How low can one stoop?

On Sunday early morning, January 1, I logged into timesofmalta.com. Two different stories competed for my attention. “Update 2: Robber and victim killed in Sliema stabbing”, shrieked one shocking headline. The other one stated, almost clinically, “Elections can kill – study.”

I clicked on the first one.

The contents of the story are made of stuff that would make a TV crime thriller seem almost too exaggerated. Unfortunately the story about the stabbings and the deaths is a true one. The details are still sketchy but when I read the story the motive and the description were those indicated by the headline. The police are now investigating different possible motives and theories. The outcome of the police investigation will show whether this early version of the story was the correct one or not. Because of these developments the heading was eventually changed to “two men killed in Sliema stabbing.”

The first version of the story had these ingredients: An apartment in Sliema… an attempted robbery … the owner defends his family and his home … both end up dead.

What a horrible start for the New Year. Then the reporter drops a bomb shell.

“Mr [Duncan] Zammit [the person living in the apartment] is father to three-month old twins.”

The picture of the stabbing victim, Duncan Zammit, with his three month old twins is heart breaking.

Whatever the motive, whatever the reason, whatever the cause of the stabbing, the horror of the incident is chilling.

*** *** *** ***

The second story was a matter of fact one.

It gave the result of a study conducted by a five-strong team led by Cardiologist Mark Sammut. The results of this study called -  Acute Cardiac Coronary Events and Stress Generated at a Population Level – showed that elections in Malta are “such heart-racing, nail-biting events that the chance of suffering a heart attack or dying during this period escalate drastically.” The study showed that in the weeks before a general election in Malta and particularly in the week following the result many more people than usual are admitted into hospital suffering from heart attacks and angina. Deaths from coronary heart disease practically doubled the week after the publication of the result of an election.

During a quiet period 117 and 130 were admitted to hospital for heart related problems. During the Euro 2008 the number rose to 127 while during the general elections the number soared to 184! There were 25 people who died of a heart attack in the week after the 2008 general election, compared to 13 deaths during the Euro 2008 and 12 each in the other two quieter periods.

Ariadne Massa, who penned the story, concluded that “an election is not a matter of life or death, but its effects can be deadly.”

**** **** *** **** ****

At first sight there is no connection between these two stories – the stabbings to death in Sliema (independently of the motivation, as I pointed above) and the study about the effects of politics on people hearts. There should not be any relationship. But judging from the comments of some of those who blogged it seems that there is no occurrence under the sun that escaped the realm of the political fanaticism of some.

These are some of the comments posted when the motive behind the tragedy was the one described above. The timesofmalta.com was correct to remove the posts a short while after they were posted. However the utter despicable nature of the postings cries for condemnation.

A certain Kevin Sammut produced this gem:

“Kondaljanzi lil familja Zammit . hbieb ma nahsibx li sur Gonzi u l ministri tieghu jiehdu pjacir b'dawn l affarijiet u tort tahom li jsiru . pero ligijiet ta dahk li hawn go dal pajjiz hafna minnom min tahtom jghaddu nahseb hux. Kevin

kevin Sammut”

At another point in time he gave us more evidence of his intellectual brilliance:

“Bdejna bil hazin specjalment ghal familjari tahom. umbad ghax Franco Debono jrid riforma fil ligi hawn erba bravi qed jehduwa kontrih only in Malta.”

A certain Mark Borg refused to be our-done by Kevin, so he wrote:

“F Darek -Pajjizek u fuq ix xghol ...BLA BIZA....... u - Xoghol - Gustizzja u Liberta ...specjalment jhekk tkun xi criminal !!!!”

A certain Malcolm Seychell – well known for his xenophobic and far right comments wrote:

“Bye Bye Malta, but do not worry. We have justice under control....”

With luminaries such as these who reduce everything to party politics, does one wonder that the study conducted by Dr Sammut produced the result it produced?