Police in their head

I barely had time to take a break when the news on the papers confirmed another of my nauseating rants that I tend to visit every now and then. Minister De Marco announced on Monday that there is nothing in Maltese law that outlaws giving politicians the satirical treatment – especially on the days of carnival. Only last week I was on the phone with a MaltaToday journalist asking them what source they had to back the statement that Maltese laws prohibited political satire. None apparently – other than some remote colonial ordinance.

It was rather weird. What with all the flourishing of satirical videos (see our home made shtf for a prime example), memes and posters it would be rather silly to have a prohibition that was restricted particularly to that time of the year when humour should reign. There we were though, for decades, claiming “fascist censorship” and criticising inexistent laws. Why? Because the big brother rule suits us. It’s a throwback to the Li Tkisser Sewwi saga – the laws are not to blame… it’s a worse, worse censor – and that’s the one in your head.

The men in uniform are not entirely free of blame. When they actually decide to proceed on a charge of slander because some activist called a politician “pulcinell” they are stretching the letter of the law to an inapplicable limit. Lest you wonder whether the police are obliged to report … they aren’t. They can opt not to follow what they might perceive to be a frivolous report and there IS a safeguard protecting anyone who feels that he is being ignored. He can in turn challenge the police in court to proceed with the prosecution.

Instead of following a perfectly rational law we have evolved a system whereby there is an assumption that the police are dutybound to prosecute every time some belligerent fool decides to wave the long arm of the law in what he presumes to be his favour. I repeat. They aren’t.

So what is really happening? We have a combination of police in our heads that have been put there by decades of hearsay and myths and legends and we have a police force that is wittingly or unwittingly abetting the wrong application of the law.

J’accuse insists that the best solution is education. Educate the citizens about their rights and educate the prosecuting section of the police to filter the suits in a more efficient and reasonable manner. In one fell swoop we could shift from Banana Republic to a decent system managed by that great rule of law.

We are servants of the law so that we may be free. Simples.

for Satire don’t forget to check out http://shtfan.tumblr.com