year-old son out of a fourth-floor window. The child died two hours later in a hospital.
The scorched bodies of a family of four, living on the top floor, were found in the debris after the interior of the building collapsed. The mother had been pregnant with twins.
On Tuesday morning, a smell of charred wood lingered in the air outside the building's blackened facade.
Amid wailing women mourning the deaths of friends and family, Bafeteke Dosso, 32, stood shaking his head in disbelief at his neighbors' sudden deaths - and his own survival. Dosso said he lived next to the family that died and survived only because he worked a night shift.
"My neighbor called me at 10:15 p.m. last night when I was at work," he said. "He told me there was a fire and that people were jumping out of the window like on Sept. 11," referring to victims of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
City officials said a short-circuit resulting from makeshift electrical wiring might have been the cause, although they added it was too early to rule out arson or other causes. Arson or an accident is suspected in another deadly fire last Friday, after officials ruled out structural causes, such as bad elecrical wiring.
According to Yves Contassot, deputy mayor of Paris for the environment, the tale of the burned building speaks for many others. Now owned by the city, the house previously belonged to an unidentified person living outside Paris, Contassot said. It stood empty starting in 1990 and became increasingly rundown.
After the squatters arrived in 1999, city officials, conscious of the safety risks, demanded that the owner repair those parts of the buildings deemed unstable and secure the hazardous electrical wiring. They also asked the water company to restore running water, but to no avail. Instead, the inhabitants fetched water in buckets from a nearby fountain on the street.
When the city threatened to requisition the building in 2001, the owner demanded what Contassot called an exorbitant price. A three-year legal battle ensued, finally resulting in a transaction last year.
"This is not just about immigrants, it's about a worrying trend of speculation in the real estate market and about growing inequality in society," Contassot said.
"Paris has never had more vacant buildings, but the poor don't have access to them."
He said that almost 140,000 housing units are vacant in the city today and that about 72,000 units are second homes of people with their main residence elsewhere in France or abroad.
According to a report by the Abbé Pierre Foundation of Housing for the Underprivileged published this year, the prices of older houses and apartments have doubled over the past five years while those for newer housing rose by 78 percent.
Meanwhile, said Patrick Doutreligne, director of the foundation, the French are only 24 percent richer, so housing is becoming proportionally more and more expensive.
In the greater Paris region, some 300,000 people are waiting to be allocated government-subsidized housing. In central Paris alone, more than 100,000 applications currently compete for 12,000 subsidized apartments.
While their requests are pending, families often end up living in overcrowded and unsafe conditions. In 2002, City Hall declared 1,036 buildings in Paris unsafe and is in the process of renovating them.
Last Friday, a fire killed 17 in a building housing 130, mainly Malian, immigrants with demands for social housing pending for as many as 14 years. On April 15, a blaze in a budget hotel, where the government had put up immigrants waiting for their papers, killed 24.
On Tuesday politicians scrambled to express their concern about France's housing situation and offer solutions.
"There is a very serious problem with unsafe buildings in Paris," Mayor Bertrand Delanoë said on Tuesday. "We want to attack this problem."
President Jacques Chirac expressed his "horror" at the tragedy and said the government would announce a range of measures on Thursday.
Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy ordered all illegally occupied buildings in Paris closed, without indicating where the squatters would be housed.
But if rising immigration and soaring prices have intensified the issue in recent years, the twin problem of scarce social housing and unsafe provisional lodging is not new.
In 1986, three fires in budget hotels housing immigrants killed 18.
"How many more people have to die until the authorities act?" asked Amina Sidibe of the High Council of Malians in France on Tuesday.
"This problem has been around for decades."

Gavin Contro il Mondo

2005-08-31T01:00:00.000+02:00

In an article shown today on l-Orizzont (a left leaning local newspaper published in Maltese), Labour MP Gavin Gulia deplores government for not having solved the irregular immigration problem during the ten days he was away from Malta. He proposes Malta to take "drastic action" in light of the lack of attention Malta has received from the International Community.

