Żewġ naħat

Mhux l-ewwel darba nnutajtha: kif miż-żewġ naħat tad-dibattitu dwar l-abort, dawk favur jemmnu li qed jiddefendu l-aqwa drittijiet tal-bniedem, u l-istess dawk kontra. Dil-ħaġa tiġri mhux f’Malta biss imma kull fejn tqum il-kontroversja dwar is-suġġett fl-Ewropa u fl-Istati Uniti.

Ta’ favur l-abort jinsistu li kull persuna għandha d-dritt tikkontrolla dak li ġġarrab f’ġisimha u ma jifhmux kif l-istat bil-liġijiet tiegħu jista’ jimpedi lil mara li għadha kemm inqabdet tqila li ma tiddeċidix hi x’se jiġri f’ġisimha.

Ta’ kontra, jpoġġu fuq quddiem nett il-valur tal-ħajja tal-bniedem taħt liema forma tkun, bħala l-aqwa valur — ħaġa li tapplika għal kull bniedem fi kwalunkwe ċirkostanza. Jekk tnaqqar f’dal-valur, isostnu, tkun qed teqred il-pedamenti tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem.

Tant jitpoġġew b’mod assolut dawn il-pożizzjonijiet li wieħed ma jistagħġibx kif iwasslu għal estremiżmi serji fl-imġiba politika u kulturali taċ-ċittadini — imġiba li ta’ sikwit tissarraf fi vjolenza fizika u morali. Ma jidhirx li fil-qrib, hemm xi kompromess li ż-żewġ naħat jistgħu jaċċettaw.

BUĠIBBA

Qatt ma stajt nifhem għaliex għal darba wara l-oħra, Buġibba titħalla fi stat daqstant miżerabbli ta’ żdingar u nuqqas ta’ kura. Veru, matul is-snin kienet il-mekka ta’ turiżmu tal-massa, forsi bogħod xi ftit minn dak it-turiżmu ta’ kwalità għolja li ħafna jaspiraw għalih.

Imma ta’ massa jew le, baqa’ turiżmu meħtieġ li jrendi. Minnu nnifsu, hu veru wkoll li jikkawża bżonnijiet akbar ta’ manutenzjoni, tiġdid fl-infrastruttura u tindif. Għalhekk wieħed jifhem anqas għaliex effettivament minflok nilqgħu għal dawn il-bżonnijiet, f’Buġibba aktar ninjorawhom.

Hi u l-inħawi ta’ madwar għad għandhom siwi. L-awtoritajiet messhom bi pjan, jieħdu ħsiebhom ħafna aktar milli għamlu sa issa.

KUNTRADIZZJONIJIET

Kemm ilu li spiċċa l-Kunsill Ewropew li fih ġew deċiżi min se jkollu liema kariga fl-istituzzjonijiet tal-Unjoni Ewropea smajt ħafna kuntradizzjonijiet jintqalu, mhux l-anqas fil-Parlament Ewropew.

Pereżempju, li meta fid-deċiżjonijiet tiegħu l-Kunsill Ewropew ma rrispettax is-sistema tal-ispitzenkandidat preferita mill-Parlament Ewropew, id-demokrazija qalgħet daqqa, għax il-Parlament Ewropew hu l-istituzzjoni demokratika tal-Unjoni. Imma l-kapijiet tal-istat u tal-gvern fl-Unjoni huma kollha maħtura wara elezzjoni demokratika. Jirrappreżentaw lid-demokrazija ta’ pajjiżhom, u huma eletti b’mod demokratiku daqs — forsi aktar — mid-deputati Ewropej.

Jew pereżempju, l-ilment dwar kif id-deċiżjonijiet meħuda mill-Kunsill saru minn ponn nies wara bibien magħluqa. Imma jkollok tgħid kif fil-Parlament innifsu jittieħdu ħafna deċiżjonijiet kruċjali hekk, kif ġara wkoll f’din l-aħħar ġimgħa. Hemm min jisħaq li ftit jista’ jsir mod ieħor jekk għaqda kumplessa se titwassal lejn xi deċiżjonijiet sensibbli.

English Version – Two sides

It’s not the first time I could note the following: on both sides of the abortion debate, those in favour believe they are defending the basis of human rights, and the same holds for those against. This happens not just in Malta but wherever the controversy about the subject arises in Europe and the US.

Pro-abortionists insist that every individual has the right to control what goes on in his/her body and cannot understand how state laws can impede a woman who has just become pregnant from deciding what happens to her body.

Those against place the value of human life in no matter which form, upfront as the supreme value – a rule that applies to all persons in no matter which circumstance. They claim that if one undermines the significance of this value, one would be destroying the foundations of human rights.

These positions are put forward in such an absolute manner that one cannot be surprised that they lead to a serious extremism in the political and cultural behaviour of citizens – behaviour that frequently leads to physical and moral violence. It does not seem like in the near future, a compromise might emerge that both sides can accept.

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Bugibba

I could never understand why time after time, Bugibba is allowed to fester to such a miserable state of dinginess and uncleanliness. True, over the years it has been a mecca for mass tourism, perhaps a bit distant from the high quality tourism that many dream to have in the island.

However, whether it is targeted for the masses or not, Bugibba tourism still works out as profitable and worthwhile. By itself of course as such, it generates greater requirements for maintenance, infrastructural renewal and public cleansing. Which makes it difficult to understand why in effect, instead of taking these needs into account, at Bugibba we rather tend to ignore them.

The place and its neighbourhood still offer value. The relevant authorities should plan to care for them much more than they have done up to now.

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Contradictions

Since the end of the European Council which determined who is getting which job in the EU’s institutions, I have registered many contradictions doing the rounds, not least in the European Parliament.

For instance, that when the Council’s decisions did not respect the spitzenkandidat process advocated by the European Parliament, democracy got a hit, given that the EP is the Union’s democratic institution. However, the Union’s heads of state and government are all appointed as the result of democratic elections. They represent their country’s democracies and their election was as democratic as that of MEPs, perhaps more.

Or when for instance the complaint is made that Council decisions are taken by a fistful of people meeting behind closed doors. But one has to admit that in the Parliament itself, many crucial decisions are taken in like manner, as happened again last week. Indeed, there are those who insist that in guiding complex organizations towards sensible decisions, there is no other way.