Il-proposta tal-gvern biex jara kif iżid ir-rappreżentanza tan-nisa fil-Parlament Malti hi ta’ min ifaħħarha. Fl-aħħar għandna miżura konkreta ħalli tirriżolvi problema fondamentali fid-demokrazija Maltija. Kif se nagħmlu biex l-għadd ta’ nisa f’pożizzjonijiet ta’ deċiżjoni jiżdied fil-politika Maltija?
Jidher sew li minkejja ħafna stqarrijiet ta’ rieda tajba li saru matul is-snin, fuq hekk bqajna fejn konna, jekk ma morniex għall-agħar.
Hi ħaġa ċara li l-aktar mod dirett kif jinstab rimedju hu permezz tal-kwoti. L-esperjenza fid-demokraziji “avvanzati” turi dil-ħaġa. Għal dawk li, imsieken, il-kelma “kwoti” tfakkarhom fit-tonn, stajna nsejħu l-metodu (kif isejħulu l-Amerikani) wieħed ta’ diskriminazzjoni pożittiva – li m’hemm xejn jinten jew anti-demokratiku fih. Żbilanċ soċjali, jitfejjaq b’miżuri soċjali.
Il-gvern evidentement iddejjaq inaffar lil dawk, nisa u irġiel, li jitnaffru mis-sistema tal-kwoti. Is-soluzzjoni tiegħu għandha l-inkonvenjenti tagħha, fosthom li se tagħmilna wieħed mill-pajjiżi bl-akbar numru deputati għal kull mil kwadru.
Biss l-importanti hu li fl-aħħar, gvern ippropona rimedju konkret.
RAKKOMANDAZZJONIJIET
Waħda mill-proposti żlugati fir-rapport żlugat approvat mill-Parlament Ewropew il-ġimgħa li għaddiet dwar is-saltna tad-dritt f’Malta u l-Islovakkja tgħid hekk: Malta għandha taddotta (malajr malajr) ir-rakkomandazzjonijiet kollha tal-Kummissjoni ta’ Venezja li żaritna ftit tax-xhur ilu.
Trid tkun tassew baħnan, malizzjuż, jew kompjaċenti fil-fehma li jkollok dwar kemm int qaddis fl-osservanza tar-regoli “demokratiċi”, biex toħroġ b’idea bħal din.
Jien kont fost dawk li stqarrew kif ir-rapport tal-Kummissjoni ta’ Venezja offra ħafna spunti għal bidliet serji fil-governanza ta’ Malta. Imma hi ħaġa ċara li dawn riedu jiġu diskussi u mgħarbla mis-soċjetà tagħna ħalli mbagħad tiddeċiedi fuqhom skont l-esperjenza tagħna, partikolari għalina.
L-esiġenza tal-Parlament Ewropew li ndaħħlu senz’altru r-rakkomandazzjonijiet kollha tal-Kummissjoni turi ċar għaliex ir-riżoluzzjoni kollha ma tiswiex karlin.
ANQAS TRABI
L-ironiji qatt ma jonqsu fil-ħajja ta’ kwalunkwe nazzjon.
Fis-snin ħamsin tas-seklu l-ieħor, qamet kontroversja bejn il-Knisja Kattolika Maltija u deputat Laburista Ingliz meta dan qal li l-Maltin iwelldu trabi daqs li kieku kienu fniek.
Illum skont l-aħħar statistika, ninsabu fost il-komunitajiet Ewropej bl-aktar rata baxxa ta’ natalità.
Sadattant, il-popolazzjoni li tgħix f’Malta qed tiżdied bl-akbar rata tal-aħħar sekli. Kemm għax in-nies qed idumu jgħixu ħafna aktar, kemm għax intemmet għal kollox l-emigrazzjoni netta tal-Maltin lejn barra, u kemm għax in-numru ta’ barranin li jiġu jgħixu Malta kiber bħal qatt qabel.
Diġà sibt min ġie jgħidli li daqt il-Maltin se jispiċċaw minoranza f’pajjiżhom. Għax tgħid, minn żmien għal żmien, smajt Ewropej oħrajn (mhux Maltin) jgħidu l-istess ħaġa dwar il-kompatrijotti tagħhom f’pajjiżhom.
English Version – Instead of quotas
The government’s proposal regarding how to increase the representation of women in the Maltese Parliament deserves support. At last a concrete measure has been set forward to resolve a fundamental problem of Maltese democracy. What should be done to increase the number of women active in Maltese politics with decision making roles?
Clearly, despite the many declarations of good intentions made over the years, on this matter things have hardly changed – if indeed, they did not go into reverse.
There can hardly be any doubt that the most direct appraoch to find a remedy is via the introduction of quotas. That is what the experience of “advanced” democracies shows. For those who, poor things, are reminded of tuna when “quotas” are mentioned, we could label this method the American way, that of positive discrimination – and nothing in it stinks or is anti-democratic. A social inbalance can only be corrected by social measures.
Evidently, the government did not wish to antagonise those (men and women) who remain antagonistic to the quota method. Its solution has its own demerits though, among which the fact that it will make us one of the countries with the highest number of MPs per square mile.
Still the important point is that at last, here is a government which has come up with a concrete remedy.
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Recommendations
One of the unlovely proposals in the unlovely report approved by the European Parliament last week about the rule of law in Malta and Slovakia goes as follows: Malta should adopt (as soon as possible) all the recommendations of the Venice Commission which visited the island some months ago.
Now, to come up with such an idea, one has to be really inane, malicious… or complacent in the belief that one is fully competent and holy to preach to others about how “democratic rules” should be respected.
I was among those who stated that the Venice Commission report offered many leads towards serious reforms in the governance of Malta. But is is quite obvious that these needed to be discussed and considered by our society which would then decide on the basis of its own particular experience.
The European Parliament’s call for us to introduce all the Commission’s recommendations with topmost speed shows why the whole resolution is hardly worth the paper on which it got printed.
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Fewer babies
Ironies never cease in the life of any nation.
In the 1950s, there arose a polemic between the Maltese Catholic Church and a British Labour MP when the latter claimed that the Maltese people bred like rabbits.
Today according to the latest published statistics, our birth rate is possibly the lowest among European communities.
Meanwhile, the population living in Malta is growing at one of the biggest rates this century. This is happening because people are living longer, because net migration from Malta to foreign parts has been totally eradicated, and because the number of foreigners coming to live in Malta has increased at an unprecedented rate.
I have already met people who say that the Maltese are going to end up as a minority here. To be sure, from time to time, I have heard other Europeans (not Maltese) who would be saying the same thing about their fellow citizens in their own country.
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