Gulia seems to believe that by making an allusion to vulgar expressions like, "I'll tell you now in which anatomical part will the EU consider our 'voice' (Nixtieq nghidilkom f’liema parti ta’ l-anatomija tal-bniedem l-Unjoni Ewropea se tpoggi l-”vuci” taghna)" he will persuade the readers that Labour, the party he represents is committed to provide constructive criticm. Poor man, his miss is as hood as a mile.

By throwing mud on the Maltese complaints, Gulia, and the Left in Malta is not going anywhere. Instead of pushing the common border patrol agency project launched in 2000, or imitating Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and the United Kingdom who in 2002 launched a border patrol operation dubbed Ulysses or else suggesting a proposal for the ARGO programme, Left media and Labour politicians prefer to play the government's game - misinform the public and play the victim.

I hope Gulia and friends take McNulthy's advice, cut this nonsense and start working on something substantial instead. We need action, not words.

McNulthy to Malta: Roll up your sleeves

2005-08-30T15:56:00.000+02:00

Speaking during a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg, British counterpart for immigration Tony Mc Nulthy adopted a no-nonsense approach to the problem the Mediterranean currently faces. Herman Grech for The Times of Malta reports.

"The UK Minister for Immigration has urged the Maltese to make a concerted effort to find a solution to the problem of illegal immigration instead of just being critical.
...

Speaking during a news conference, Mr McNulthy took a no-nonsense approach: 'Those who are good at criticising would do better to come on board and seek a solution. It's easier to criticise, but it's less easy to roll up your sleeves, get down to work and try to find a solution... even if I don't blame people for their frustrations.'

...

He admitted that the resettlement request would be difficult to execute, saying it was not a key solution to the immigration problem - even if countries like the Netherlands were willing to discuss the matter. In essence, the problem of illegal immigration should be discussed at EU level, Mr McNulthy said.

[In other news,] Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini and his Maltese counterpart Michael Frendo have agreed to put forward a joint request for help in connection with irregular migration during the EU's External Relations Council in Newport later this week.
Malta and Germany are planning to apply for EU funds to operate joint repatriation flights for failed asylum seekers and Malta has also been lobbying Libya to take its share of responsibility in preventing migrants from flooding the island from its shores."

Brit Humour!

2005-08-28T22:56:00.000+02:00

In the latest issue of the Sunday Times of London Sarah-Kate Templeton and Jonathan Calvert write on hilarious measures the British Government will adopt in an eventual outbreak of a pandemic derived from the Avian Flu.

The journalists write:

"Although senior government ministers would be among the high-priority cases, the department said this weekend that it had not decided whether to include opposition politicians. "

At least Malta seems to be better prepared with 25% of the population being secured.

Malta 1 - Britain 0

Freedom Fighter

2005-08-27T13:01:00.000+02:00

Last time, a friend of mine narrates, when travelling on a bus, a Maltese teenager was heard speaking to a couple of foreign tourists. She was praising their lifestyle and saying how she envies them because they’re so liberal…they can have sex before marriage without being condemned. In Malta this can’t happen.

Since when has the notion of freedom been reduced to such a level? Is freedom truly the possibility to do whatever one likes and desires? Does freedom really mean the presence of no constraints?

I pity the girl for believing that freedom is translated into such an easy equation. In fact I believe that the freedom she describes is the greatest limitation ever put on the human being. I find the belief that one can do whatever he likes simply as irrational.

Constraints are the true fabric of human being. Scientists in the field of language study that meaning (semantics) can at times be incomplete as the human being has not yet managed to categorise the linguistic universe around him completely. Thus freedom to do whatever one likes is impossible in human nature.

There are primarily three reasons for such an assertion. The first reason is related to man’s finitude. Man is no immortal being. He is born dying. Therefore time is his greatest limit. In fact certain philosophers believe that time is being. Therefore, despite we possess a mind which can transcend from the present and travel into the future and past and to different locations at the same time, we remain trapped in a dying body. How can ever a dying creature believe it’s free to live?

