Privatise the song festival

I have recently returned from a 10-day stay in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. My visit there was in connection with daily TV satellite reports for One TV while following the progress of our vocal representative Morena in this year's Eurovision Song Festival. Anyone for a shot of Vodka?

I would like to comment on the host country - Serbia. Their hospitality is second to none: the people are wary but friendly even if still very bitter after the 1999 Nato bombing attacks in Belgrade. The scars of this 73-day one-sided war are still there to be seen by all including the 5,000 plus tourists who visited this city in connection with the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.

The old part of the city, dominated by Republic Square, is quite impressive and compares well with other East European capitals. The five- and four-star hotels are excellent although a few three-star ones need improvement and renovation.

Crossing the bridge over the Sava river, which joins the Danube on the opposite side, one arrives at Neo-Beograd, which contrasts sharply with the old part. This is being modelled on the Dubai style of buildings with Delta City and Airport City already almost completed. Shopping malls abound and more cities are being planned. I predict that, given a couple of years, Belgrade will become as popular a tourist attraction as Prague and Budapest.

I was also impressed by their health facilities. One morning I needed a doctor to visit me at my hotel. Within one hour a specialist from a private clinic called. Next day I attended the clinic.

After that, on a daily basis, and for the rest of my stay, the doctor used to phone me to enquire whether I was feeling better and whether there was anything else I needed. She also left me her mobile phone number in case of any emergency. How's that for after-sales service!

Permit me, as an ex-chairman of the Malta Song board (1996-1998), to make a few suggestions to the Minister for Education, and Culture, Youth and Sports, Dolores Cristina, that may eventually lead our country's singer and song to once more make it to the finals after three consecutive dismal placings.

The Culture Department is now only allocating €45,000 to our Eurovision participation. I believe it is high time that the local Song For Europe festival is privatised and offered to four or five local and/or international businessmen who will be prepared to sponsor the event from A to Z; this way the budget leading to our Eurovision participation will be radically improved and better preliminary preparations can be undertaken, putting us at par with other nations.

When these sponsors are identified it is up to them to select professional people and form a committee of not more than five persons, each with a specific role.

These must not only come from the government of the day, as is the norm, but blue, red, green or yellow followers are all welcome - so long as they have the required expertise.

All former chairmen of the Malta Song board could form a sub-committee of "advisors to the chairman". The chosen chairman will sit on the European Broadcasting Board (EBU) together with all the other participating counties' chairmen and strongly lobby so that the voting system will change.

It is said that every country uses televoting in the semi-finals and final. Do they? Can we be sure? We all know that every country has a back-up jury in case the televoting system malfunctions.

What is to stop them faxing through the back-up jury (manipulated) votes instead of the public's televoting results? Who is present in the 43 competing nations to double check their results and ensure that the real votes are coming through to the EBU offices?

As things stand I have no choice but to second Sir Terry Wogan who, speaking on BBC TV during this year's Eurovision final night, described it as a "politically-motivated farce".

Congratulations to Minister John Dalli for having the courage to admit that the long waiting list for operations to be undertaken at Mater Dei Hospital is "scandalous".

Well done as well to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance for promising to do away with the remaining €23.29 (Lm10) departure tax as from next November. However, one thing needs more clarification. Does this only apply to the airline departure tax or also to the cruise liner and catamaran one?

norman.hamilton@hotmail.com