Knowing the past to move forward

The third convention for Maltese living abroad will be held in Malta between March 15 and 18, 2010. This announcement has been long in coming.

The themes to be covered during the convention are: 1) the challenge of change; education, culture and heritage; 2) youth - towards the future; 3) the elderly in the community; and 4) consular and citizenship issues.

The 1969 convention was directed at the migrants scattered around the word. The second, held at the dawn of the new millennium, was aimed at the leaders of associations of Maltese abroad and of Maltese origin. The 2010 convention has now been extended to Maltese living abroad. The years have passed us by and now we can say with certainty that there are more persons of Maltese descent living abroad than those that were Malta born. Therefore, it was a bold and a decisive step by the government, firstly, to take complete control of the convention and, as Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said, "to secure a convention which not only looks at the past and the present but also at the future".

I do think that not enough advance notice was given to the prospective participants for this convention. Considering that delegates have to come to Malta from far and wide, the orginisers should have given us ample notice. Most of the delegates and others that may be interested mostly work on a voluntary basis among the Maltese communities. They need time to organise their budget, family, social and work commitments in order to travel to Malta. If you come from, say, Australia, you do not visit Malta for just three days.

By the time the organising committee decides who it shall assist financially and who the core speakers are going to be, the convention will be upon us.

Speaking from experience, as I have attended the first two conventions, these gatherings, held from time to time, are essential as a very effective method of global interaction.

They can analyse how Maltese citizens abroad can continue to contribute in an effective and positive way in the propagation of culture and heritage using the best of modern technology.

Furthermore, Malta can harness the enormous talent that can be found among its very own people living abroad. There is no doubt that descendants holding important positions in various countries would exploit business opportunities not only because of the profit motive but also because of their native links.

There is also a dark side to these conventions. We have very active and competitive Maltese organisations and many of their leaders, not to mention a few others that are always sitting on the fence, would want to attend and, if possible, get financial assistance. Some leaders devoted a lifetime of service to the community and they definitely deserve any accolades and assistance coming their way. Life is not always a bed of roses and not everyone can be on the receiving end of the goodies being offered. As they say, life was not meant to be easy.

After the 2000 convention, the NSW Maltese community went into a spin for months on end. Accusations were rife that some accepted "a few pieces of silver". Those left behind and not selected acted like Brutus, this time using a telephone to foment dissent and division among the organisation. Some of the criticism was indeed spurious, personal and hurtful. You cannot please everyone and, unfortunately, some cannot see the bush for the trees. Therefore, after the doors are closed on the convention, the dark side of its aftermath lingers on among the communities abroad. The Malta-born population in Australia is shrinking. We have very few new arrivals, therefore, it is wise to look at the proper role of the subsequent generations. However, I am not of the view being expressed that only the youths can look at the future. You need to understand the past to be able to move forward with vigour, with both feet on the ground and with plans that are attainable and practical. Everyone can dream but only the wise will change dreams into reality.

To this end, I have been seriously promoting the notion that, prior to the commencement of the 2010 convention, the government of Malta, as a gesture of goodwill towards the Maltese Diaspora and as a test of good faith, would officially announce that it has agreed to the following: the greater Malta concept; the teaching of history of Maltese migration in the school curriculum; and the establishment of a migration museum.

These are major matters agreed upon at the 2000 convention but are still on the shelf. They are attainable requests. If the government really wants us to move forward, it needs to get going and take positive actions on these matter prior to March 2010.