The nature of dreams provides the second reason for my assertion. There are dreams that are highly unlikely to become a reality. We still fancy the idea of becoming rock stars or top football players even if we know that the likelihood of these becoming a reality is next to zero.

Secondly, the girl’s dream of having a liberal society where everything is free for all is a dream on which the whole market economy is based upon. Economics are a major constraint to our dreams as money is always short of supply therefore limiting our freedom of movement in the free economy. In modern societies we buy our freedom. We are born workers who want to buy and consume freedom in their own free time.

Therefore, if the human being, essentially, psychologically and economically is not free in the sense that he can do whatever he likes, what scope does freedom serve?

I think that the notion of freedom is an artificial idea that is meant to regulate the social aspect of the human being. Law in society is a perfect example as it determines what one is free to do and what one isn’t. Convention - and no dogma - determines freedom as laws are agreed upon by an authority which generally enjoys the support and allegiance of the majority of society. (The fact that the human being controls the level of freedom may even show how much freedom is not free, at least from interference from the human being.) This effectively means that freedom – in that there are freedoms, guaranteed by the law (thus convention) which one enjoys – is an essential aspectsa in society.

The question flows naturally: If freedom is reduced to convention, and if convention may be different in different societies thus making freedom relative, then would this make all societies free?

Therefore would this mean that being free to have sex before marriage makes Maltese society as free as any other which tolerates sex before marriage?

Big Brother

2005-08-27T12:59:00.000+02:00

Once, a bus driver decided to start chatting on the European Union at three o’clock in the morning as he was driving me back home after a day’s work. At first, I felt really angry as I wanted to sleep – I was meant to wake up at seven in the morning next day – but, then, I was so absorbed into what he was telling me that it took me an hour to manage to get some sleep.

The driver’s arguments, though fallacious, did reveal a great feeling of insecurity towards the European Union. He claimed that “l-Ewropa”, as the European Project is known to Maltese, will soon be deciding to install chips inside every one of us in order to record our movements. I thought I was speaking to Orwell. I could see a wonderful metaphor in the driver’s assertion revealing his apprehension on the European Union intruding in his daily business. His assertion left me hanging and it triggered off my thoughts on the European Union and federalism.

In Malta there is a great concern amongst the citizens that the European Union may turn into a Federal State and gobble up its national identity, confirmed only until recently when Malta obtained Independence in 1964. The European Union is seen evermore as an intruder in their lives rather than as a project of peace, democracy and development. This feeling was confirmed by a survey carried out recently where 60% of the local population does not think positively of the European Union. What may be the reasons for such a feeling?

Malta, a peripheral suburb in the European Union, both geographically and also in its participation in the philosophical and political debate on the future of Europe, is not on honeymoon anymore with the European Union. It is instead disillusioned that the opportunities politicians spoke of in the run-up to the referendum and elections in 2003 are not materialising.

Possibly people feel they are not involved in the decision making process of the European Union. People may feel they are not consulted thus decisions taken in their name are seen more as an intrusion rather than as an effort to improve their livelihood. People feel lost. This is why democracy is badly needed.

The European Union needs to be more transparent in order to make citizens feel involved and reduce the fear-factor surrounding the European Project. The European Union needs to promote a greater democratic approach. I think time is ripe to initiate a real debate on the need of a European Constitution (after the first one was rejected) amongst citizens and not only on a European Council level. A bottom-up approach should be inspired thus truly practising the principal of subsidiarity.

I am avidly in favour of the European Project and I think that the European Union should be a democratic federal state where the people are involved in shaping the reality of their continent. This is why I think there is great need for democracy, great need for dialogue.

European Citizens who believe in Europe should start working in this direction. Citizens shall use all possibilities available to explore the European Project and to develop new ideas on the European Project. Anyone from anywhere shall start thinking and acting in order to continue building peace, development and prosperity.

Only by information, education and involvement shall the idea of a European Big Brother be dismantled and be replaced instead by a pro-active society ready to participate – and live – the European Project.

Fear of the ‘Dark’

2005-08-27T12:48:00.000+02:00

As more and more migrants reach Malta’s shores, people in the streets keep on speaking on how the smallest European state may solve what Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg termed as a “crisis”.

