God wanted all people to be born free. But God made man and man made slaves. The devil is the evil men do in order to keep manipulating the weak. It is nothing more than the manipulation of man over man. Those in power like to use the words “devil” and “sin” just to keep the fear factor alive in the minds of people. It is how one uses power that determines on whose side one is: good or evil.
Look at what is happening around us today. Many nations are expressing their anger against their respective governments as the world watches. People all over the planet are witnessing what is going on in the Arab world and now even in some parts of Europe. People want to make a point. They are fed up of greed, corruption, poverty and tampering with human and civil rights. From Tunisia the fire of freedom ignited a process that will take more than a few months to fade away.
This matter is not about religion, not about race, not about personal aspirations but simply and plainly about freedom and a better life. The freedoms of choice, speech, rights and the freedom from oppression is what each and every individual is seeking. People are not afraid anymore. They are not afraid to voice their feelings and show their resentment to their “godly” politicians. The internet has given them the much-needed powerful tool to disagree with the oppressors without lifting a finger. Times are moving ahead quite fast and those who caught in the passions of the past will be the first to perish. People want the future. However, they want a future that is not so distant and can guarantee them a better life during their short human lifespan. It seems that, finally, the world has come to understand the meaning of life.
If the past was dark and mysterious in terms of lack of democracy, the present is showing us that the only way forward for true democracy to prevail is to have a genuine change of mind: from hard-line divisive politics to complete mental political freedom. The presence of antiquated politicians with their outdated policies is no longer cherished in this day and age. The signs of the times are proving this view to be right. People want tomorrow’s politicians not yesterday’s. Sadly, many people in politically oppressed countries come to understand that the only way for them to achieve such political freedom in their lifetime is to face their fears and come to terms with reality, even if this means bloodshed.
I have often mentioned that people are losing hope in politicians because of the way they see their trust being manipulated for the sake of personal interest and power. The power structure we have today needs to be revamped in order to survive in an open mentality of tomorrow. It needs to accommodate more the expectations of the people and not to accommodate just the demands of a few chosen ones. In most of today’s political systems, individuals closer to the core of a party are the ones grasping a high percentage of opportunities. Opportunities mean money and money means good life.
What is happening today in Libya and its neighbouring countries could have been avoided if the governments of the respective countries chose to take a different political path and took much more care of the people’s needs. So today we have our answer: chaos. And what can little Miss Malta gain from all this chaos? Zilch. Nothing but problems.
Geographically we are situated exactly between the southern European continent and the northern Arab world. We are neither European nor African. What we are for sure is Mediterranean. We cannot deny the fact we are part of the European Union. However, does that engagement really make us European or just a Mediterranean country, which forms part of the EU? Some might argue and disagree with this view but if one were to look into our history and identify the roots of our forefathers then one will discover the truth about our origins. Therefore, being Mediterranean means we need to cultivate our rich cultural heritage and protect our island nation as much as possible.
We never had and never will have the military muscle to intervene in situations of conflict, so we need to tread delicately through diplomacy, using soft power.
In modest English language, Malta cannot afford to get involved, directly or indirectly, in a war (being civil or otherwise) where it can only place its own citizens clearly in danger. Our Constitution is crystal clear. If for many years our neutrality clause was for some people considered as irrelevant, today the bloodshed in Libya and the unrest in many North African states has surely proved this is not the case.
The government of Malta has to make sure our country will not be used as a platform for military operations in times of unrest such as these. I fully agree Malta needs to aid civilians on humanitarian grounds during such a critical situation but we need to be cautious that these humanitarian operations will not slowly and stealthily turn into military ones. Undisputedly, Malta cannot afford this type of clear and present danger.