Valuri

Il-mod kif diriġenti Nazzjonalisti… bl-eċċezzjoni forsi ta’ Dottor Mario Demarco… użaw il-kelma “valuri” fl-aħħar ġimgħa kompla jagħmlilhom id-deni. Min jismagħhom seta’ bir-raġun jifhem kif għalihom, huma kienu u baqgħu l-paladini uniċi tal-valuri ġenwini, waqt li l-bqija li ma vvotawlhomx kienu jew imqarrqa jew bla valuri.
Ma nafx kif tista’ b’dal-mod titlaq għat-triq li tikkonvinċi joqrob lejk lil min ma jaqbilx miegħek. Bħallikieku hawn xi partit li jista’ jippretendi li għandu xi monopolju fuq il-valuri t-tajba.
Jien li naf tajjeb kif għal snin twal meta d-daqqa kienet tagħhom, tal-PN injoraw kull argument favur kontroll tal-korruzzjoni u l-abbuż tal-poter, forsi nifhem ħafna aktar minn ħaddieħor kemm dil-pożizzjoni li diġà ħa l-PN wara t-3 ta’ Ġunju hi falza. Donnu mhux qed jinduna li ħafna mis-segwaċi qodma tiegħu, b’mod massiċċ, mhumiex jafdawh. Mhux għal-elezzjoni ġenerali waħda imma diġà għal tnejn u għal elezzjoni Ewropea.
KABINETT
Il-Prim Ministru Muscat reġa’ rnexxielu jlaqqa’ kabinett ta’ ministri imħawwar tajjeb, b’talent, esperjenza u ħeġġa. Nawgurawlhom ħidma tajba.
L-argument li għamel il-Prim Ministru dwar l-effettività ta’ kabinett relattivament wiesgħa hu interessanti u validu. Jistħoqqlu diskussjoni. Ċertament fil-firda tas-saħħa mis-servizzi soċjali, jagħmel sens kbir.
Min-naħa l-oħra, forsi wasal iż-żmien ta’ limiti ġodda, stretti, dwar in-nies “tiegħu” jew “tagħha” li ministru jdaħħal fis-servizz publiku. Emmanuel Macron għadu kemm għamel dil-ħaġa fi Franza. Ġie mfaħħar ħafna dwar hekk.
Hu żmien qares bħalissa għal dawk li tilfu kariga ministerjali. Jixirqilhom simpatija. Il-parir tiegħi hu li ma jaqtgħux qalbhom. Il-ħajja fil-politika hi rota.
Ġeneralment, noqgħod lura milli nsemmi ismijiet. Imma għal raġunijiet personali u għax ammirajt il-mod kif ħadem, dal-parir jgħodd żgur u bil-kbir għal Edward Zammit Lewis.
IS-SURĠENT TAL-BŻAR
Li taħseb li ż-żminijiet ta’ żgħożitek kienu eċċezzjonali u qatt ma se jkun hawn bħalhom, hi illużjoni. Kull żmien iż-żogħżija hu eċċezzjonali għal min jgħixu.
Hekk nemmen u hekk argumentajt dan l-aħħar f’kitba li bgħatt għal kommemorazzjonai tal-Moviment Qawmien Letterarju tas-snin sittin tas-seklu l-ieħor.
Imma kelli nbenġel l-apprezzament meta dan l-aħħar, ġie kommemorat bil-kbir mad-dinja kollha l-ħamsin anniversarju tal-long play li kienu ħarġu l-Beatles “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Qamitli nostalġija kbira. Naħseb li bħal miljuni oħra erġajt tlaqt nisma’ għal darba tnejn dik id-diska favoluża. Insejt fejn kont xtrajtha, j’alla jekk mhux f’ħanut tad-diski l-Belt li ilu li għalaq.
M’inix neżaġera imma s-surġent tal-bżar deherli għadu frisk daqskemm meta nstema’ l-ewel darba, ħamsin sena ilu!

Values

The manner by which during the last week, PN leaders… perhaps with the exception of Dr Mario Demarco… deployed the word “values”, simply added to their woes. Whoever heard them, could reasonably conclude how in their view, they were and still remained the unique defenders of genuine values, while those who failed to vote for them were either deluded or lacked values.

One wonders how on this basis they can set out on the road of convincing others who disagree with their views, to come closer. Can any party claim to have a monopoly over what constitutes the appropriate values?

I happen to know well how, when they had the upper hand, PN leaders consistently ignored all arguments that pushed for better controls on corruption and abuse of state power. So, I can understand better than others how the position that following the 3 June, the PN has already adopted sounds fake. It seems like the party is still failing to notice how it has massively lost the trust of many of its traditional followers. Not just for one general election but already two of them, plus the elections for the European Parliament.

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Cabinet

Prime Minister Muscat has succeeded to bring together a cabinet of ministers which is well balanced with new talent, experience and dynamism. We can only wish its members well in their endeavours.

The argument advanced by the Prime Minister regarding the effectiveness of having a cabinet that is relatively wide numerically and organizationally, is interesting and valid. It merits further discussion. Certainly, in its coverage of how health should be hived off from social services, it makes good sense.

On the other hand, perhaps the time has come for new and strictly applied limits to the number of “his/her” people that a minister can bring into the public service. Emmanuel Macron has just done this in France and was greatly praised for it.

Those who have lost their ministerial post are passing through a tough patch. They have my full sympathy. My advice is for them not to let go. Life in politics is a “merry” go round.

In general, I stay back from naming names. Still for personal reasons as well as because I admired his way of doing things, this advice goes directly and in a big way to Edward Zammit Lewis.

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Sergeant Pepper

It’s an illusion to believe that the days of your youth were exceptional and that there will never be for anybody anything like them. Youth is an exceptional time of life for all who pass through it.

That’s what I believe and how I argued recently in a write-up I sent for a commemorative publication about the Moviment Qawmien Letterarju which was active in the twentieth century’s sixties decade.

But then more recently, I had to soften that claim when worldwide, the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles’ long play “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was being celebrated. I became prey to a huge nostalgia. I guess that like millions of others, I went on to listen again for once, twice, more, that fabulous record. I just cannot remember where I bought it, probably a record shop in Valletta that went out of business a long while ago.

It’s not such an exaggeration to claim that Sergeant Pepper still seems as fresh and innovative as when first it was rolled out, fifty years ago.