Away from the Prime Minister’s Office; deep into the Maltese streets set ablaze by the summer heat; people seem to have a different opinion on Malta’s obligations towards irregular immigrants. The latter cross the Sahara Desert to reach the Libyan shores where there they board a boat driven by their hope towards a better future, possibly in mainland Europe. The former think – or rather, feel – resentment and fear at what they prefer to term as an “invasion”.

A feeling of fear in fact prevails amongst the Maltese population on the presence of more than a thousand asylum seekers, currently detained in Army Barracks in the major island of the Maltese archipelago. People’s views are shifting at great speed towards the racist and xenophobic attitude of the far right, as a survey published by The Times recently showed.

A thousand may seem to be small a number but when compared to a population of less than a 400,000 inhabitants and the arrival of approximately 4,000 immigrants in three years, the right proportions are assumed. But some citizens still argue that Malta receives more than a million tourists a year and, still, no one ever speaks of a tourist invasion or of a threat on the social fabric of Maltese society. Therefore from where is this ‘fear of the dark’ coming?

A look at the Maltese history and romantic mythology may provide us with answers. Malta experienced two sieges: An Ottoman siege in 1565 and an active participation as an important Allied Mediterranean naval base in the Second World War. The 1565 siege, dubbed by historians as the Great Siege, was mystified by Maltese romantic poets in the early 20th century. These poets praised Malta as a bulwark of Christianity against Islam. The enemy is depicted as evil while the Maltese warrior is seen as heroic. This idea – which managed to help Malta gain self-confidence - is deep-rooted into Maltese thought.

It is these thoughts that the Maltese far-right politician re-visits. Ironically enough, it is by means of the very same romantic poets that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi makes his appeal for generosity and hospitality towards irregular immigrants. In fact, the romantic poet also praises Malta for its qualities of generosity and hospitality.
Therefore there may be a historical explanation to the problem Malta is currently facing whereas the myths perpetrated by the romantic poet have now become solid beliefs in some sectors of society.

Another cause to this ‘fear of the dark’ may be a great fear of the unknown. Having restricted access to all media, the Government has effectively permitted all detention centres to be enveloped in an aura of mystery – thus permitting popular legends on what happens inside to spread quickly. The hundred or so soldiers taking care of the asylum seekers are playing their part in spreading stories to their comrades whom they tell to their families. This is fast becoming an efficient network of misinformation where the immigrant is at times demonised.

Therefore I think that while the government is to continue implementing the measures it has announced, it should strive to embark on a serious information campaign where the plight of these individuals is shown and described. Furthermore the Government should make sure that press is granted access at all times to the detention centres in Malta. After all, this was a proposal in the National Conference on Irregular Immigration held in January 2005 – and like any other proposals mentioned, no or little action was taken.

In the meantime people remain scared of the dark.

Clarke criticises euro failings

2005-08-25T17:47:00.000+02:00

In an interview with Central Banking journal, Kennet Clarke attacks the Euro for not having brought "increased productivity, efficiency and living standards and stimulate policy reforms"

CHOGM?

2005-08-23T21:19:00.000+02:00

Once, a journalist decided to interview passers-by in Republic Street. His question was: “What do you think CHOGM is?” After many “I don’t know” and “I don’t have the time” as an answer, a woman finally stopped to answer his question. An expression of terribilita’ – better than that on Michelangelo’s David – surrounded her face. She was thinking hard. The journalist anxiously waited for her to answer. After a couple of moments the woman said in a serious tone, “Mhux tal-bott il-blu?” (“Isn’t it a tin painted in blue?”)

This story didn’t happen in reality – only up till now. The fact is that the Maltese Government, host of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (yes, CHOGM!) is so late in marketing the event that it is running a big risk of receiving such answers from the ‘very well’ informed public opinion.

