Categories
Values

Braying Donkeys and Hyenas

The Maltese have a saying ; “Ħanqa/naħqa ta’ ħmar qatt ma telgħet is-sema”. (A donkey’s braying never reached the sky). I never quite put my finger on what exactly we are to learn from this proverb and normally put it down to mean that the noises some individuals make are best ignored because of their emptiness.

I am reminded of the saying every time I come across posts by that sans pareil of Maltese wankellectualism Mario Azzopardi. It is not just now that he is steeped in controversy for his latest base brainfart attacking Roberta Metsola – it is practically always. The energumen has styled himself as some sort of facebook demagogue riding the filthy waves of jingoistic patriotism, unbridled racism and collective bigotry. His appeals are followed by a herd of like-minded individuals whose common lineage is found in the perverted interpretation of civil society that has prevailed in the age of TaghnaLkolllism.

Just before his tirade against Metsola, on St. George’s day, this latest version Malta’s illuminati had written his own appreciation of what politics is about:

He’d rather have a son of a bitch in power than a floppy romantic ‘saint’. Poor old Macchiavelli gets drawn into this Manual of the Political Warrior as Pilate in the creed. Were it a politician talking you might even salute the bold assertiveness of the position being taken. Black on white it is there. This is no politician though. This rabble rouser is a leech on the public purse – one of the many who enjoyed the patronage of Muscat’s Aqwa Zmien… one of the few for whom this was really a golden age.

Metsola rightly did not stoop to the levels of this hyena (far from sharks Mario, far from sharks) of the political jungle. Her reply to his ridiculous tirade was exemplary:

Yes, because lessons on what politics should be about are not to be taken from hyenas scavenging for some prize but from those who work hard for the common good. Incidentally it will not go unnoticed that the hyena’s efforts are part of a concerted effort encouraged daily by the authorities in power. Internet bullying and rabble rousing remains the order of the day as a long list of insignificant politicians and pseudo-politicians attempt to harness the anger of a misinformed population.

It is with the weapon of information that the hyenas and donkeys of this world will be finally relegated to the dust heap of irrelevance where they belong.

Categories
Environment

Fuck You Dolphins

We’ve been so happy spotting dolphins all over the island. Clips of the cetaceans zipping contentedly over and under waves have been shared again and again and have also made the news – to the point of getting an archbishop’s blessing. Some experts (we still have some somewhere) told us that this was because there was less noise underwater so the dolphins will come and play closer to the shores.

You barely have the time to enjoy the extra adrenaline rush from this newfound moment of natural goodness that a Minister will come along and spoil the show. Minister Farrugia’s little brownie badge acquired for his new plans for petrol stations had just about found place on his inflated chest when he came up with this blooper: Rubble could be dumped in the sea as a short-term solution, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia has suggested as the roadworks projects in the country remain at a standstill.

The roadworks in Lija – one of the many asphalt laying projects of the Government of the Best – are at an unacceptable standstill and this because the debris created by said project can find no place to call home. Funnily enough it is actually a question of money since the problem seems to be a disagreement on the price per tonne that has to be paid to quarry owners to accept the debris. I say funnily enough because this government has given us a simple modus operandi of throwing millions of euro at preferred customers in the private sector in order to solve its problems.

It seems however that while our elders may be dumped and crammed into a hotel at exorbitant prices in order to fill the huge gap of inadequate hospital and care facilities (1.6 million euros to Downtown Hotel), while direct orders for illegal batching plants may be the run of the day… while all of this is possible, the quarry owner’s demands are not feasible.

Nope. In this case our option is to take the debris and DUMP IT IN THE SEA. Apparently it is ok because the Nationalists (remember them?) have done it before when building Smart City. There HAD to be a precedent didn’t there Aaron? Because now it will be ok if you go on and proceed to dump debris in the sea in accordance with whatever sick law you lot conjectured together in parliament.

This is the government that often toys with the Gozitan community by proposing to build a tunnel between the islands. I’d love to see that. Really. I wonder where they would plan to put all that debris. In the sea right?

Aaron Farrugia and his hobz-biz-zejt eating half-brained colleague Ian Borg can both stick their heads far up where the sun does not shine (while we’re at it that pea brained excuse for a human Clint Camilleri can join them). Their love of asphalt and development (and hunting) is seriously prejudicing whatever is left of our islands.

