The environment: A maker and breaker of governments

A disturbed land is indeed the land the government is turning the country into - environmentally and politically. For national pro-environment protest after protest have shown that people are also disturbed and irritated at the government's great blind love for developers.

Gone are the times when environmentalists were considered a small, timid, romantic group. Malta is a small country and we all know each other. Take a look at the faces in environmentalist manifestations and your eyes continuously cross those of people who had been erroneously considered gullible and masochistic enough to blindly support a party whatever it does. Talk to these people. Their unkind words about developers and those who are madly in love with them give way to even greater anger at whoever cares little about their children's health.

For the environmentalists' ire is not simply a matter of aesthetics but especially a matter of health. Do we need any more statistics reminding us that we are committing hara-kiri when destroying nature? Do we need to take our children more and more often to asthma specialists and other respiratory disease consultants to panic about the suicide we are provoking if we stand idly by while the countryside is snatched from under our feet and replaced by concrete?

Once, the Kalkara valley was bull-handled. The excuse was that it was not really a valley but something else! A hideous sword hangs also over the Munxar of Marsascala, Hondoq ir-Rummien, Ta' Cenc etc etc. The list is endless. Now Ramla l-Hamra is threatened by the monstrous bulldozer for it is "only disturbed land". Thus, all you have to do to destroy a piece of countryside is to "disturb" it a little and then you will have the right to develop it as much as you like. Intelligent reasoning indeed!

We have been provided with a lovely photomontage of Ramla l-Hamra after "development". The area is covered with shrubs, trees and whatnot - as if trees grow on the rooftops and in the swimming pools of villas! Why not draw lakes, rivers, forests and mountains on your photomontage while you are at it? And how are your friends going to find you in that jungle - where you'll probably put also lions and crocodiles (with tears) as proof of your good faith?

I remember that during the Splash and Fun controversy, those in favour of this modification of coastline and skyline (Was the land "disturbed" in this case too?) argued that in no time the whole area would be covered in foliage and shrubbery. Nowadays, so many years later, the artificial structure is as covered in greenery as Mount Maghtab in snow.

Finally, a great "well done" to writer Barbara Bode who drew the European Commission's attention to Ramla l-Hamra.

Buried under a button

The map on the main website of Frontex does not include Malta - when Malta is the most hard hit by illegal immigration. I wrote to Frontex about this and received an answer from PRO Daniela Munzbergova (June 11) who explained Malta's being left out of the Frontex map: "This is just a drawing of the graphic designer... Malta being in the South of Europe is not visible on the map as the button covers this part of the website". Which means that, according to Frontex, a country can be eliminated by a button! Are the countries in Europe not supposed to be shoulder to shoulder in mutual respect?

Meanwhile, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, criticised Malta's record in the immigration issue. Mr Hammarberg's information was obtained from the media, when his office has the facilities to obtain objective, unprejudiced information directly from source. With all the facilities at his disposal, Mr Hammarberg chooses to obtain second-hand information. Now is this serious?

The patronising attitude of foreign structures against Malta is obviously all due to the fact that conservative politicians in Malta tend to adore all that's foreign and feel an inferiority complex towards a foreign super intelligence. In our Parliament, Josè Manuel Barroso received a barrage of gentle, reverential language from the Prime Minister while the Leader of the Opposition told him that a future government will do whatever's necessary in the best national interest. However, every time Dr Sant speaks of treating foreigners as equals and accepts no nonsense, he is criticised for being aggressive. Maybe in the immigration saga, we do indeed need an aggressive leader rather than being invaded and overrun by people seeking a better life in a country which has just seen 700 Maltese lose their jobs in one fell swoop and, together with their families, add onto the 15 per cent (according to NSO) of our own population living in poverty.

I believe that the way to be firmly diplomatic in international matters is the Labour way. Any surprise why the Maltese chose a majority three Labour MEPs out of five? All surprise will vanish when Frontex will start depositing on our beaches more immigrants than our patrol boats can handle.

Whistle-squeak

Lawrence Gonzi seems to agree with the investigative and punitive consequences of the Whistleblower Act - except for ministers and prime ministers. Which makes whistleblowers more like whistle-squeaks. Can we hear the reasoning behind these exceptions? Are ministers and prime ministers naturally incorruptible?

Cultural diplomacy

I was worse than shocked when, during a forum, I heard an employee of the Foreign Ministry criticise another Maltese ministry - the Ministry of Culture and Tourism - in front of an audience, 80 per cent of which consisted of foreigners. It's another case of cultural inferiority complex.

I was even perplexed to hear some foreigners who have been in Malta for years solemnly declare a love for local culture, cultural cooperation and cultural diplomacy without ever having studied Maltese in Malta - their country of adoption. How can they love Maltese culture without being able to watch a play in Maltese? Maybe, besides cultural cooperation and cultural diplomacy, one can also sometimes speak of cultural hypocrisy.

Finally, one expatriate had the cheek to say that, to know about the immigration situation in Malta, one had to read foreign media, as local media do not inform readers enough. What arrogance! This paper, for one, keeps us very well informed about the immigration situation in Malta and I learn nothing new when I visit foreign media about this. I believe that cultural diplomacy and cooperation stop at cultural arrogance.

Democracy full of Christianity

Some Transylvanian cartoonists are capable of including in their political chefs-d'oeuvre people with physical disabilities, references to surgical operations and mouthless people - in promotion of censure. It is called Christian Democracy.

Life guards

I wish to make a suggestion. Life guards on Malta's beaches should be members of Gift of Life. This regulation should be entrenched in the Constitution.

Dr Licari teaches psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and geolinguistics at the Department of French of the University of Malta.