Recent articles in local newspapers are showing that certain sectors of the Maltese population are missing a great deal on the true meaning of Commonwealth and CHOGM and, instead, are more interested in highlighting the amount of exposure Malta will get during the event. No talk is being done on the real need to network for development - which happens to be the event’s theme. No debate is taking place on how the fifty-three participating countries may improve their relations with the aim of improving the livelihood of many citizens around the world.

Instead of debating the Commonwealth and trying to see which direction the meeting shall take, pundits are more interested in knowing what shall be the exact advantages Malta will attain. Some have already predicted a transport fiasco for the islanders. Others think this will be a great opportunity for tourism (they forget a significant chunk of these countries hail from a forgotten district called Third World). On the other hand I think that the real advantage for Malta is a chance to change. Malta, as a host country, will have a golden opportunity to inspire greater and better development which would reach all Commonwealth citizens.

The Commonwealth is a no-statute organisation. This means there is no constitution or any other binding document which nations have to adhere to. There are instead two declarations, namely, the Singapore and the Harare Declaration to which principles all Commonwealth countries are committed. CHOGM in Malta may be an opportunity to re-instate these principles, thus renewing the Commonwealth. But, on the other hand, there is an equal chance that CHOGM in Malta would be another lost opportunity for better, more humane, development. This would be the result of indifference from both the public and the government in things that really matter.

There will be another three meetings taking place in Malta before the CHOGM. These are the Commonwealth People’s Forum, the Commonwealth Youth Forum and the Commonwealth Business Forum. All three events are aimed at different sectors society. All three events have one goal – networking for development. It is in these events that true action may be advocated. It is in these events that NGOs, youth and business organisations may commit themselves to continue trying to build a better world. Society has an opportunity to inspire change through these meetings.

But for society to be able to inspire change it must first know of such an opportunity. This is why information is golden. This is why the government is to inform and educate the public on what the Commonwealth is and what the CHOGM intends to be. Through information, our government may truly inspire ideas for greater development – the real advantage of CHOGM.

Providing Answers to Terrorism: A New World Order

2005-08-23T11:05:00.000+02:00

A little more than a month ago, Britain and Europe were shocked as they learnt that the London bombers where home-grown terrorists. No more did terrorists come from poor regions but, now, they also came from British cities. Unfortunately, it seems that terrorists, unlike politicians, are working in a global reality regardless of any territory or national border.

It seems that where politicians are failing, fundamentalists are succeeding. In fact, while certain sectors of politics remain indifferent towards the plight of certain societies, fundamentalists believe they can advocate the needs of those whom they believe are in need. Fundamentalism may be termed as the gap between globalisation and politics. Globalisation is evolving at a much faster rate than politics and this is causing a sort of vacuum. Some politicians still believe that what happens in one society will not affect their own society. Reality is proving to be different.

The fact is that, with globalisation, transport and communication have become much easier. For example, if it weren’t for internet you wouldn’t be reading this piece at the moment. Globalisation has dramatically increased the possibility of exposing realities, of reaching a greater audience. In fact the target is the world. It is not a nation or a locality anymore. This effectively means that national borders are being defied as freedom of movement of goods, people, capital – and ideas – is fast becoming a reality.

Therefore globalisation has created a new reality which is being exploited by fundamentalists. In fact if it weren’t for a greater access to transport, the British terrorists would not have flown to Pakistan where there they met the fundamentalists that hooked them into their evil project. Fundamentalists also use symbols of globalisation such as satellite television and the internet in order to display their deeds and carry out propaganda amongst their target audience.

This proneness from part of terror organisations to exploit the opportunities of globalisation may also be aided from the fact that they occupy no territory and have no responsibility for any jurisdiction, unlike what politicians have.

In fact, politicians seem to be currently facing a dilemma. They are bound to tackle the problems arising in their territory but they are also, in some way or another, responsible for the problems in other territories. As the experience of the European Project is showing (I am speaking of the Euro Currency), a problem in one country may hinder the development of another country. Therefore only by aiding a country solving its problem will more opportunities be created in the other country. It’s all a sort of multiplier effect.

