Red-letter day for Maltese language

I was an ex-officio member of the National Book Committee (KNK) for the past year and I thoroughly enjoyed being in the company of people who are noble-minded and who strive to promote our language. I did feel a bit odd, because I have taught English for 38 years, and cannot write Maltese without making some sort of orthographic error, but I love our language, and have even mooted the idea abroad that it should be considered as a world heritage language. Human heritage is not just a matter of sphinxes and paintings.

While on the board, something terrible happened. One of our leading publishers folded up. I worried, because I felt this was the beginning. I have been proved right, because the Church has closed its printing press, and I am ready to bet others will follow. What this means is that bright craftsmen of the Maltese language will find no outlet, and will have to finance their own endeavours. Many would not be able to do so, and we can never say whether this shall make us lose a genius. It is not written on any tablet that Malta cannot produce a literary genius.

But because the market is small, our chances diminish. Translators need an online dictionary. Broadcasters need cash to produce classy material - even our national audio-visual archive is in danger because of lack of money. So I told the KNK I would research into European funding. It just wasn't there. The Europe we joined concentrated on "multilingualism" projects - and nothing more. I decided to approach our MEPs in order to change that, in order to start making the Europe that suits us.

My greatest problem was how to define our need. I could not propose that Maltese be considered a "Minority Language" - there are no funds for that because minority languages are considered as politically-dangerous splintering factions, and Maltese is not a minority language anyway. It is spoken by all Maltese, one way or the other. And it is the language of a full member of the conglomeration of states commonly called "Europe".

That Simon Busuttil and Minister Dolores Cristina had the foresight to support the idea is to their credit, and shows what sort of people are at the helm. I am eternally grateful to them, and to KNK, for the encouragement, and the belief in what must have seemed, at first, a half-baked idea. Dr Busuttil has shown his efficiency. He has a first-class team, matched by a formidable Ministry staff, of which I no longer form part. I am sure that this little spark can be fanned to a blaze.

I hope that this project inspires our writers, publishers, dramatists, journalists and broadcasters to strive for the top. There is a glimmer at the end of the tunnel.