The vow of Never Again

The international community has just marked the millions that disappeared during the holocaust.

Through the support and cooperation received from various diplomatic missions in Malta we are able to celebrate this event for the first time in Malta. A simple but most significant celebration will be held at Student's House on the University campus today so that we will be able to instil in the minds of the younger generations the real meaning of this commemoration.

The public is invited to attend the event where the keynote speaker will be President Emeritus Guido de Marco. This will be followed by a short film, Nicholas Winton - The Power Of Good, and a performance by the String Ensemble of the Mediterranean Institute of the University of Malta. With the support of the American Friends of the Czech Republic, we will be donating a number of books on the heroic deeds of Nicholas Winton, a Briton who, through his courage and determination, saved 669 children from the hands of the nazi.

The event is not meant to glorify any particular race, country or people but is a warning to all of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice. Thus, January 27 of each year also serves to remind the world of the genocides that taint human civilisation till this very day.

We all remember recent tragedies like Rwanda, Kosovo, East Timor, Chechnya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kenya and now Israel and Gaza.

The global world changes but humanity's brutality does not.

What is even worse is that we are all witnessing these genocides today after so many years since the holocaust.

We are lucky that we now form part of a united Europe, which has guaranteed peace on the continent for these last 50 years. However, we cannot stop here; we have to reflect on what really happened.

The holocaust was an unprecedented attempt to murder a whole people and to extinguish its culture. The holocaust changed the foundations of civilisation.

If we think deep, we will understand what can happen to us today, through the use and abuse of power and the role and responsibility of individuals, organisations and nations when confronted with human rights violations.

Such situations can heighten awareness of the potential for genocide in the world we live in and could increase the ramifications of prejudice, racism, anti-Semitism and stereotyping in any society.

We must value diversity in a pluralistic society and encourage sensitivity to the position of minorities. The holocaust has demonstrated how a modern nation could utilise its technological expertise and bureaucratic infrastructure to implement destructive policies ranging from social engineering to genocide. This also provided opportunities for remaining silent and indifferent in the face of the oppression of others.

Above all, it is the responsibility of citizens in a democracy to learn to identify the danger signals and to know when to react.

Czech born, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said on November 13, 2007: "The world agrees that genocide is unacceptable and yet genocide and mass killings continue. Our challenge is to match words to deeds and stop allowing the unacceptable. The task, simple on the surface, is in fact one of the most persistent puzzles of our times. We have a duty to find the answer before the vow of Never Again is once again betrayed".

Mr Casapinta is the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Malta.