Maltese disillusionment over EU membership celebrations

The Maltese community in Australia feels it has been completely left out of the celebrations to mark the islands' historic entry into the European Union. The Maltese government went to extremes to ensure that citizens were regaled with some truly magnificent and memorable moments. Cost did not seem to matter.

However, when it came to its countrymen residing overseas it was a different matter.

It is true that its diplomatic representatives were invited to, and attended, a number of festive functions for the occasion. But that is as far as it went, apart from a very few unofficial initiatives taken by individuals.

The Maltese High Commission and the Consulates-General in Melbourne and Sydney were invited to a number of activities.

On May 1, the office of the delegation of the European Commission held a cultural festival at Garema Place in Canberra where various countries had a stall displaying touristic material and distributing traditional national food and drinks. Deputy High Commissioner Angele Azzopardi, helped by Alfred Flask, Lisa Vassallo and Cheree Webeck, ran the Maltese stall.

The Irish hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Irish Ambassador in Australia, Declan Kelly, threw a reception, also in Canberra, for some 350 persons, including a dozen or so leaders of the Maltese community from all the States in Australia.

The Maltese leaders were chosen by the High Commissioner who spoke on behalf of the 10 "new" members, Malta being the most senior diplomatic post among them. The Irish Ambassador spoke on behalf of the 15 "established" members. The secretary in the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ashton Calvert, delivered the keynote speech on behalf of the minister.

In Melbourne, the initiative was taken by the Maltese Australian Business and Professional Association of Victoria (MABPAV) and by Victor Borg, who organised a dinner which was attended by over 100 persons including Mgr Joe Grech, Bishop of Sandhurst.

MABPAV president Herbert Portanier, Victor Borg, Edwidge Borg, president of the MCCV, Prof. Stephen Gatt, president of the Federation of Maltese Living Overseas, and High Commissioner Ivan Fsadni made appropriate speeches. Dr Fsadni then proposed a toast to the Queen and the people of Australia; while another toast to the President and people of Malta was proposed by George Lekakis, chairman of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales, John Aquilina, and Meredith Burgmann, president of the Legislative Council, organised a black-tie dinner at Parliament House in Sydney. These two addressed the gathering of some 300 guests which was also addressed by Piergiorgio Mazzochi, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Australia. Seating was reserved, against payment, for some 24 guests from each EU member community for this occasion.

Apart from this, little is known to have taken place. The Maltese community in general had good reason to feel left out. There was nothing for them - not even a special presentation on the weekly TV "news" received from Malta. This is usually a presentation of events that have taken place at least a fortnight earlier. On this occasion, a short highlight of the amazing light and fireworks display over the Grand Harbour was shown as an ordinary news item on May 16. Some viewers contend that the activities of the GWU received greater coverage than the national festivities.

While stories keep coming in through the internet, over the telephone and in the mail of how the Maltese were enchanted by the celebrations, the Maltese community in Australia, once more, remains totally disenchanted and disillusioned!