Their big fuck you to dolphins today is another nail in the coffin of our environment.

Categories
COVID-19 Environment Immigration Politics

The Foreign Legion

There’s no two ways about this. Tackling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic requires a particularly well-honed toolset that is fully integrated with the global realities of today’s world. The by-now standard reaction in any nation wanting to brace itself and mitigate the impact of the virus is the dreaded lockdown.

The nature of the lockdown – a standstill of day to day life as families are confined to their living quarters and only the most essential of commerce is available – can be widely misinterpreted. Since part of the lockdown entails a shutting down of borders; and since the transmission of the infection is identified with travel, movement of persons and importation, the mover, the border, the foreign is rapidly becoming the enemy.

We are living in unprecedented times of Global War. This World War III is cross species. Homo sapiens vs COVID-19. Unfortunately the misinterpretation that I spoke of above means that across the globe governments and people are confusing persons on our side of the war with the enemy.

The foreigner becomes the suspect carrier, promoter and deliverer of the deathly virus kiss. Short-sighted, knee-jerk, populist reactions fail to factor in that the foreigner on ‘our’ land is part of the army needed to fight in the trenches.

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump ‘nationalised’ the reaction to the virus. Their politics built on the nostalgic pull of rekindling wartime memories of Greater America and Imperial UK could only produce the kind of nationalistic verve that was oblivious of international realities. In Little Malta we had a Minister whose name is not worth mentioning who openly declared that the first expendables would be the foreigners who had until very recently aided in the boosting of the market.

Yet the interdependent society that we had been in the process of building in fits and starts cannot suddenly be waved away with a magic wand. Nations like Luxembourg with 50% of the population ‘foreign’ by definition quickly realised that rather than kick out the non-natives, the nation depended on them. Vital sectors like the health sector ran on the transfrontalieres – cross-border commuters.

As soon as the borders threatened to shut the message from Luxembourg was an invitation to health workers to move their residence to the Duchy – even temporarily – in order not to let the health system collapse. The German Minister for Agriculture has already stated that the country would have to import manual labourers to work in the fields and prevent a food shortage.

However, there could be problems with the harvest in the fields, confirmed DBV President Rukwied. Of the approximately 286,000 seasonal workers who work in German fields every year, many come from abroad. According to Klöckner, their ministry is currently working on “workable solutions” to recruit the required workers. For example, workers from other sectors, such as catering, which are currently at a standstill, could be used. Temporary, flexible solutions will be worked out, such as relaxing the law on ‘mini-jobs’ or Sunday working. If not enough seasonal workers can be made available, they could also be flown in from abroad to cross closed borders, said the agriculture minister.

Source

The key to understanding this aspect of the Global Reaction to the epidemic is to understand that this is everybody’s war. The cliche’ that the virus knows no borders is not an excuse to build those walls that the populists had so desperately advocated for in pre-plague times. Rather it should lead to an understanding that there is no local answer to the problem – it has to be world wide.

And in these cases the foreign legion is that extra army that might help us cross the line at the end of the tunnel.

Categories
Mediawatch

Il-poplu magħqud qatt ma jkun mirbuħ

Dan id-diskors li ktibt fl-okkazjoni tal-ewwel manifestazzjoni għall-Ġustizzja li saret ġimagħtejn wara l-assassinju ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia. Għadu rilevanti iktar minn qatt qabel.

X’intom tagħmlu hawn? X’inġbartu tagħmlu għal darba oħra madwar din l-għajta għall-Ġustizzja? Għadkom ma xbajtux? Għadkom ma għajjejtux? Ħarsu waħda fuq il-lemin u fuq ix-xellug tagħkom. X’ġew jagħmlu hawnhekk dawn in-nies illum? X’inhi din is-socjeta’ civili? Għalfejn dal-kjass, dan l-istorbju kollu? Għalfejn dawn it-talbiet? Għalfejn qed ngħidu li hawn min għandu jirrizenja? Aħna jew m’aħniex f’bidu ta’ rivoluzzjoni? U rivoluzzjoni f’isem xiex u min?

