Il-ġrajjiet ta’ das-sajf fil-Mediterran urew bla dubju ta’ xejn kemm fil-qasam tal-immigrazzjoni irregolari, l-Unjoni Ewropea għadha maqsuma, bla politika komuni ċara u sodisfaċenti. Imn’alla li n-numri ta’ nies ġejjin mill-Afrika ta’ Fuq ma kinux kbar (sa issa) daqskemm kien il-biża’ għax kienu jiġru ħafna aktar imwiet.
Ninsabu f’sitwazzjoni fejn kull meta titfaċċa dgħajsa kbira bir-refuġjati li daqt tista’ tegħreq, iridu jsiru negozjati multilaterali fi ħdan l-Unjoni imma barra mill-istrutturi tagħha. Il-ħidma tal-NGOs li ġew biex “isalvaw” lill-immigranti mill-għarqa x’aktarx għamlu s-sitwazzjoni agħar. Hemm ċertu raġun fix-xilja li qed iservu ta’ staffa għall-kuntrabandisti tal-bnedmin.
Malta u l-Italja m’għadhomx fuq l-istess paġna, imma wieħed jista’ jgħid dil-ħaġa wkoll għall-pajjiżi membri l-oħra tal-Unjoni. Kważi kollha jinsabu fuq il-paġna fejn lil hinn mill-kliem sbieħ, iqisu biss l-interess nazzjonali tagħhom… kif jifhmuh l-elettorati.
Kulħadd imbeżża’ li l-akbar traġedja tkun mhux li jintilfu mijiet oħra ta’ ħajjiet fil-baħar, imma mijiet ta’ eluf ta’ voti.
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MERITOKRAZIJA
Smajt argument interessanti li laqatni ħafna.
Il-Gvern Laburista kellu bżonn fl-ewwel fażi tat-tmexxija tiegħu jiżgura li min jitpoġġa f’punti deċiżjonali ewlenin għall-pajjiż ikun ta’ fiduċja. Inkella malajr kien isib min jittorpedinalu l-inizjattivi tiegħu. F’dan irnexxa.
Biss qed jasal iż-żmien… jekk mhux diġà wasal… fejn il-gvern irid idaħħal dejjem aktar in-normi tal-meritokrazija. Jintgħażlu nies skont il-ħila tagħhom b’rieda li jużawha bla waqfien skont kif jitolbu d-dmir u l-għaqal tekniku jew professjonali. F’sitwazzjoni fejn ħadd ma jqis li tpoġġa taħt żvantaġġi meta jsiru l-ħatriet, dawk li jeżerċitaw il-ħatra se jagħmlu hekk bil-qies u bil-fier… li hu l-aqwa mertu tal-meritokrazija!
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ĊIKONJI MAQTULA
(B’apoloġiji lil Walid Nabhan) l-eżodu taċ-ċikonji minn Malta xejn mhu qed ikun ħanin. Minflok jitħallew jitilqu, iċ-ċikonji qed jinqatlu.
L-argument li donnu qed isir hu li dal-qtil ġie provokat mid-deċiżjonijiet tal-Qorti Ewropea dwar il-kaċċa u l-insib. Jintqal li għalhekk ukoll uħud jibqgħu lura milli jagħtu informazzjoni dwar id-delitti. Dawn huma argumenti fażulli għall-aħħar li għamlu ħsara kbira lill-kawża tal-kaċċa u l-insib.
Waqqafni f’nofs triq bir-rawa f’ħalqu, raġel li ma kienx xi ġuvni tal-Bird Life. Dejjem qiestu ta’ kaċċatur, u ammetta li xi darba hekk kien: Għax se tħalluhom jibqgħu għaddejja b’dawn l-abbużi? staqsa. Mhux multi hemm bżonn, imma ħabs.
Fissirtlu kif m’inix wieħed minn dawk li jħallu u jżommu; jew li jiġġudikaw dwar multi u ħabs.
Xorta fhimt il-punt. M’hemm l-ebda garanzija li referendum ieħor dwar il-kaċċa u l-insib se jirriżulta bħal ta’ qablu. Anzi…
English Version – Europe and immigration
This summer’s events in the Mediterranean demonstrated without any doubt that regarding irregular migration, the EU remains divided without any clear and satisfactory common policy. Fortunately, the number of people coming through North Africa has not been (up to now) as great as was originally feared, for otherwise more deaths would have happened.
At present, we are in a situation where whenever a big boat approaches, crammed with refugees and likely to soon capsize, multilateral negotiations need to be held within the Union but outside its structures.
Efforts made by NGOs to “save” immigrants from drowning have probably made things worse. There is some justification in the charge that they have been serving as a prop for people traffickers.
Meanwhile on this matter, Malta and Italy are no longer on the same page, but one could say this for most other EU members. All seem to be on the page where while spouting rhetorical pieties, they only consider the national interest… as understood by electorates.
All are worried that the worst tragedy would not be the loss at sea of hundredsmore lives, but that of hundred thousands more votes.
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Meritocracy
I was struck by a line of argument I heard recently.
During the first phase of its administration, the Labour government needed to ensure that those placed in leading decisional roles nationally would be persons of trust. Otherwise, quite soon people in charge would be ready to torpedo its initiatives. The aim of preventing this was achieved.
On this basis, the time is approaching… perhaps it already has arrived… when the government needs to increasingly promote the norms of meritocracy. People get chosen to do things according to their ability and their readiness to use it without hesitation according to the demands of duty and technical or professional good practice. In a situation where nobody feels that he or she has been placed at an unfair disadvantage when appointments are made, those given such an appointment will conduct their tasks without fear or favour… which is the main merit of meritocracy!
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Murder of storks
(With apologies to Walid Nabhan) The exodus of storks from Malta is being less than smooth. Instead of being allowed to leave in peace, the storks are being murdered.
The claim that seems to have been advanced is that these killings were provoked by the decisions of the European Court of Justice with respect to hunting and trapping. It has also been claimed that for the same reason, some people keep back from giving information about how the murders were carried out. Such arguments are rotten to the core and hugely damage the cause of hunters and trappers.
A man who was angry like hell stopped me in the middle of the road. He was not some youthful Birdlife volunteer – to the contrary, I had always considered him as a hunter. He admitted that there were times when he was. But: Why are you going to allow them to carry on with these abuses? he urged. What we need aren’t just fines, but prison sentences.
I explained how I am not one of those with the power to allow or to prevent; or to judge about fines and prison.
Even so, I got his point. There can be no guarantee that another referendum about hunting and trapping will have the same outcome as the last one. In the circumstances….
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