Żball li qed isir fl-Ewropa bħalissa hu li mhumiex jingħataw biżżejjed spjegi tajba liċ-ċittadini ta’ kif qed tiżviluppa l-kriżi tal-immigrazzjoni. Stqarrijiet dwar kif l-Ewropa bil-valuri tagħha ma tistax ma turix ħniena u solidarjetà lejn min qed ifittex kenn mill-persekuzzjoni, mhumiex biżżejjed.
Hemm ħafna nies li qed jibżgħu minn dak li jinsab għaddej – li se jinbelgħu mill-mewġiet ta’ nies dieħla jew li r-refuġjati se jfissru toqol finanzjarju kbir ġdid fuqhom. Dawn il-biżgħat u oħrajn bħalhom għandhom jiġu indirizzati. Fejn hemm soluzzjoni għalihom, għandha tiġi mistqarra; fejn għad m’hemmx, ukoll.
Il-kwistjoni ta’ minn fejn ġejjin il-fondi, pereżempju, tista’ ma tkunx diffiċli daqskemm tidher. Il-Ġermanja, li lesta tieħu numru sostanzjali ta’ refuġjati, se tkun tista’ tiffinanzja l-ħidma bla wisq diffikultà. Pajjiżi oħra se jkunu anqas ixxamplati.
Biss b’konsegwenza ta’ li jinsab għaddej, jista’ jiġri li se tikber in-nefqa publika fl-Ewropa b’mod li ma kienx ippjanat sa issa. Dan ikompli jżid fid-dawrien tal-flus u jista’ jimmina l-politika ta’ awsterità li għadha dominanti. L-ekonomiji staġnati għandhom mnejn isibu li b’hekk qed jistejqru aktar malajr.
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Indipendenza
Hi ħaġa tajba li Jum l-Indipendenza m’għadux aktar suġġett ta’ kontroversja. Domna nofs seklu biex naslu sa dal-punt. Għal żmien twil, il-jum kien wieħed li jifred. Illum, kważi kulħadd jaqbel li għandu jiġi ċelebrat.
Li ma jfissirx li ma jibqgħux jingħataw tifsiriet diverġenti tiegħu. Fil-fatt m’hemmx mod wieħed kif l-avveniment innifsu jista’ jiġi ppreżentat. Jagħmel parti minn proċess li seħħ fuq numru ta’ livelli, u mhux biss il-livelli tal-politika u l-ekonomija.
Anki fin-narrattiva li tista’ tagħmel tal-proċess li wassal għall-Indiepndenza, il-perspettiva tista’ tinbidillek skont jekk tibdiex tqisu minn punt minflok ieħor — mit-tmiem tat-Tieni Gwerra Dinjija, ngħidu aħna, jew inkella miż-żmien meta Camillo Sceberras u Giorgio Mitrovich kienu qed jistinkaw favur id-drittijiet tal-Maltin.
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Kotba
Il-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb qed ivara għadd ta’ inizjattivi biex iqanqal kuxjenza dejjem aktar favorevoli lejn il-kotba. Jixraqlu tifħir għal dan.
Jidher li n-numru ta’ pubblikazzjonjiet stampati baqa’ jiżdied minn sena għal sena li hu sorprendenti daqs kemm żdiedet il-kompetizzjoni għall-qari tal-kotba mill-midja elettroniċi. Jintqal madankollu li l-Maltin huma fost l-anqas li jaqraw mill-Ewropej kollha.
Il-midja stampati nfushom ma tantx jagħtu importanza lill-kotba. Il-gazzetti barranin, kwazi kollha, jiddedikaw sezzjoni għall-preżentazzjoni u l-kritika ta’ kotba ġodda. Mhux hawn Malta (bl-eċċezzjoni ta’ It-Torċa dan l-aħħar). Issibilhom sezzjonijiet fuq films, sport ovvjament, TV, vjaġġi u restoranti, imma mhux kotba. Dnub.
English Version – Immigration: What about the funding?
In Europe as of now, not enough satisfactory explanations are being given to ordinary citizens regarding the immigration crisis and its ramifications; this is a mistake. Statements asserting that based on the values which it shares, Europe cannot but show mercy and solidarity towards those who seek protection from persecution, are just not enough.
There are many people who feel afraid about what’s going on. They fear that they’ll be overwhelmed by the waves of new comers or that refugees will create new financial burdens for them to carry. These and similar fears should be addressed. Where solutions exist, they should be spelt out; where there are still no solutions in sight, this too should be admitted.
For instance, the question regarding where funds are going to come from, might not be as tough as it sounds. Germany which is ready to admit a record number of refugees will be able to finance the operation without too much difficulty. Other countries will have less leeway.
However in the wake of current developments, public spending in Europe could grow beyond what had been planned up to now. This will continue to stoke the circulation of money thereby undermining austerity policies which are still dominant. Stagnant economies could discover that they are recovering quicker than forecasted.
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INDEPENDENCE
Rightly, Independence Day is no longer a subject of controversy. It took us half a century to reach this stage. For many years, Independence Day provoked polarisation. Today practically everybody agrees it should be commemorated.
Which does not mean that divergent interpretations of its significance will not persist. In fact, there cannot be just one way by which to portray the event. Itforms part of a complex process that occured on a number of different levels, and not just those of politics and economic management.
Even in the narrative that one could make of the process that led to Independence, the perspective could change depending on which date one takes as starting point – like say the Second World War, as contrasted to the times when Camillo Sceberras and Giorgio Mitrovich were lobbying in favour of the rights of the Maltese people.
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BOOKS
The National Book Council should be applauded for having launched initiatives to bring people closer to books.
It seems that the number of print publications has been increasing year after year, which is surprising given the competition to book reading afforded by the electronic media. The point is also made though that the Maltese are mong the European nations who read least.
The print media themselves give scant attention to books. In most foreign newspapers, a special section is regularly devoted to the presentation and criticism of new books. Not in Malta (with the recent exception of It-Torċa). They carry special sections on films, sports obviously, TV, travel and restaurant, but not on books. It’s a pity.
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