Sigurtà u terroriżmu

Il-kwistjonijiet dwar sigurtà u terroriżmu fl-Ewropa għadhom ma nħallux. Hemm min jgħid li l-mewġa lura ta’ militanti Islamiċi lejn l-Ewropa li kienet mistennija wara li l-ISIS spiċċa kważi mgħattan fis-Sirja, baqgħet ma ħaditx sura f’atti vjolenti ta’ importanza. Oħrajn iqisu li għadu kmieni wisq biex jibdew iseħħu l-attentati mbassra.

U ssib min isostni li s-servizzi tas-sigurtà Ewropej kellhom suċċessi tajba fil-ħidma li biha qed jipprevedu ċ-ċaqliq lura tal-militanti lejn il-pajjiżi Ewropej li tagħhom huma ċittadini. Fis-skiet jekk mhux fid-dlam, qed jieħdu l-passi “meħtieġa”.

X’aktarx li għenet f’dil-biċċa, iż-żamma lura tal-kurrenti ta’ immigrazzjoni mil-lvant nofshani bil-ftehim dwar hekk bejn l-Unjoni Ewropea u t-Turkija. Sa sentejnilu dawk il-kurrenti kienu qed jitqawwew. Kieku baqa’ jiġri hekk, setgħu joffru skop ħafna aqwa biex il-militanti jinfiltraw lura lejn il-bliet kapitali Ewropej.

Ikun żball madankollu jekk min jinsab responsabbli mis-sigurtà, hu fejn hu, jibqa’ lura milli jżid kull fejn jista’ l-miżuri ta’ sorvelja, dejjem – wieħed jittama – f’rispett tal-legalità.

INFORZAR TAL-LIĠI

Kemm smajna fl-aħħar xhur priedki dwar l-istat tad-dritt, fi sforz isteriku biex jittimbraw lill-pajjiż bħala wieħed “mafjuż”. M’hemmx bżonn titwitterja jew tirritwitterja dwar hekk: ħafna minn dawn l-isforzi mqanżħa huma ta’ nies li jħossuhom imkeċċija mill-Ġnien tal-Għeden għax il-PN tal-imgħoddi m’għadux fil-gvern.

Imn’alla m’għadux.

Li jinsew dawn in-nies – ħaġa li turi kemm mhumiex ta’ rieda tajba – hu l-akbar argument li messhom jagħmlu, jekk se nitkellmu dwar “dritt”. L-aqwa falliment tagħna bħala soċjetà mhux li ma nirrispettawx l-istat tad-dritt. Imma li ftit li xejn jimportana mill-inforzar tal-liġijiet.

Kemm fuq livell ġudizjarju, fejn id-deċiżjonijiet ta’ spiss jittieħdu snin wara li l-ħtieġa għalihom tkun tqanqlet. Kemm fuq livell eżekuttiv, fejn nagħlqu għajnejna għall-abbużi fit-toroq, fin-negozji, fir-relazzjonijiet bejn iċ-ċittadini jew fi ħdan il-familji…

Jaħti għal danil-poter tal-voti waqt elezzjonijiet ġenerali. Kulħadd jibża’ minnu.

MINN TLIET KONTINENTI

Lula fil-Brażil. Guen-Hye fil-Korea ta’ Isfel. Zuma fis-Sud Afrika.

Kollha eks-Presidenti ta’ pajjiżhom li jew spiċaw il-ħabs jew resqin lil hemm.

L-akkuża kbira kontrihom: li kienu korrotti fid-deċiżjonijiet li ħadu jew ma ħadux.

Żgur li ħafna minn dak li tqanqal dwarhom kien imnebbaħ minn kalkoli politiċi ta’ avversarji li ma kellhom l-ebda problema biex jaslu sal-aħħar. Dan ma jispjegax kollox. F’kull ħidma politika, partiġġjana jew le, il-kalkoli qatt ma jaqtgħu.

Li jdejjaq f’li jinsab għaddej fi tliet kontinenti, hu donnu l-konferma li l-politika bilfors hi korrotta. It-tliet presidenti ġejjin it-tlieta minn tendenzi politiċi differenti.

English Version – Security and terrorism

Deep questions about security and terrorism in Europe remain open. Some say that the blowback of Islamic militants to Europe which was expected to happen once ISIS were almost destroyed in Syria, still has to materialise by way of important acts of violence. Others consider that it is still too early for the prospected attacks to start rolling.

And there are those who claim that European security services have succeeded well in preempting the movements of militants returning to the European countries of which they have citizenship. In silence if not in the dark, they are taking the “necessary” measures.

Probably what has been of help over this, was the agreement between the EU and Turkey, by which the immigrant flows from the Middle East were dammed up. Up to two years ago, those flows had been rising steadily. If that had continued to be the case, they would have offered much greater cover for returning militants to infiltrate European capitals.

It would be a mistake however if those responsible for security anywhere in Europe were to stay back from reinforcing security measures wherever possible, and doing so always – one hopes – in full respect of the law.

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Law enforcement

In past months, we have listened to so many sermons about the rule of law, as hysterical attempts proceeded to stamp the island with the “mafia” label. One hardly needs to twitter or retwitter on this point: many such attempts, over the top as they were, originated from people who feel they have been thrown out of the Garden of Eden because the oldstyle PN is no longer in government.

Thankfully, that’s the way it now is.

What such people do tend to forget – which shows them up as not being in good faith – is the most important claim they should be making, if we are going to refer to “the law”. The biggest flaw of our society is not that the rule of law is not respected. It is that we bother least of all about enforcement of the laws.

This is true on a judicial level, since court decisions are frequently delivered years after the need for them emerges. It is also true on an executive level, where we ignore flagrant abuses that happen in streets,in business dealings, as well as in relations between citizens or within families…

The votes cast in general elections account for this state of affairs. Everybody stands in fear of their reach.

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From three continents

Lula in Brazil. Guen-Hye in South Korea. Zuma in South Africa.

All happen to be ex-Presidents of their country who ended up in prison or are heading in that direction.

The big accusation they face: decisions they took or failed to take were corrupt.

One can be sure that much of what they were accused of was raked up by adversaries who were qute relaxed about going on to the bitter end. But this does not explain everything. In all political activity, whether partisan or not, calculations are continuously being made and remade.

What is disturbing about these events which span three continents, is that they apparently confirm the statement that politics are necessarily a corrupt activity. The three Presidents belong to three different political orientations.