Some dead more equal than others

I recently visited Santa Marija Cemetery, in Xewkija. It is well kept and tidy. But a small section of it leaves much to be desired. Previously, it seems, there were two cemeteries, a large one and a very small one adjacent to each other. The larger cemetery had its entrance on a main road, in Madonna tar-Rummiena Street. The smaller one had its gate in a secondary road, linking Madonna tar-Rummiena Street with Ta' Hamet Street and St Leonard Street.

Years ago, that part of the boundary walls of the two cemeteries which were common to both were pulled down, and, today, there is practically one large cemetery.

However, the area which previously formed the smaller cemetery is today in a very shabby state. It is clean and tidy, but its derelict stone walls and the highly corroded iron gate need to be replaced. The people buried in this section deserve all the respect due to them. They are in no way sons and daughters of a lesser god. One has to remember that part of the boundary wall near the main entrance in Madonna tar-Rummiena Street has been recently restored. So, by common sense, what applies to one section of the cemetery is also binding for the other part, even though it happens to be in a secondary road. People, wherever they are, need to be respected for what they are and not for where they are.