B’aktar deputati

Bilfors qed nifhem ħażin. Kien mingħalija li konna rriformajna s-sistema elettorali b’mod li n-numru ta’ deputati ta’ partit fil-Parlament jirrifletti proporzjonalment il-persentaġġ ta’ voti li l-partit ikun iddobba nazzjonalment. Dan sakemm fil-Parlament ikun hemm żewġ partiti rappreżentati.
Jekk partit minħabba xi żigużajk fil-konfini tal-kostitwenzi jew għal raġuni oħra jispiċċa b’anqas deputati milli proporzjonalment għandu dritt għalihom, “jingħata” aktar deputati sakemm tintlaħaq il-proporzjonalità. Ma jiġrix bħal ma ġara fl-1996, skont il-kostituzzjoni ta’ dak iż-żmien, niftehmu, meta l-Labour ingħata biss aktar deputati biex jaqbeż lil PN b’siġġu wieħed, meta proporzjonalment kellu jaqbeż lill-PN bi 3.
Bis-sistema tal-lum, wara l-elezzjoni tal-2013, kienet x’kienet ir-raġuni, il-PN ingħata s-siġġijiet żejda meħtieġa biex jilħaq il-proporzjon ta’ siġġijiet skont il-voti li verament kiseb fil-pajjiż kollu. Ma nistax nifhem kif u għaliex kien jistħoqqlu kumpens aktar minn hekk.
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Vokazzjonali
Aħbar tajba kienet li l-edukazzjoni vokazzjonali se terġa’ titpoġġa fuq il-quddiem tal-ħidma edukattiva f’pajjiżna. Ittraskurajniha wisq.
Veru li fl-imgħoddi meta kienet tingħata aktar attenzjoni, dan ġara f’qafas fejn kienet tiġi preżentata bħala edukazzjoni maħsuba għal tfal li akkademikament se jibqgħu dgħajfa. Dak kien żball.
L-edukazzjoni fi snajjiet tekniċi għandha l-importanza u s-siwi tagħha li ma nistgħux nibqgħu inwarrbuhom. Inkella, se nispiċċaw li jkollna nimportaw lil tekniċi minn barra biex inkunu nistgħu nservu l-ħteġiet ta’ djar u impriżi.
Kurrikulu tekniku serju u modern b’għalliema mħarrġa, tagħmir ġdid, u skemi ta’ apprendistat imħejjija u mmexxija tajjeb se jkunu essenzjali biex l-edukazzjoni vokazzjonali tirranka. Dnub li t-tarzna ngħalqet kif ingħalqet. Kieku, kienet tkun tista’ tipprovdi parti mis-sinsla tal-isforz meħtieġ.
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Fidel
Sa minn meta nista’ niftakar li bdejt insegwi l-aħbarijiet internazzjonali, dejjem kien hemm Fidel. L-unika persuna li tista’ tgħaddih f’dan it-tul ta’ tifkira hi r-Reġina Eliżabbetta tar-Renju Unit: Niftakarha minn meta kienet ġiet Malta għall-ewwel darba bħala reġina!
Bl-atti erojċi u l-kefrijiet li wettaq, bil-ħila biex jirreżisti għal deċennji sħaħ il-pressjoni militari u ekonomika Amerikana, bl-istil dittatorjali u ambigwu tiegħu, bil-priorità lill-ħarsien tas-saħħa u lill-edukazzjoni fost il-poplu, bl-impenn ma jaqta’ qatt biex iħares l-indipendenza ta’ Kuba anke meta kienet l-aktar sottomessa għall-influwenza Sovjetika, Castro ma jistax ma jitqiesx bħala wieħed mill-aqwa figuri tal-Amerika Latina.
Mil-lat ideoloġiku, sal-aħħar baqa’ jipprova jisfida lil dawk li kienu kkonkludew li s-soċjaliżmu ma jistax jitwettaq f’pajjiż wieħed, waqt li d-dinja ta’ madwar il-pajjiż tibqa’ kapitalista. Biex sostna din l-isfida kien lest li hu (jew pajjiżu) iħallas prezz qawwi ħafna.

English Version – More MPs on board

Surely, I must be misunderstanding. I was under the impression that we had reformed the electoral system in such a way that the number of MPs in Parliament would reflect proportionately the voting percentages achieved nationally by the parties. This would apply for as long as only two parties made it to the House of Representatives.

If due to gerrymandering in constituency boundaries, or for any other reason, one party ended up with less MPs than what it was proportionately entitled to, it would be “accorded” enough new MPs to achieve proportionality. What happened in 1996 would surely not happen again. Admittedly in line with the constitution then, Labour was only given enough MPs to numerically exceed those of the PN by one, when proportionately it should have led the PN by three.

With today’s arrangement, following the 2013 election, no matter for what reason, the PN should have been allocated enough extra seats in Parliament to proportionately match the votes it had really secured country wide.

Can anybody explain how and why it had a justified claim to a greater compensation?

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Vocational

It’s good news that vocational education is being again placed at the forefront of the country’s educational strategy. It has been neglected for too long.

True, when given attention in the past, it used to be done in a context where it was presented as an educational process meant for children who were going to remain academically deficient. That was a mistake.

Education in technical skills has a unique importance and value which should no longer remain underestimated.

Otherwise, we will have to import technicians from abroad in order to service the needs of homes and firms.

A serious and modern curriculum in technical studies with well trained instructors, new equipment in schools and apprenticeship schemes that are well prepared and run would be essential to ensure that technical education takes off. It’s a pity that the Malta dockyard was closed down the way it was. It could have provided backbone to the programme that now needs to be implemented.

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Fidel

Since as long ago as I can remember following international news, Fidel was always there. The only person who could conceivably surpass his longevity in my memory is Queen Elisabeth: I remember her first passage in Malta as queen!

Given his acts of heroism and repression, his skill in resisting for long decades American military and economic pressures, his dictatorial yet ambiguous style, the priority he gave to the promotion of health care and education among the people, his unceasing commitment to the independence of Cuba even when it was most subject to Soviet influence, Castro cannot but be considered as one of the major personalities of Latin America.

Ideologically, to the end he kept up his challenge to those who had concluded that socialism could not be carried out with success in one coutnry, while the rest of the world remained in capitalist mode. To maintain this challenge, he (or rather Cuba) had to pay a very stiff price.