Owen Bonnici
Talking Point
Stand up and be counted
There is a growing majority of people eager to turn Malta into a truly European country based on strong democratic values, on pluralism, broadmindedness and tolerance.
The whole freedom of expression issue, and lack of it, hits right where it hurts the most. Last year, the government's censor decided to ban a beautiful play by the name of Stitching. This year, the authorities went one step further and decided to arraign a young editor of a University newspaper called Ir-Realtà on charges of "distribution of obscenities" for publishing a story.
There's more to all this than simple mishandling of affairs on the part of the government. Labour has been categorical in wanting to abolish the regime of censorship from theatres and films (and replace it with a system of age-classification) and urged the government to set up a committee - last constituted in 1975 - to review what would amount to an obscenity in today's society.
Mario Azzopardi and Sergio Grech have criticised both the concept of censorship in today's society and the mishandling of the whole Ir-Realtà issue in Nationalist newspapers, as did the Nationalist Party's Charlo Bonnici in Parliament. Twenty-seven writers have issued statements in favour of a liberation of artistic freedom. The Culture Minister herself, Dolores Cristina, has described the existing laws on the matter as archaic and obsolete and distanced herself from the charges issued to the Ir-Realtà editor.
Nevertheless, the PN press has put all its efforts to disintegrate and ridicule my endeavours. It did not only tie my name with the pervert views of the fictitious character created by the Ir-Realtà story but disgustingly stooped so low as to mention my two-year-old daughter in the process for two days in a row.
I am sure that, had the controlling powers within the PN been truly in favour of bringing Malta in line with truly democratic values on this issue, they would have acted differently. Why is it that the PN or one of its offshoots, like SDM or MŻPN, did not join the Front against Censorship? What about KSU?
The Minister of Home Affairs and Justice, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, under whose competence (or incompetence) censorship and obscenity laws fall, has never at one point uttered even one single word in favour of artistic expression or publicly reflected on the tragic reality that in today's Malta a University student will be arraigned on criminal charges due to a fictitious story.
Neither has the Deputy Prime Minister, Tonio Borg, whose academic achievements in the field of human rights are undisputed, felt the need to express a word of reflection on this whole freedom of expression issue.
Is it the inherent conservative mentality of this government, which is tying this country down from advancing towards the attainment of freedoms obtainable in all healthy democracies? Or is it something else?
It's high time for all the people, irrespective of their political opinion, who truly believe in the need of turning Malta into a truly European country to stand up and be counted.
Dr Bonnici is a Labour member of Parliament
Popular Stories
In Discussion
3 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Mary Ann Borg
Jan 27th 2010, 18:10
It's all well and good to write articles on The Times but readers must have noticed that Owen did this just to portray the government in bad light. Owen was asked to read excerpts from the 'write-up' in Realta and he refused. He was also asked if he would agree to his daughter coming across the said article and he said 'no'. So what exactly is Owen on about? Is distributing such rubbish to our students at university and MCAST the 'European way' as he's trying to make us believe? And in any case, 6 years ago he was against anything that had to do with the EU, as his 'Made in Brussels' master wants us all to forget about.
j micallef
Jan 27th 2010, 17:39
I have great admiration for the young MP Dr Owen Bonnici, as he is all charm and extremely well behaved and exemplary even when critizing or disagreeing with the PN exponents. The way he goes all out for something he believes in, such as the current freedom of expression controversy, is praiseworthy. But - and this is a big BUT - why is the PL ( and citizen champion Dr Bonnici) wasting such huge efforts on an issue which is so limited in scope and will be resolved in any case, when there is such a huge axe on everyone's head with the newly published utility tariffs. The devastating brunt of these new tariffs will only be felt when actual bills are received in some months' time, and someone must champion the citizen's cause if a new huge swathe of poverty is to be averted. Come on Dr Bonnici - join those PN MP's who I am sure are aware of the unjust situatuation that is like a timebomb waiting to explode in the face of those who already ache under the present escalating and unbearable cost of living. Presenting a parliamentary bill which will be defeated is no solution.
E.Muscat
Jan 27th 2010, 14:20
There are no rights without responsabilities:this Nature's way of achieving balance.
Look at what your soulmate(the british labour party) have achieved in UK:the majority of children in worker housing estates are out of control carrying knives and in gangs full of drugs,booze, and killing each other like feral animals.
If you get the liberty to blaspheme you are taking the liberty of somebody else:that is not liberty but Liberterianism and like most isms it is wrong. It is the first step in a downhill direction which will lead to so-called 'political correctness' and the majority of people not knowing where to stop:is this what the PL is after?
Or are you after their vote even if it leads to a fool's paradise.