Talanqas iż-żewġ partiti prinċipali fil-Parlament sabu xi ħaġa importanti ħafna li dwarha qablu b’qalb waħda: l-għoti tal-vot liċ-ċittadini żgħażagħ ta’ sittax-il sena. Forsi fil-għaġla biex jaqblu u juru li qed jaqblu, numru ta’ mistoqsijiet ewlenin ma ngħatawx tweġiba sħiħa. Imma ma jimportax (?). L-aqwa li rreġistrajna qbil, mhux hekk?
Lil hinn mill-agħa dwar kif daħħalna dir-riforma qabel ħafna pajjiżi, xorta l-mistoqsijiet jibqgħu intriganti. Pereżempju, għaliex sittax u mhux sbatax jew ħmistax-il sena?
Imbagħad hemm il-kwistjonijiet dwar kif persuna li tista’ tivvota għax għandha sittax, ma tistax tixrob l-alkoħol fil-publiku – issuq karozza – jew ma tistax tiżżewweġ liberament – jew ma tistax jagħmel ċerti atti ta’ natura legali… – jew anke, jekk fhimt tajjeb il-problema, ma tistax tikkandida ruħha għal kunsillier? sindku? deputat? Apparti mill-kwistjonijiet dwar kif persuna eletta mbagħad ta’ sittax-il sena tkun mistennija tlaħħaq mal-obbligi tal-iskola fejn tattendi.
Forsi wara kollox, l-għoti tal-vot lil min għandu sittax-il sena kien jixraqlu dibattitu aktar profond.
ABORT
Għaddej konfront biered fil-midja bħalissa dwar l-abort. Jista’ jkun li r-referendum li qed jitħejja fl-Irlanda dwar is-suġġett, qanqal l-interess. Imma jidher li l-biċċa għandha warajha mbatt ta’ kurrenti lokali qawwija. Regolarment tidher korrispondenza li bl-aktar mod iebes tipproklama kemm l-abort hu kontra n-natura ta’ Alla u l-bniedem.
Regolari wkoll imma ħafna aktar kawti u anqas spissi, jiddaħħlu stqarrijiet favur li n-nisa għandu jkollhom id-dritt li jiddeċiedu x’jagħmlu b’ġisimhom. Waqt li tat-tieni għandhom argumenti li mhux ta’ min jarmihom, tal-ewwel jafu li għandhom maġġoranza pjuttost kbira warajhom.
Jien qiegħed fil-pożizzjoni kurjuża li matul nofs il-ġimgħa hawn Malta, nsib ruħi f’pajjiż fejn tiddomina l-linja kontra l-abort. Fin-nofs l-ieħor tal-ġimgħa, nkun f’soċjetà li bl-aktar mod naturali u qawwi, tqis l-abort bħala dritt fondamentali tal-mara.
ELEZZJONIJIET FL-ITALJA
Fuq ix-xellug, l-elezzjonijiet fl-Italja qed jiġu preżentati bħala sfida biex jiġu mħarsa l-valuri u l-impenn Ewropej fil-pajjiż. Is-sentiment kontra s-sħubija fl-Unjoni Ewropea tħalla jiżdied wisq u hemm bżonn li kif għamel Macron fi Franza, il-poplu jingħata l-opportunità li jimmarka l-qbil tiegħu mal-proġett Ewropew. U x-xellug biss jista’ jagħtih din l-opportunità, hekk qed jintqal.
Il-bużillis jinsab fil-fatt li x-xellug hu maqsum. Mhux kulħadd jaqbel li l-ewwel priorità għandha tkun front kontra l-“anti”-Ewropej. L-aqwa front, jintqal, hu dak ta’ kontra l-awsterità fl-Ewropa, li swiet daqstant imrar lill-ħaddiema u l-familji tagħhom. F’qafas u b’emfażi differenti, l-istess ħsibijiet qed jitqanqlu fost is-soċjalisti demokratiċi Ġermaniżi.
Sadattant, il-kampanja elettorali trid tiġi miġġielda.
English Version – Voting at sixteen
At least, the two main parties in Parliament found an important issue about which to agree wholeheartedly: the granting of voting rights to young citizens aged sixteen. It might be that in the hurry to agree and to show that they agreed, some leading questions were not given sufficiently comprehensive answers. But it does not really matter (?). The crux is that agreement has been registered, right?
Still, beyond the splash about how as a country, we have introduced this reform well before many others, some intriguing questions persist. For instance, why has sixteen been set as the limit, not seventeen, not fifteen?
Then there are the questions about how a sixteen year old voter cannot drink alcohol in public – drive a car – or marry freely – and not undertake acts of a legal nature… – or even, if I have correctly understood the situation, not stand for election as a councillor? a mayor? an MP? All this apart from considerations regarding the ability of an elected sixteen year old to also cope with the requirements of the school he/she attends.
Perhaps after all, the extension of the vote to sixteen year olds could have benefitted from a more radical debate.
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Abortion
A cold “war” is proceeding currently in the media over the issue of abortion. It could be that the referendum being prepared in Ireland on the subject is stoking interest. But it seems as if strong underlying currents are also pushing the controversy forward locally. Regularly, media inputs appear which in the strongest terms, proclaim that abortion is so much against the diktats of God and the nature of man.
There are regular inputs as well, even if more prudent and less frequent, which insert claims in favour of the point that women should have the right to decide what happens to their own bodies. This second camp advances arguments that can hardly be dismissed outright, while those who oppose them know they have the backing of quite a big majority in the country at large.
I am in the curious position of being for half the week in a country where the anti-abortion frame of mind dominates. Then I find myself for the other half of the week, in a society where in the most natural manner as well as in the strongest terms, abortion is considered as a fundamental right of women.
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Elections in Italy
On the left, the Italian elections are being presented as a challenge that has to be won in order to safeguard European values and a pro-Europe commitment in the country. Anti-EU sentiment has been allowed to grow excessively and there is a need, as Macron did in France, to give people the chance to record their agreement with the European project. The line being plugged is that only the left can provide this opportunity.
The snag is that as a matter of fact, the left is split. Not every body agrees about how the first priority should be to make a stand against “anti”-Europe forces. The most vital stand that should be made, so it is claimed, must be against austerity in Europe, for it has put too many burdens on workers and their families. In a different frame and with a different emphasis, similar positions have been adopted among German social democrats.
Meanwhile, there is an election campaign that must be fought.
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