Despite tragedy, Poland has not yet lost!

On hearing the tragedy that befell Poland I was stunned and could not believe what had happened. My heart split in half and I felt as if all hope was lost. Prayer was the only thing I found comfort in, that the president and the others in his delegation would rest eternally with the grace of God.

I went to church to gather myself and felt alienated since the others in the congregation did not feel my sorrow. I am looked upon as being Maltese just like everyone else but I also have a Polish identity, one that I am as proud of as my Maltese one.

Half of the government and the elite of Poland died just like that. It is unbelievable and hard to swallow. They were on their way to take part in the remembrance of the Poles who were massacred by the Soviets in the Second World War, but instead they went directly to meet them. No one has control on when death comes and so it was meant to be.

Some rumours say that Smolensk is cursed like the Bermuda triangle or that someone was behind this incident like when Sikorski's plane crashed near Gibraltar during the war. Right now, pointing fingers is not an issue but accepting what happened and getting the country back on track.

Imagine if this happened to Malta. What would the Maltese feel like? Their flags are of the same colour and they both joined the European Union at the same time. Polish and Maltese were always fighting for independence. Poland was wiped off the map for over 200 years and shares the sentiments that the Maltese had to experience to finally become independent.

Despite the grief, the first sentence of the Polish national anthem serves to encourage all Poles: "Jeszcze Polska nie zginela!" - Poland has not yet lost! Like a reporter said, "Today we are all Poles!"