This is why the aspect of networking is fast becoming crucial in today’s world. Governments are to network with each other in order to solve the problems afflicting them. One cannot dismiss any problem in any country because this may very well be the cause of a multitude of problems in another country. Armed conflicts and poverty in African countries is leading to a serious immigration problem in Europe especially in Southern European states.

Therefore a new world order is needed in order to replace the disorder fundamentalism is creating. But, unlike what the Neo-Con Hawks in the United States propose, that is, the country with the greatest economic influence shall be on top of a hierarchical system, I very much think that there should be a system where governments would be treated on an equal basis. All governments should equally be able to seek opportunities for networking and the principle of equity shall guide everyone to work in the direction of and share the results of development and prosperity.

This new world order may very well be expressed through a reformed United Nations. And the motive is simple. If any world order were to be based on economic output then there would be (presently or in the near future) three factions claiming the throne: United States, the European Union (given it decides to have a stronger voice in world politics) and China. This would give rise to conflicts. This may also mean that at the helm of the world order there may be countries that do not respect the freedom of the individual.

A reformed UN with greater powers would mean that the new world order would be based on commitment towards respect for human rights. A reformed UN would mean greater peace. A reformed UN would mean bridging the gap between the effects of globalisation and conventional politics as the role of the UN would be to promote the needs of the whole globe and promote networking initiatives aimed at achieving better development for all. Only so doing would the need for fundamentalism be ruled out and replaced by a clear answer against violence, in favour of peace and true development for all humankind.

Globalia

2005-08-13T03:58:00.000+02:00

Live8 and similar activities contribute to society in a million ways. But one will definitely stand out. They highlight the plight of the underserved. They show that the version of globalisation we are currently living is not leading us all to the promised destination: prosperity.

So is there something wrong with the concept of globalisation? Or is the concept of globalisation being wrongly implemented? In other words, is there something missing?

One may argue that globalisation as we know it today sees its genesis in the roaring twenties when greater investment in advertising helped increase consumer spending. Following the Second World War – even thanks to the decolonisation process - more communities opted to globalise their economic operations and see the whole world as their prospective customer. Today, thanks to other technological improvements like the internet, our world has effectively become what we all call “a global village”.

But if we were to ride Aladdin’s magic carpet would we see one idyllic village, just like the ones you see on post cards? Bono and Friends would plainly say no. And I agree. Though companies have managed to rule the world, prosperity doesn’t. There is poverty instead. The global village from up high is a big city of a few, very few, richly dressed people and many people “living in holes”, as British poet W.H. Auden would say.

Therefore, given the evident failure of the present system, should globalisation be scrapped and a new system dreamt of? Or should we, like real mechanics, thoroughly inspect our machine and then carry out the necessary repairs for an improved performance?

I would rather opt for the second option. I do not like any Che Guevaras running around. Unlike their professed hero they dream of everything and manage nothing. I like to inspect, criticise, and appreciate – something which I shall definitely do in globalisation’s case.

In fact, I think that globalisation is a concept which is not being interpreted to the full.

Let’s say that there is a global village. Now, if there were to be a global village, there must be global citizens. If there were to be global citizens, these must have a way of managing their own affairs. They must have their own politics, their own politicians. But, do you see any of them? I certainly don’t. I only see national and international politics, but no global politics.

The world of business and finance has managed to globalise its operations and not to distinguish between nationality and creed – because a FIAT may be driven by a Palestinian and an Israeli alike. On the other hand, the world of politics is not adjusting to this reality. The global citizen is simply not being catered for in a democratic way. Instead there seems to be an oligarchic system at the helm of Globalia - our global village - made of company bosses and influential shareholders. These in turn control the livelihoods of thousands of people. The equation is simple – the more a company sells, the greater its influence on the economy, the more a company employs, the greater its influence on the quality of life of the global village. Therefore the world is effectively controlled in two ways. One is proper and suits the financier’s role but the other one isn’t.

I firmly believe that the economy should be left flowing freely but I equally believe that people should decide on their own quality of life and not any oligarch instead. People must have the ability to influence decisions. This is why there should be a global (not only international) sense in doing politics - based on the principle of interdependence (that is, any decision taken in one community will affect another community because of the presence of a tightly knit global economic community) and because the basic needs of every human being living anywhere in the world are basically the same.

