After having sat through a gruelling five days of speeches at the convention of Maltese living abroad, one wonders where we go next. Renewing such assemblies every five years is far more promising than the past 10-year break.

We also need to hear from other quarters of the globe where Maltese expatriates have settled as they all look to Malta as their figurative beacon (South Africa, Gibraltar, France, Turkey, Kenya, and so on).

Two aspects of concern to me are a need for all participants to distinguish between the 'political' and the 'ethical' discourse and, the essentiality of including (rather than excluding) individuals such as myself, who have a proven track record of positive activism, without the imposition of having to be a member of a Maltese group to be considered for future conventions.

The various Maltese communities scattered all over Australia, and by inference the world, comprise many people who, like me, do not identify with any particular Maltese community grouping while their very 'Malteseness' is unquestionable.