Ġimagħtejn ilu seħħ assassinju oxxen. Inqatlet bl-iktar mod premeditat mara qalbiena, omm kuraġġuża u kittieba sbukkata. Ġimagħtejn ilu seħħet skossa kbir fis-socjeta’ Maltija u minn dakinhar xejn ma jista jerga’ jkun l-istess. Is-socjeta civili qamet mir-raqda twila li kienet ilha fiha. Kienet ilha ma tridx temmen u ma tridx tisma’ li l-qafas ta’ pajjiżna sejjer lura bil-ħeden.

Lura mhux f’sens ekonomiku għax dik l-illużjoni hemm għada. Le, mhux f’sens ekonomiku. F’sens ieħor. Għax filwaqt li qed ngħixu fi żmien is-surplus ekonomiku qed nassistu żmien id-deficit civiku u socjali. X’intom tagħmlu hawn? Staqsejtkom. Ħafna minnkom issa draw ilissnu l-kliem “Saltna tad-Dritt” – il-famuża “Rule of Law”. Issa li qomna mir-raqda qed nindunaw u nitgħallmu li din tfisser ugwaljanza quddiem il-liġi…

Li l-liġi hija l-istess għal kullħadd …

u li min hu fdat bit-tmexxija tal-pajjiż huwa marbut u suġġett għall-istess liġijiet daqs kull wieħed u waħda minna.

U għaliex qed nitkellmu dwar dan issa? Għaliex kellu jkun assassinju kiefer ta’ ġurnalista biex nibdew nitkellmu dwar riformi ta’ pajjiż? X’inhu in-ness, il-link, bejn ħaġa u oħra?

Matthew, Andrew u Paul – t-tfal ta’ Daphne – qalu li ma jridux biss ġustizzja penali – jiġifieri li jinstab min hu ħati tad-delitt specifiku – iżda jixtiequ riżultati iktar wiesgħa – iktar dejjiema. Jixtiequ li l-pajjiż jirritorna għal stat fejn id-dritt jirrenja – fejn kull wieħed u waħda minna iħossu cittadin liberu u cittadin li m’għandux minn xiex jibża’..

Sabiex isir dan it-tibdil, sabiex jintlaħqu dawn il-miri hemm bżonn li tqum fuq tagħha s-socjeta’ civili. Hemm bżonn li dan il-moviment magħmul minn kull wieħed u waħda minnkom ikompli jikber u jitgħallem u jemmen dak li qed jipproponi.

Għalhekk qiegħdin hawn. Qiegħdin hawn għax l-istat naqasna.

Naqas magħna lkoll. L-istat fis-sens wiesgħa tal-kelma m’għadux iservi lil pajjiż iżda kull ma jmur qiegħed iservi biss lic-crieki ta’ poter.

L-istat naqasna għax tħalla isir, jew jissawwar, sabiex jaqdi l-bżonnijiet tribalistici ta’ dawk li jifirduna. Falla għax il-kostituzzjoni u il-liġijiet tagħna baqgħu jitbagħbsu sabiex jinqdew l-allat foloz u sakemm spicca intesa’ ic-cittadin.

Għalhekk qiegħdin hawn. Għax sabiex titqajjem kuxjenza dwar dawn il-problemi hemm bżonn li l-poplu – li s-socjeta’ civili – jiftakar li huwa s-Sovran.

Iva sovran. Fis-saltna tad-dritt, dik li tiggarantilna li il-liberta’ – il-poter bażiku – jinstab fil-poplu. Dak il-poter jiġi fdat lill-politici għal peridjodu ta’ żmien u huwa dmir tagħhom li jużawh fl-interess tal-ġid komuni.

Qiegħdin hawn għax dawk li fdajnilhom il-kuruna tas-saltna tad-dritt naqsuna lkoll. Naqsuna kull darba li ippermettew li jitmermru l-istituzzjonijiet li xogħlhom kien li jipproteguna. Naqsuna kull meta ippermettew li tissikket kull tip ta’ kritika jew oppozizzjoni. Naqsuna kull meta ħadu sehem dirett f’azzjonijiet sabiex jissiktu l-kritici. Naqsuna meta biegħu il-valuri tagħna lkoll sabiex igawdu il-ftit.

Qiegħdin hawn, fl-aħħar, għax kellha tkun xokk lis-sistema bl-assassinju atroci ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia. Issa ma nistgħu nonqsu la lilha u lanqas lil dak li ħadmet hi ukoll għalih.

