Arabic at long last

The European Movement (Malta) congratulates the University of Malta (UOM) and the Minister of Education Dr Louis Galea for their initiative in starting a two-year diploma in Arabic. The Movement has always supported this idea and has urged this often in the past in its public statements and articles.

We are not saying this in an attempt to steal the thunder from the University or Minister Galea. We think that this initiative should have been started earlier. But now that it has begun we will not look back. A sorry history of missed opportunities cannot enlighten the country's path forward. The initiative is worth supporting. Let's move ahead.

The European Movement (Malta) has consistently argued that Malta's EU membership enhances its ability to play a more important role in Mediterranean affairs. But we also believe that for Malta to be able to carry out this role properly we must invest more.

We must build a cadre of specialists knowledgeable in Arabic and sensitive to this immensely rich culture that has also positively influenced ours.

Malta needs to be as close as possible to the heart of the inter-cultural dialogue that is being promoted in the region. We need to analyse properly what our southern neighbours are saying and what their fears and concerns are. We need to comprehend them more, and there is no better way of doing this than in their own language.

The Maltese pride themselves on their bilingualism and the number of languages they can muster. The Maltese language, which is the main factor that identifies us as Maltese, is a direct descendant of Arabic.

More than 160 years of British rule has bequeathed us the English language which has in turn opened up vast opportunities for the Maltese worldwide.

Italian is understood and spoken by a sizable proportion of Maltese citizens. Proficiency in other languages such as French, German, Spanish and Russian has been encouraged for decades. Better late than never, the Arab language and culture are about to receive a big boost.

We also congratulate the government for approaching this challenge in the most sensible manner. It is left entirely free for the individual to decide whether he/she wants to study Arabic. This is being stated simply to underline the damage that was caused some decades ago when Maltese students were forced, often against their will, to study Arabic because it was compulsory in our schools.

The result of this 'Big Daddy knows best what is good for you' policy was that it cultivated a special hate for the subject instead of a love for it. The real loser in the end was neither the government of the day nor the Arab countries who in bona fide lent their technical support to try to make the policy work. It was the country which suffered.

The EU and the Arab Mediterranean countries are constructing a Euro-Mediterranean Partnership which is planned to come fully into being by 2010. Next year, the Partners will commemorate the 10th anniversary of this process which started in Barcelona in 1995.

It is quite heartening to see that Malta is waking to the Mediterranean challenges it faces with a more organised and professional effort.

The Euro-Mediterranean region offers immense new opportunities for business in both the service and manufacturing sectors. A knowledge of the region's main language, history and culture surely helps the Maltese perform better economically. This investment in the teaching of Arabic is for that reason very important. In our eyes and for this reason as well it is a very worthwhile one.