This is why I primarily advocate a reform of the United Nations where it would be more of United Peoples. The United Nations shall become a true forum where nations can raise issues concerning their community and seek help basing upon the principle of solidarity - a principle which has helped Europe achieve a long-lasting peace. The United Nations shall truly be a place where democracy is preached and practised possibly through a parliamentary system on multiple levels from local to regional to global parliamentary chambers all working with the same goal – achieving prosperity, for all. This would secure all peoples having an equal voice which would not be dependant on economic output but on human rights. The United Nations and its bodies shall strive even further to respect the Declaration of Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals and attaining a dignified life for all.

Because dignified life is not a commodity but the cornerstone of humanity.

Congratulations!

2005-08-12T19:24:00.000+02:00

The Times of Malta is this week celebrating its 70th birthday. A big congratulations from my part to all those who helped publish this paper throughout the years!

No to Abortion in the Constitution

2005-05-18T10:37:00.000+02:00

I think all of you know of the current process to amend the Maltese Constitution and include a clause which would consider abortion as a criminal offence. I bet you all know that the Government is willing to discuss this issue with civil society representatives (NGOs etc).

First of all I am pro-life, this means I am against abortion.

After some two weeks of thinking I came up with the conclusion that this proposal should be rejected for the following reasons:

1. No party currently in Parliament was given the mandate in the 2003 elections to include abortion in the Constitution
2. A Constitution is the highest form of law in a country which determines national identity. I saw how the current debate in Malta on whether abortion shall be legalised or not is divided as follows:
2.1 85% of Maltese are against abortion (http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=184159&hilite=abortion). On the other hand 11% of Maltese are in favour of abortion and 3% did not commit themselves to give an answer in The Times’ survey
2.2 Therefore there is the possibility that if abortion were to be entrenched in the Constitution then 11% of Maltese, who are in favour of abortion would not be considered Maltese anymore.
3. Truly a democracy is respecting the will of the majority but also means respecting minority and diversity. If abortion were to be entrenched in the Constitution then the minority’s ideas would be discarded
4. The philosophical (ethical) debate regarding the issue has not yet come to a conclusion. Therefore to take a firm stand in favour or against such an issue would be unwise.
5. Currently abortion in Malta is a criminal offence. This means that a majority of Maltese Citizens (not all Maltese) consider abortion to be a murder. Therefore it makes sense to include abortion in the criminal code as it respects the will of the majority at a given point in time.
6. Questions for (4) and (5) flow naturally. What if the situation were to change, i.e. the philosophical debate come to a conclusion and the current Maltese minority change to a majority in favour of abortion over time. This is highly hypothetical, yes, but even such a proposal to include abortion in the Constitution is, as it is saying that future Maltese society will remain unchanged regarding this issue. Now doesn’t history, and personal experience, show us that change is a reality?
7. Even though abortion is a criminal offence, it is still being practised by Maltese. In one year alone there were 190 abortions of Maltese unborn babies in the UK. These are families who have the resources and opportunities to commit an abortion abroad. The question is: are there such possibilities in Malta? Therefore there needs to be a greater enforcement of the current law and not a new law.
8. The Government is not giving ample time to discuss the issue. A month (Minister Tonio Borg allotted a month to discuss the issue) is too short a period to discuss an amendment to the Constitution.
9. If proper changes to the Constitution were truly to be carried out then there are topics which are more important than this. These include but are not limited to: a re-definition of the president’s role, a more just electoral system.
10. Time. Debate consumes time. Especially time in Parliament. Time, like money in Malta’s coffers, is lacking. Therefore debate on such an entrenchment of abortion in the Constitution will steal time from possible new methods of current legislation enforcement and other topics such as but not limited to:
10.1 Implementation of the Lisbon Process
10.2 A Better Economy
10.3 The setting up of an anti-discrimination agency (a proposal which is in EU Law [2000/43/EC] that was also implemented in Malta but which never materialised.

