Welcome to President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca to the big land of the young and the free. I am sure the warm welcome she receives when meeting many Maltese/ Australians in their adapted land will help her discover what levels of success these people have had through the process of migration.

As usual, in Malta every issue gets clouded in the politics of the times, as was migration itself, which, for a while, was seen as an exile. The process of emigration itself, the searching for something better in life is innate, is part of human nature and, though some still have their own interpretation for political reasons, generally it is a process that can be taken as an adventure and an expansion of horizons.

This may not be seen as such by the exiting country. The general attitude in Malta seems to be that “they have gone… they may come back for a holiday… we may go to see them…” and that’s where the connection ends. That was the feeling some of the participants at the Identity Convention in May 2015 got from their reception in Malta itself.

The convention, which one would have expected to be a suitable excuse for some soul-searching by the Maltese community, especially by academia, about the pros and cons of emigration, the benefits and drawbacks of the process, passed without a drum roll.

As a rule, we are very friendly with outsiders but tend to ignore the locals

Not a voice in the media was heard, nor a sensible discussion on the topic. Few photos with ministers and delegates were published or screened.

Suffice it to say that we are still awaiting the report of speeches and proceedings of the ‘great’ event.

Migration, as we are seeing all around us, is part and parcel of life. Yes, there is the nostalgia, so well and passionately expressed in the Italian songs of the 1930s, followed by some more recent Maltese strains. But after the lowering of the temperature and once the migrant finds himself on ‘firmer ground’, he has a chance to explore not just the new land but especially his abilities and faculties. These could be financial, educational, occupational, organisational.

We are on safe and objective ground to say that the process of Maltese migration has been a success.

This was confirmed recently by a former minister of the Federal Parliament when he expressed his thanks and congratulations to the Maltese migrants for their own contribution to the development of Australia itself.

We have learnt to be grateful. That is a big change when gratitude does not seem to be an important feature of Maltese identity. Congratulatory comments are on the upper bowl of the Maltese balance: they are very light. In fact, they are quite rare. That absence could be a study in itself: exploring the why and wherefore of a very human element that could be nurtured by education and aided by faith. Examples are futile, especially when it could become personal.

Which takes me to another common concern, such as the basic etiquette of replying to e-mails, letters or requests and the other basic welcoming process of visiting an office in Malta and being offered a humble chair or/and a cup of something to sip. Basics… very basic.

Not only in the desert but in Malta, too, manna falls from heaven: it comes from above. So if you are not a minister or a VIP, the common man is ignored, left to wander in through a lower door away from the main street.

Prestige is retained not by sharing or accepting but by sitting on a high chair or platform and ignoring the multitude or the individual.

Some blame it on culture. Yes, it exists but it is also the result of wrong nurturing and of education. The Maltese are renowned for rallying and contributing to a worthy cause. However, when it comes to welcoming somebody at an office, public or private, or at schools, the welcome is as cold as an Alaskan night. Or as non-existent as a dinosaur.

Over the years and a number of trips to Malta, I visited a number of schools as I was and am still involved with education. I distributed free copies of my books, which could be used for teaching. I also offered to attend or conduct staff meetings to explain how the textbooks could be used. Not one school responded: not one thank you note.

Not that I’m shedding tears on such a piffling matter. Far from it. But it is a concrete example of the type of reception and the level of gratitude which, unfortunately, is common.

As a rule, we are very friendly with outsiders but tend to ignore the locals. That’s is why I am writing in English.

Whether this is part of our culture, as some may argue, is beside the point. Culture has elements in it which are not ‘all that nice’. That can be changed and improved by education, especially by the example given by community leaders, in government offices and in schools. And, I may add, also by the numerous linguistic and scholastic committees that drown the island in words and publications.

It could be nurtured by special drives to make the leaders warmer and friendly and welcoming. It can be changed by a head of State.

Victor Vella is an active member of the Maltese community in New South Wales.