Nammetti li ma tantx insibu attraenti l-mudell li qed jiġi propost għall-iżvilupp futur ta’ Malta. Ma narax kif tista’ tkun perspettiva stabbli, dik li biha l-prosperità u t-tisħiħ tal-pajjiż isiru dipendenti minn mewġ ta’ ħaddiema barranin li jiġu jqattgħu numru limitat ta’ snin; jikkontribwixxu bis-snajja u t-tagħrif tagħhom għall-ħidma fil-gżira; u jitilqu f’qasir żmien waqt li oħrajn jeħdulhom posthom.
Hu mudell li jixbah l-arranġament ta’ garaġ kummerċjali, anzi ta’ stabbiliment għall-parking fejn in-nies tħalli l-karozza għal lejl jew ftit sigħat.
Se jkun hemm min jgħid kif dan hu mudell ftit different mill-qasam tat-trasbord tal-vapuri li qabad tajjeb fostna u qed iħalli ħafna ġid.
Le, hemm differenza: fit-trasbord, il-valur qed jinħoloq f’Malta billi min jiġi jipparkja hawn, isib min jiġborlu b’mod effiċjenti l-merkanziji ħalli jindirizzahom lejn id-destinazzjonai finali tagħhom.
***
NUQQASIJIET
Il-kwistjoni ta’ x’mudell ta’ żvilupp se naddottaw għall-futur bilfors titqies aktar akuta meta nqisu ċerti żbilanċi li qed jiżdiedu jew jippersistu fil-formazzjoni taċ-ċittadini tagħna. Dawn joħorġu kemm fl-istrutturi edukattivi u f’dawk tas-suq tax-xogħol u tad-demografija fir-rigward ta’ ċittadini Maltin. Meta tqabbel mal-medji Ewropej, issib li:
Għad għandna wisq tfal u żgħażagħ li qed jitilqu kmieni mill-iskola bla ma jkunu laħqu standards akkademiċi u tekniċi adekwati.
L-edukazzjoni vokazzjonali waqgħet lura u ftit wisq qed isegwuha sal-aħħar.
Għandna wisq nies jaħdmu direttament jew indirettament mas-settur publiku.
Dalwaqt, se jkollna maġġoranza ta’ ċittadini li jistgħu jiġu klassifikati bħala anzjani.
F’dal-qafas, il-mudell “garaġ” ta’ żvilupp jista’ jsir ukoll perikoluż.
***
IL-VERITÁ
Rajtu bħala u-tube minn darba għall-oħra. Imma “Il-Veritá” tad-direttur Henri George Clouzot, hu melodramm qawwi, maħdum b’maestrija u jżommok sal-aħħar. Imtella’ fis-sena 1960 meta għamel furur kbir, jibbenefika minn wirjiet eċċellenti ta’ tista’ tgħid l-atturi kollha. Huma fost l-aqwa artisti Franċiżi ta’ dak iż-żmien, b’fuq quddiem nett Brigitte Bardot, u magħha Samy Frei u Marie Jose Nat.
Bardot għandha l-parti prinċipali ta’ Dominique li titressaq ġuri akkużata bil-qtil tal-maħbub tagħha Gilbert li jaħbat ukoll l-għarus ta’ oħtha. Insegwu x’jiġri fil-qorti bil-battibekki bejn il-prosekuzzjoni li tinsisti kif il-qtil sar għal tal-apposta, u d-difiża li tinsisti li twettaq f’furja tal-mument. Il-battibekki bejn l-avukati jeħduna lura fi flexbekks imħarrka, maħduma ġieli bla nifs, lejn l-istorja ta’ kif Dominique/Bardot telqet minn dar missierha lejn Pariġi u l-ħajja tagħha hemm.
Jidher li meta l-film kien qed jinġibed, il-kumplikazzjonijiet li nqalgħu bejn l-atturi żiedlu fil-pubbliċitá. F’ħin minnhom, Bardot ipprovat tagħmel suwiċidju, l-istess kif tagħmel Dominique fit-tmiem tal-film.
English Version – The parking lot model
I must admit I hardly find attractive the model currently being proposed for the future development of Malta. I fail to see how it can be considered as a stable perspective, since it makes the consolidation and prosperity of the country dependent on successive waves of foreign workers who come to spend here a limited numer of years and contribute with their skills and knowledge to activity in the island; and who after their swift departure are replaced by others.
It is a model which resembles how a commercial garage operates, or indeed a parking lot, where people arrive to leave their car for a few hours or overnight.
There will be some to say that as a model, it is not so different from the transhipment sector which has been doing well for Malta and is contributing a lot to Maltese prosperity.
Perhaps, but I think there’s a difference: in transhipment, value is being added because those who arrive, find here an inherently Maltese base which will efficiently reorganize the incoming merchandise to direct it towards its final destination.
***
Deficiencies
The question asto what development model we should adopt for the future should surely be considered as acute, when we take into account certain imbalances that have persisted and increased in the Maltese population at large. Compared to the European average, we find that:
We still have too many early school leavers who find themselves lacking adequate academic and technical knowhow.
Vocational education has declined and too few are following vocational courses right to the end.
We have too many people who are directly or indirectly employed with the public sector.
In a short while, the majority of our citizens can rightly be classified as elderly.
In such a context, the “parking lot” model for future development could also become a dangerous one.
***
The truth
I saw it from beginning to end, off and on, in a you tube version. But “The Truth” (La Verite) — director Henri Georges Clouzot — is a robust melodrama, cobbled together with great skill. It grips you. Issued in 1960 with a big publicity bang, it surfs forward on excellent performances by practically all actors concerned. They feature among the best French artists of the period, headed by Brigitte Bardot, and alongside her, names like Samy Frei and Marie Jose Nat.
Bardot has the star role of Dominique, who is accused of murdering her lover Gilbert; he also happens to be the fiance of her sister. We follow the court case through the disputes between the prosecution which insists that the killing has beena premeditated one, and the defence which pushes the view that the murder was an act of passion. The disputes between lawyers trigger quick flashbacks, sometimes run at breakneck speed, which follow the story of Dominique/Bardot as she leaves her father’s house for Paris and the rest of her life there.
Apparently when the film was being shot, complications between the actors helped to fuel publicity for it. At one point, Bardot tried to kill herself, just like Dominique does at the end of the film.
Post a comment