Opinion
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No government time to waste
The Labour government is well into the third month of its life. Not long enough to assess it properly – that will be an ongoing exercise. But long enough to stop calling it new. The general election seems so far away. Its dust has settled. What...
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Daily scenes of busy business
Businessmen from Valletta, like their counterparts in Gozo, often lament the challenges to their businesses. Many of us don’t see this as a concern because when we visit, business and busy (ness) seem to be the order to the day. Last Friday, was a...
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Clear and valid proposals
In his first speech as Leader of the Opposition, Simon Busuttil explained that the Nationalist Party would carry out its duties loyally in Opposition, keeping a close eye on all that is being done by the Government. We will agree when things are...
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The quest for blue growth in Europe
This year’s edition of European Maritime Day centres on “Coastal development and sustainable maritime tourism: an investment for blue growth”. For two days in Valletta, experts from all maritime sectors and from all over Europe will discuss how to...
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Meeting disorders, but never mind
This country never ceases to amaze me. Here we are faced with a situation that is potentially highly embarrassing to the highest office in the land, and the vessels that normally make the most sound are as quiet as a Tibetan monastery. I refer, of...
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Labour’s manipulative stint
It is amazing how Labour consistently applies the principle of mudslinging as the tool for political confrontation of its adversary, irrespective of the facts presented, and seems more intent merely to influence public perception by whatever means...
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Health problems, solutions
Malta has excellent health services. Private practice is solid, starting with very dedicated and able doctors. Public provision is probably second to only a few advanced countries in terms of quality. And it’s free for all, as the International...
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Simon Busuttil’s new challenge
The challenge facing Simon Busuttil as the new Leader of the Opposition is daunting. Contrary to the situation tackled by his predecessors since George Borg Olivier took over the leadership mantle following the untimely death of Enrico Mizzi,...
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Two sides to every story
Last Sunday we woke up to yet more allegations of questionable conduct by the administrators of a local NGO. The front page story of a Sunday newspaper blared out that ‘Reports of Malpractice at Rainbow Ward Under Investigation’. What followed...
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Pentecost and the Eurovision
All the readers of this column know that yesterday was the final of the Eurovision in Malmo. For some reason that I never fully understood, this festival is one of the most staple ingredients of the Maltese collective calendar. It is a national...
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How the Constitutional Court betrays Malta’s Constitution
The President of the Constitutional Court, Silvio Camilleri, took strong exception to what I said recently during the President’s Forum on the Constitution (May 12, 2013). He accuses me of “denigrating” the Constitutional Court. Now that is just...
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The Constitutional Court and the supremacy of the Constitution
On April 25, I attended the President’s Forum at the Palace in Valletta with the title, which translated into English roughly reads ‘Is the Constitution still serving people’s needs?’ Papers were read by Michael Frendo, former Speaker of the House...
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Out of the box
The news that Tom Cruise’s luscious ex Katie Holmes, the only one who gave him the ben servito, so to speak, might be dating someone else, threw me on a trip down memory lane, back to those days when Cruise was the ultimate teenage...
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Little girls need strong, not sexy princesses
Do you know Merida? I suppose not. Not unless the only movies you watch are animated, have twittering birds in the background and generous amounts of flowing pink fabrics and tiaras. Merida, for the Disney-uninitiated, is a Scottish princess, one...
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So what is ‘culture’ anyway?
This week, Sylvanus is privileged to have been granted access to a transcript of the inaugural meeting of the Committee for C.R.A.P (Cultural Regeneration and Artistic Progress). This is, of course, the all-new body set up by the Government to chart...
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Tribute to Lawrence Gonzi
It is only fitting that I should give brief tribute to Lawrence Gonzi now that the time has come for him to leave the political stage. History will record that he was perhaps one of the better Prime Ministers to have the honour to lead the country,...
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Greening the Constitution
Alternattiva Demokratika is in agreement that, 50 years after its adoption, the Constitution needs to be updated. However, such an exercise, as emphasised in AD’s 2013 electoral manifesto, should be carried out with the direct involvement of civil...
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A quality public service
The Public Administration Act, among other things, holds government entities accountable for the manner in which they provide services and carry out their functions. It is indeed considered to be a public service value that government entities...
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Kazakh mysteries in the Med.
Rakhat Aliyev is a former Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Chair of the Presidential Security Service and former Kazakh Ambassador to Austria. In 2008 he was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment by the Kazakh Criminal Court on charges of...
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A generation of the jobless
A recent editorial in The Economist focused on the alarming global situation concerning unemployed youths. The phenomenon of young people seeking employment across both developed and undeveloped countries is drawing the attention of international...
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