Qiegħdin hawn proprju fil-belt fejn trabbiet biex l-ewwelnett ma ninsewx lil Daphne u dik il-ħidma tagħha li biha għenet biex jinkixfu l-problemi ta’ pajjiżna.

Qiegħdin hawn biex ma ninsewx. Għaliex nonqsu aħna mir-rispett lejn Daphne jekk inħallu l-memorja tagħha tintesa wara ftit żmien u jekk ma jsir xejn sabiex tinbidel is-sitwazzjoni preżenti li kienet ukoll il-kaġun li waslet għal mewtha.

Qiegħdin hawn biex inwasslu messaġġ fejn ngħidu li ilkoll kemm aħna nirrifjutaw li dan huwa THE NEW NORMAL. Li nirrifjutaw li dan huwa BUSINESS AS USUAL. Li nirrifjutaw li kull min qiegħed jgħolli leħnu dwar il-bżonn ta’ bidla jiġi sistematikament attakkat bħala traditur jew bħala partiġġjan. Li nirrifjutaw l-akkuża li xi roadmap ta’ xi politiku qed jiġi sabotaġġat b’din l-għajta għall-Ġustizzja.

Qiegħdin hawn bħala l-ewwel pass ta’ bidla importanti għal pajjiż li jrid jreġġa lura lejn is-saltna tad-dritt, bħala pajjiż fil-qalba ta’ l-ewropa b’vokazzjoni li jkun l-aqwa – iva – imma l-aqwa xempju ta’ liberta’, demokrazija u ġustizzja.

Qiegħdin hawn għal-vjaġġ twil. Il-bidla mhix ser issir minn jum għall-ieħor. Għad irridu nikkonvincu ħafna nies dwar kemm din il-bidla hija siewja għal pajjiżna, għalina u għal uliedna. Intom ilkoll li qiegħdin hawn tistgħu tkunu xhieda iżda anki attivi f’din il-bidla. Nista’ ngħidilkom li magħkom hemm ħafna Maltin u Għawdxin li, bħali,  jgħixu barra – Maltin ta’ Londra, Maltin ta’ Brussell, Maltin tal-Lussemburgu, Maltin tal-Isvizzera. Maltin li baqgħu marbuta sew ma dak li qed jiġri f’pajjiżna u li għandhom ħafna x’jikkontribwixxu għal din il-bidla.

Jien fost il-ħafna li kibru jaqraw il-kolonni ta’ Daphne fil-gazzetti u li ġejt ispirat minnha sabiex nuża l-pinna bħala arma politika.  Forsi irreciprokajt ftit din l-ispirazzjoni meta permezz tal-blog tiegħi, waqt iljieli ta’ diskussjonijiet jaħarqu fuq l-istess blog fi żmien l-elezzjoni tal-elfejn u tmienja, Daphne iddecidiet tiftaħ blog tagħha. The rest, kif jgħidu, is history.

Jien ukoll għadni immur  fuq il-blog tagħha b’mod awtomatiku sabiex nara x’inhu jiġri f’pajjiżi. Il-vojt li ħalliet warajha huwa enormi. Ma rridux ninsew li dan il-vojt inħoloq għax kienet tikteb. Għax ma beżgħet minn xejn u ħadd.

Ippermettuli insellem lill-familjari kollha ta’ Daphne f’dan il-mument. L-ebda kliem ma huma biżżejjed biex jimlew il-vojt li qed tħossu. Ma hemm l-ebda mod aħjar kif nirrispettaw il-memorja ta’ Daphne ħlief li nissuktaw f’din it-taqbida għall-Ġustizzja.

Aħna is-socjeta’ civili. Il-poplu magħqud qatt ma jkun mirbuħ.

GRAZZI.

Categories
Mediawatch Rule of Law

The Progressive Left

Listen to what Malta’s left has to say. Listen to the political arguments on the systemic failure. The neoliberal experiment has failed. This is the answer to the assertion of the lackeys of the government who go on television to tell anyone who still has the patience to listen that “is-sistema ta’ Muscat hadmet”. 10 electoral victories, an increasing electoral majority. The lawchitect with questionable grasp of basic constitutional principles repeated this again and again on Xarabank.

