I was utterly disgusted while reading Adrian Vassallo's last "contribution" to The Times where he took David Casa to task due to the fact that the latter has written two very good articles egging the government on to legalise "cohabitation".
The title (Standing Up To The Herd Instinct) is not only offensive but downright disgraceful. What does he mean by "herd"? Does he mean those women who endured years of pain in a broken and violent marriage? Does he mean those children who have to endure the pain of living in a family where love and respect is inexistent?
Who are the herds? Those who have to remain under marriage vows just because they don't have enough money to go abroad and get a divorce like their wealthier neighbour? A divorce which is then so hypocritically accepted by the Maltese state!
Why doesn't Dr Vassallo tell me, a gay person, what to do instead of looking at me like a stupid sheep who follows the herd? Am I supposed to stay single all my life? Am I supposed to endure a situation where I cannot see my partner even in near death situations because I am not considered "family"? Should I have to say "signor si" to a legal system that denies me the right of inheriting anything from a long-time relationship in case of no will? Is this fair?
In his letter, which, may I say (tongue in cheek), is anything but "progressive" and "moderate", Dr Vassallo says that cohabitation is a "malady". What about infidelity? What about having a husband (or a wife) who has sexual encounters with other males (or females) in his/her "free" time? What about prostitution? What about child neglect? What about getting drunk in the village każin at the festa and making a fool out of yourself and your family?
Dr Vassallo has the gall to call the children born out of wedlock as "evil by-products". How are children like these different? What problems does he come across? The single mothers and cohabitating people I know love their children as much as everyone else, so why these undignified "adjectives"?
The truth is that cohabitation is the by-product fuelled by illogical conservatism by our government's pandering to the conservative vote and the MLP's "sitting pretty" policy. This cocktail of inaction has closed all possibilities of people whose marriage is in a state of no return to remarry and so leaves them in this legal limbo without any duties, rights or social recognition. It has also left gay people like me with no other choice but to cohabit in this "legal jungle" called Malta!
It is very ironic that at a time when the MLP is rightly doing its utmost to be seen as progressive and a real Socialist Party, out comes one of its shadow ministers with calls of fire and brimstone and "abyss of destruction", as he calls cohabitation!
The world has moved and we have moved with it. We have learnt to accept different lifestyles and regulate them. The time of "keeping up appearances" politics is over. We need to shake ourselves from the very foundations, remove the lethargy and act. Dr Vassallo is no "guardian of our values". He is just the "guardian of the status quo" which is diametrically opposed to his leader's and the majority of this country's wishes!