These 10 points and more are, in a nutshell, what I thought. I am sure that you thought some, all, or more points. This is why I am proposing we, as friends, raise our opinion about the issue. The government said it needs our opinion and that is what we shall do.

I suggest we set up a Yahoo group to discuss this issue. Moreover I need your support in order to show what a mistake it is to impose personal opinions (even if I totally agree with such opinions such as that abortion is a criminal offence) in the Constitution thus on national identity. National identity shall always be a whole – never fragmented.

What am I proposing? Send letters on The Times and show such our position to Where’s Everybody.

Please reply: agreement or disagreement. We need to discuss such an issue as it deals with our future.

Remember: I am not speaking in favour of abortion (I am firmly against it). I am against tampering proper democracy

Malta 2020: Racism Alert

2005-04-15T08:35:00.000+02:00

2005 A.D. A man with a walking stick is speaking in front of audience. It’s cold. He is cold. People are agreeing and clapping. A little distance away, a sad child is sowing a seed in the cold soil of a barren field. A man, dressed in black, is hurrying to the square. He is late.

2020 A.D. A young couple, both aged thirty-three, are walking on the seafront at Sliema. They walk past a newsagent. The headlines read, “Riots in Paceville. Three seriously injured”. The seed sown fifteen years earlier has grown into thorn.

2005 A.D. I stand in the library at home in front of my computer. It start thinking as I read the back page of The Sunday Times. The headlines read, “Lowell says immigrants constitute ‘genetic threat’”

Definitely, I don’t like to be a catastrophist, but from what I have seen and heard lately, it seems that in fifteen years’ time, when we will be thirty-three years of age, one of the major problems we may be facing may be racial discrimination.

At thirty-three years of age, we will be forming an active part of the Maltese Society. Some of us would be starting up families whilst others would be furthering their studies. We imagine ourselves in 2020 as standing tall and pretty - and happy.

But happiness may be marred when we realise that the seeds of racial discrimination being sown today may grow into something concrete. Today’s talk may be tomorrow’s action.

Let me give you an example. In fifteen years’ time we may be electing a parliamentary deputy with racist outlooks. Or else we may be faced with some employers that dare to abuse of immigrants and ethnic minorities (the second generation would, by then, be reaching adulthood), just as some do now. These are just possible, but not laudable, situations that may occur in the future - in a future which we will be in control of.

In what kind of future shall we be in control of? What shall our children say about us? Will history books define Lowell’s Safi speech as the start of a long, painful process? Shall we leave the early signs of discrimination, a sour grape that may ripen in fifteen years’ time, unnoticed?

Every question needs an answer. We need foresight in order to face the challenges that lie ahead of us. It is useless postponing action when the grim farmer is already sowing the dark seeds which, at the end of the day we may be harvesting.

Racism is no joke at all. Auschwitz, Rwanda and Bosnia are the sad witnesses of this greatest truth. Today, we are writing the introduction of a long essay which we may, happily or sadly, conclude in fifteen years’ time. It is from today that we must start thinking about our future, which, after all is not so far away. We definitely want our happiness to be safeguarded. We demand to live in an environment where peace and stability make room for prosperity. We want to excel, not be thrown back.

It is for these reasons that we shall not let anyone manipulate our future in a way that it pursues a dark alley. It is for these reasons that we are today being called to take a pro-active action in order to start preventing problems that may appear when we would be in control of our society.

The answer lies within a national conference that the Maltese Government will be organising soon. Let us, youths, meet with today’s players in society and show them our apprehensions about a future of ours that may be marred by unwise decisions of theirs. Let us propose an acceptable future which we will want to live in. Let us start seizing what is ours.

2020 A.D. The young couple buys the paper and read, “A far right group yesterday attacked a bar usually attended by Libyan and Tunisian youths. Five were hospitalised with serious injuries whilst a Libyan aged seventeen was injured to death. Seven were arrested. Magistrate Joe Sciberras was appointed to investigate the case.”

Will this ever happen?

The ball is in our feet