God Bless

If there is one thing I do not miss in Malta is our inimitable sense of humour when we use Maltese and English to pass a sardonic comment about something or someone. ‘God Bless’ is used to describe a situation which is most of the time very politically incorrect.

To tell you the truth, Maltese daily life and experiences always takes me back to ‘God Bless.’  And I guess during the last two weeks I could not help thinking of ‘God Bless’ scenarios.

God Bless Number 1: Fearne’s final speech

I was expecting so much more from Chris Fearne’s last address to delegates.  It would be fair to say that even delegates expected more from him. Here was a man who was close to becoming prime minister.  He lost the contest against Robert Abela. Party delegates wanted a young face and Fearne also did not win the backing of Joseph Muscat and his wife who supported Abela.

But Fearne’s parting shot would have been the right opportunity to highlight the harsh reality he faces accused as he is in the Vitals/Stewards corruption case.

Instead of taking the opportunity to highlight the importance of collective Cabinet responsibility in the Vitals/Stewards case, Fearne went into some gibberish about having the right people in a political party. He had every opportunity to point out how he had been thrown under the bus and dumped with the likes of Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri. And he could have asked why the Attorney General and the police acted as they did.

Instead, he chose to say nothing.

God Bless Number 2: €27m for private schools

I, like so many other parents, send my children to a private school. It is a choice I made.  Most politicians have made the same choice, even those who hail from the Labour Party.  I have no qualms about it. I would love to have been able to opt for a State school but no matter what is said I do not believe State schools tick all the boxes when it comes to offering a holistic education. In this regard I am an elitist.

When the government decided to fork out €27 million to private schools to ensure stability in school fees and allow for private school teachers to have the same conditions as teachers in State schools, many opined that it was not on for government to subsidise private schools from taxpayers’ money. They are not wrong, and they have a point.

But Malta is not the only Western country to support private schools. Many private schools in the EU enjoy government support but they are obliged to follow strict guidelines.

So, I would also have expected the government to set some new guidelines in the mega restructuring of teachers’ salaries in both State and private schools.

An increase in contact hours, shorter holidays (Malta has far too long school vacation), better resources in schools, increased investment in school infrastructure, the provision of extra-curricular activities and moreover, in private schools, a moratorium on school fees for 2024 and 2025.

Obvious to everyone, the government is petrified of the MUT and unwilling to get some dividends back for families and their children.

More so, the government needs to recognise the families who send their children to State schools. They too need to receive some benefits for believing in State schools, either in credit for extra-curricular activities or something on those lines.

And the State should always strive to make State schools the best schools.

God Bless Number 3: Red in the face

There are some people who do not go red in the face. There are some people, who either have a selective memory or choose to forget. Others cannot imagine that there is no one around to remind them of their hand on heart declarations.

So, I could not help noticing that most mega construction and hospitality companies have chosen to enlist the services of two former journalists. One who owned an online platform and spent all his time writing missives about other media houses and their decision to accept advertising from big business and government, while expressing disgust at the rampant development and endless destruction of Malta’s landscape. Today, this person chooses to serve as the publicist of these companies and there is no shame in the way he defends their turf against his former ‘colleagues.’  

Another former journalist unceremoniously sacked by a leading media outlet for his collusion with an alleged murderer also serves as a content writer for another online platform, hiding behind anonymity and writing dispatches against his pet hates. He favours one company over another in his choice of subjects.

Life goes on, but the least one can do is make it known that their reincarnation has not gone unnoticed.

God Bless Number 4: Asking God to forgive us for our corruption

I have to say that I find Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s repetitive invective about corruption and greed very tiring.

Scicluna is right that we are corrupt and greedy, but it falls in line with the narrative that is fanned by society in general, including the Church.

Instead of using his position to act as a politician or government critic, it would be useful for Scicluna to have used the anniversary of 60 years of independence to hark on the achievements of this small nation and the positive aspects of little people who make a difference.

We all know how corrupt and greedy the world is, including the Church and some of its more erudite leaders. But thankfully, unlike the Church, Maltese society is awarded a gift called democracy which allows us to elect and remove politicians. That is exactly what I have tried to do in the last 40 odd years.  I use my vote to elect or to protest politicians who fail to deliver or only thought of themselves.  

Scicluna should have perhaps encouraged well-meaning people to take the plunge and become politicians in a bid to change the world.  As things stand all well-meaning politicians or politicians-to-be are opting for the easy way out - they either wave the flag in Brussels or make pots of gold outside parliament.

The next time Scicluna wants to talk about ethics and values, he should start by talking about subjects closer to his kingdom. The values in the Church, the corrupt clergy, the sexual abuses, and the crisis in keeping believers and Roman Catholics close to the Church.  

God Bless!