The real world begs to differ. Aside from the criminal corruption that is festering within the system there is also a socio-political reality that is best expressed by the Leftist Movement assembled under Paul Boffa’s statue today. Theirs is a damning criticism of the trojan horse politics that Muscat used to capture the system. Theirs is a reminder that outside the world of business and barons and friends of friends there is a Malta that is desperately in need of clean politics.

This too is part of the change. Graffitti and all the other NGO’s gathered today outside Castille are part of this new revolution. The road to the New Republic is long but we are in this together. Till the end.

Categories
Mediawatch Rule of Law

Id-Dehen lil min jaħkimha

Għaliex 40,000+ qatt ma huma se jkunu biżżejjed biex jirbħu lura ruħ pajjiżna

Kattolċi, Latini u Ħaddemin

Il-Malti huwa poplu nisrani. Hekk għadha tistqarr l-ogħla liġi ta’ pajjiżna : “Ir-reliġjon  ta’  Malta  hija  r-Reliġjon Kattolika Apostolika Rumana.” (Artiklu 2, Kostituzzjoni ta’ Malta). L-innijiet taż-żewġ partiti li jissieltu għat-treġija tal-pajjiż it-tnejn jassumu li qed iwettqu r-rieda t’Alla. Min (il-laburisti) iwettaq ir-rieda t’Alla tal-għaqda bejn il-bnedmin u min (in-nazzjonalisti) lesti jissieltu għal arthom “Għax Alla magħna”. L-innu nazzjonali ma hu xejn ħlief talba lill-ħallieq sabiex iħares l-art u lil min imexxiha.

Il-Malti huwa poplu nisrani. Hekk għadha tistqarr l-ogħla liġi ta’ pajjiżna : “Ir-reliġjon  ta’  Malta  hija  r-Reliġjon Kattolika Apostolika Rumana.” (Artiklu 2, Kostituzzjoni ta’ Malta). L-innijiet taż-żewġ partiti li jissieltu għat-treġija tal-pajjiż it-tnejn jassumu li qed iwettqu r-rieda t’Alla. Min (il-laburisti) iwettaq ir-rieda t’Alla tal-għaqda bejn il-bnedmin u min (in-nazzjonalisti) lesti jissieltu għal arthom “Għax Alla magħna”. L-innu nazzjonali ma hu xejn ħlief talba lill-ħallieq sabiex iħares l-art u lil min imexxiha.

Anki fiż-żminijiet ta’ llum dan il-wirt reliġjuż għadek issibu jekk tigref ftit taħt is-saffi tal-maskra tal-modernita’. Jekk xejn għadek issib dik it-tama li l-mexxejja tal-pajjiż jsaltnu bid-dehen tant mixtieq sabiex kemm “is-sid” kif ukoll “il-ħaddiem” jistagħnew f’għaqda. Id-dehen lil ħakkiem, il-ħniena lis-sid u ‘kk Alla jrid naqra saħħa lill-ħaddiem.

Dun Karm kiteb il-kliem tal-innu fl-1922 u meta fl-1941 dan sar l-Innu nazzjonali konna għadna taħt il-ħakma tal-barrani. Peress li Dun Karm ma kienx ħa gost meta ippruvaw ibiddlu xi versi forsi għalhekk il-kelma “jaħkimha” baqgħet – anki meta Malta ħelset mill-ħakma barranija u l-poplu ta’ ħaddemin u sidien beda jagħżel hu lil min imexxih.

Mexxejja

Il-kult tal-mexxejja tkattar mill-indipendenza ‘l hawn. Il-partiti ma jiddejqux jgħidu li għandhom “mexxej” b’kult kważi messjaniku li jdawwar lil dawn ta’ l-aħħar. Il-mentalita tal-ħakkiema baqgħet tieħu r-ruħ u l-mexxejja u l-partiti tagħhom ħadu post il-barrani ħakkiem. Repubblikani iva, ċittadini ħielsa bid-dritt tal-vot iva, imma qajla fhimna li s-sovranita’, li l-poter, li s-saħħa aħħarija hija f’idejn il-poplu. Intlifna fit-tribalita’ insensata tal-partiġġjaniżmu sfrenat u ma bqajniex ngħassu fuq dawk li fdajnilhom ir-riedni tal-pajjiż.

