Some partnership!

They have been thanking the people of Malta for their generosity. Considering the phenomenal response from the general public the other Saturday to L-Istrina to contribute to just causes, that gratitude is well placed. But in reality it all of us who should be thanking them, thanking Where's Everybody for making it happen.

The Where's Everybody team, headed by Peppi Azzopardi and Lou Bondì, put it together, motivated countless others to contribute time, talent and energies to bring about a marathon live television broadcast to which the people responded with enthusiasm.

It was as though they were operating on extra-long life batteries but as the hours rolled by, one could see Peppi and Valerie oozing out more energy, good cheer, and in turn invigorating the rest of the country to participate.

For any person who knows anything about the medium, doing 11 continuous hours of live television is a feat in itself. And then it is hardly as though they simply had to walk in and out of the set with every item meticulously planned out in advance and delivering a prepared script. They themselves, together with the rest of an incredible team of helpers, behind the scene assistants and others, actively participated in all the homework and preparations that were put into the programme apart from then resorting to their professional touch, to the art of improvisation, to adapting from one minute to the next to the rapidly evolving momentum of the programme that assumed a life of its own and grew from strength to strength as the hours went by.

Those following L-Istrina at home were enthused and encouraged to participate. It was even more electrifying to visit the tent outside Television House in Guardamangia, where the live broadcast was taking place.

The massive tent, the largest ever structure of its kind set up in Malta, was covering what was until only a couple of weeks earlier a dilapidated area. When Where's Everybody and Public Broadcasting Services contacted me so that personnel from my ministry could carry out the necessary works to rehabilitate the area, it was a privilege to accept immediately. Works had to be carried out in earnest in order to finish them in time for the marathon programme.

The workers on site knew that they too were contributing to a just cause. Works carried out have not only facilitated the transmission of the programme but have also meant that PBS can now utilise a well laid out car park. Well done and 'thank you' to all those who worked on this job.

Visiting the tent during the actual programme was an amazing experience. People queued to be part of the audience, to look at the unfolding action, to offer donations, to participate. Well known personalities were appearing in unusual roles to make their appeals to the public to offer generously. Every hour, a car donated by leading car importers was drawn from among the thousands of persons calling to contribute. The winners were brought into the programme set driven in a luxury car to pick up their own new car.

There were tears of joy in their eyes. Peppi kept reminding the audience that persons who do not usually have much luck are likely to win with L-Istrina.

In reality all callers won. Not all callers won a prize, but all callers enjoyed the satisfaction of participating for a just cause, of being part of the action. As I spent time with so many others receiving calls, I could sense the sheer joy of persons able to get through and feel a sense of belonging.

Children phoned in to offer money out of their own piggy banks. Elderly persons whose pension is their only income phoned to make their contribution. Housewives, employees, young people, persons who are themselves suffering from one form or other of distress, and others phoned and phoned and phoned.

We were told to keep our comments brief as we received these calls. It was just as well since all phone lines in the main television studio where the calls were being received were busy. You receive one call, put the phone down and immediately the phone would be ringing again. Various callers would point out that they had been trying repeatedly to get through.

As many as 109,408 phone calls were received by L-Istrina. That works out at 166 calls a minute. The total collected while the programme was on the air reached Lm882,420 which after the programme was off the air kept increasing. That averages out at Lm1,337 per minute. And the money kept rolling in as we could witness last Friday during the programme Xarabank, transmitted from St James Cavalier, and included auctioning of various items in aid of the same just causes.

The generosity of the Maltese people again stood out and the people proved that they form one family, that they care for those who need their help and support, that they believe in active participation rather than remaining idle and indifferent, and that solidarity to them is a living value rather than a textbook cliché.

Even before the programme went on the air, Peppi Azzopardi predicted that L-Istrina went beyond all parties and pique. The people of Malta unite in a national feast of solidarity to help those in need. In the press conference chaired by the President of Malta held a couple of days after the programme was aired, he humbly observed that the organisations to which the money is being donated needed more praise than any of the organisers "because they are the ones who give up their life to help the needy. They are not followed by TV cameras and are sometimes forgotten. But they are the ones who make the difference."

Regrettably a positive experience for an entire nation the other weekend has been marred by the hard-headed stand of a person again trying in the coming months to convince the people that he should be our Prime Minister!

Apart from the notable and commendable participation of two MPs, the Labour Party boycotted L-Istrina. Labour supporters phoning in on their Party station in the preceding days were advised not to participate and Super One employees and contributors were told that it was the "party's wish" for them to stay away from L-Istrina.

Let's not mince words: The Labour Party machine did all within its power to try to run down and ruin this national event. The overwhelming response from the people, despite the Labour boycott and divisive strategies speaks volumes in favour of the maturity of all the people of our country. The people spited Labour's hate and propaganda machine and proved that such tactics can only be counterproductive.

The Labour Party leader, Dr Alfred Sant, added insult to injury when responding to questions by The Times the day following the phenomenal success achieved by L-Istrina despite the Labour boycott, held his ground over the boycott and when asked about the record sum collected, simply retorted, "Dr Fenech Adami should have negotiated with L-Istrina and not with the EU - he would have got more money."

Dr Sant again referred to Where's Everybody as a political organisation which is his lame excuse to shy away from programmes like Xarabank and Bondì +. Labour has persistently failed to provide any proof that these programmes are in any way partial or serving any particular agenda. The fact that such programmes have maintained top audiences proves yet again that Labour's boycotts are hardly proving effective.

Following this recent episode the reply to the question Where's Everybody? may well be: "Ignoring Labour and uniting in a national feast of solidarity in favour of those in need."

Dr Anna Mallia, a Labour supporter, significantly wrote in l-Orizzont last week that she will not make the same arguments that she made last year, and chose instead to deal with the method adopted to select organisations that receive the funds collected.

It is a subtle, even if meek, reminder of her hurt with Labour last year when the party made the same shameful mistake. But then she had faced the ire of the Leader himself for speaking her mind!

When all is said and done, what does it all tell us about the choices facing the electorate in the upcoming general elections? What does it tell us about Labour's so-called 'partnership' alternative outside of and within Malta?

Some partnership!

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