In the wake of Scotland’s bid for independence from the UK, our thoughts turned – logically – to a ‘what-if’ similar situation locally. Would Gozo really want complete independence from Malta? Would it wish to cut itself off from all the benefits of belonging to both a big-brother state, and an even bigger brother organisation, the European Union?
Probably not, but it doesn’t stop me fantasising about the possibility of our so-called little sister becoming a completely independent country. So I embarked on a Gozo vox-pop to see what some Gozitan residents thought about the prospect.
I’d like to stress at the outset that this was an entirely subjective survey of a small, not to say microscopic sample of a cross-section of Gozitans and Gozo residents.
I initially drew a blank when I approached a gentleman known as Challie tal-Baħar, who seems to have appointed himself to the post of sole distributor of sun loungers at one of Gozo’s better known beaches. When I confronted Challie with the question: “Would you like Gozo to be a completely independent nation?” he replied... in faultless Gozitan: “What does ‘completely’ mean? And what does ‘independent’ mean?”
Yes, I did try to explain, but sadly Challie was much more interested in selling a few hours of lounger hire to a family of Germans.
No matter, I then took myself off to Victoria, to one of the cafes in Pjazza San Ġorġ. Here I had better luck when the waitress who served me seemed only too pleased to answer my question.
She said she was all for independence for Gozo, and the sooner the better.
Unfortunately, she turned out to be a Spanish philosophy student doing a vacation job before returning to university in Seville. So her perspective seemed rather too narrow to really count.
I next spoke to an unshaven middle-aged chap at the main Victoria taxi rank, who was indeed a taxi driver.
He responded by stating that, while he would welcome the fact that people arriving from Malta would have to have valid passports – and this would serve as something of a filter.
I hand out tickets kemm trid to our ‘brothers’ over the water, even if they haven’t broken the law
He nonetheless opposed the concept of independence on purely financial grounds: “See, nobody from Gozo would ever hire a taxi. I rely on mugs from across the water.”
Yes, right. A similar refrain was sung by several restauranteurs that I approached.
One prominent Marsalforn eaterie’s proprietor told me:
“I am totally against independence for Gozo, otherwise how would I get rid of all my rubbish leftovers, if the Maltese had to have passports to visit here?” Good point.
In fact, I found it almost impossible to find anyone... anyone Gozitan, that is... who was in favour of de-unification.
A somewhat pompous local warden (aren’t they all) replied to my enquiry with:
“God forbid it happens! If the Maltese couldn’t come here, I’d never fill my quota of citations. I hand out tickets kemm trid to our ‘brothers’ over the water, even if they haven’t broken the law – and they always pay up.
“Well, can you imagine anyone from Malta bothering to take a day off to attend a tribunal sitting in Gozo? They simply cough up the €50 or so fine and everybody’s happy.”
The same sentiments were aired by a number of Gozitans who make a living by hiring out farmhouses to mainly Maltese holidaymakers, for weekends and away breaks.
Even though as one farmhouse owner put it: “They wreck the place and steal the sheets and towels.”
Yet amid all these dissenting voices I did manage to find one – just one person who was very much in favour of Gozo’s total independence from Malta.
He was an elderly English gentleman, who gave his name as Sandy.
He has resided in a villa overlooking Xlendi for the past four years and he was unequivocal in his support for separation.
He told me: “Gosh yes, Xlendi’s hell from late June to early September. I’d welcome any legislation that kept out the rabble that come here from Malta. Where do I sign?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that in my far from perfect survey, he was in a minority of just one.