Sadattant is-sid li tant tlabna li jkollu ħniena rabba l-ħażen u sawwar xibka ta’ poter mal-mexxejja tagħna u ftit ftit ħa posthom fuq it-tron u d-destin tal-pajjiż kien f’idejħ. L-iżviluppatur, il-businessman, il-kuntrattur – kollha saru l-għajn li minnha kellhom bilfors jixorbu il-ħakkiema. U minkejja il-wiegħdiet ta’ żmien aħjar, ta’ xogħol, ġustizzja u ta’ liberta’ bil-mod il-mod il-ħaddemin u ċ-ċittadini sabu arthom mibjugħa biċċa biċċa. Sabu ġidhom imberbqa, drittijiethom imkasbra u sfaw barranin f’pajjiżhom stess.

Quddiem il-wiegħdiet ta’ għana, ta’ frugħa u ta’ l-aqwa żmien il-Malti għażel li jinsa’ jixtarr minn fejn suppost ġej dan il-ġid kollu. Għażel li l-aqwa li t-triba tiegħu hija minn fuq, li butu jidher li qed jistagħna u li jiġri x’jiġri dawk m’humiex fil-poter. Imbagħad għall-bqija jara Alla. Iva Alla. Dak tad-dehen lil min jaħkimha.

Tħażżinna wisq

Imma tħażżinna wisq. Jekk qabel il-mexxejja kienu diġa tilfu l-għaqal u bdew iberbqu ġidna f’isem il-progress. Jekk qabel l-arloġġ tal-lira, iż-żieda tal-500 ewro u l-ispekulazzjoni bla rażan kienet bdiet żifna kerha mal-kuntratturi u sidien. Issa kull sens ta’ kontroll tar mar-riħ. Issa il-meritokrazija li tant ittrumbettaw dwarha qed tintuża biss biex jitnaffru l-istituzzjonijiet, biex jissikket kull kontrol, biex ħadd ma jikxef li mid-dehen ma baqa’ xejn.

Meta Ministru u l-Kap tal-Kabinett tal-Prim Ministru jinqabdu bi struttura finanzjarja li se tirċevi 5,000 ewro KULJUM suppost dan ikun biżżejjed għall għaref Malti li ma jħallix min jitnejjek bih biex jgħidilhom iwarrbu l-barra.
Meta imbagħad isir jaf li l-flus ġejjin minn kumpanija li sidha huwa parti minn konsorzju li lilha ingħataw ħafna flejjes tal-poplu, allura hemm is-soltu il-Malti iqum kburi u jgħid “Issa Daqshekk”.

Meta isir jaf li l-kuntratt tax-xiri tal-fuel jorbot lil Din l-Art Ħelwa li tibqa tixtri bit-telf għal tmintax il-sena (dan kollu waqt li l-Ministru u Schembri jibqgħu idaħħlu 5,000 ewro KULJUM) allura hemm is-soltu l-Malti patrijott, għaqli u b’saħħtu joħroġ b’għajta waħda – BARRA!

Lanqas ma hemm għalfejn li l-Malti jistenna li tinqatel b’mod oxxen ġurnalista sabiex jinduna li issa inqabeż kull limitu ta’ diċenza. Jinduna li żmien il-ħolm spiċċa. Li issa hu għandu jieqaf lil kull min irid minkejja kollox jibqa jkattar dawn l-oxxenitajiet.

M’għadux żmien li inħallu f’idejn Alla. Maltin ta’ rieda tajba. Maltin laburisti, Maltin nazzjonalisti, Maltin li m’għadx għandhom partit. Kollha għandhom jingħaqdu u jirbħu lura r-riedni tal-pajjiż. L-ebda maġġoranza ma qatt se ssewwi dan id-deni u ħażen li biha iċċappsu il-ħakkiema.

Fuq kollox m’għandhom iħallu lil min jipprova juża l-vot tagħhom bħala xi tip ta’ permess biex ikompli jistagħna minn fuq darhom.

Nagħlaq b’poeżija ta’ Rużar Briffa. Poeżija miktuba fi żmien ieħor, taħt mexxejja oħra imma li taf titfa’ dawl fuq il-kriżi ta’ llum.