Editorial

Every so often we are reminded that in Malta organisations exist that are equipped to do a power of good on, and for, these islands. One such is the Emergency Volunteer Reserve Force, which operates under the control and aegis of the Armed Forces of Malta. Specifically, the EVRF is open to men and women aged between 18 and 35 who would like to experience a soldier's life on a part-time basis.

For those whose memory stretches back to 1970 and beyond, the EVRF is similar in this respect to military units that were called territorial units. Not only did membership of these territorial units help part-time soldiers to enjoy and experience a camaraderie they rarely found in their civilian work-place. It also taught them a new and disciplined way of life and a sense of self-respect which could not but have helped when they returned to their civilian job. For bad reasons, these territorial organisations were decommissioned in the early 1970s by Dom Mintoff.

In some part, the EVRF is an attempt to recreate the essence of those disbanded units albeit in a different format. Primary objectives remain the same. Volunteers in the EVRF attend week-end training and an eight-day annual camp.

Reservists are tarried to carry out a number of tasks. They include support for the civil administration in the event of disaster, guarding key points in an emergency, infantry patrolling and surveillance as well as air defence manning. Their contribution in these roles allows regular army personnel to perform a more robust role in an emergency.

Public sector employees who enrol in the EVRF usually meet no difficulty when they apply for leave to attend camp but various of their private sector counterparts do. This is not only surprising, it is disturbing and betrays a lack of civic-mindedness on the part of employers that is in direct contrast to that of their employees who give up weekends in order to cope with the danger of potential emergencies.

The men and women who enrol into the EVRF are performing a public duty for which we should be grateful. We will be more so if, tragically, they are called upon to help the civil administration in an emergency. Think of an earthquake, for instance, when crisis is compounded by confusion. The professional contribution of volunteers in the reserve force may make the difference between life and death for many. In short, those who join the EVRF should find nothing but active cooperation from their employers.

Rather than make it difficult for these public-spirited individuals, employers should do everything possible to encourage them in their voluntary work.

For its part, the AFM should surely publicise this branch of its remit more effectively than it has done so far. For one thing it needs to attract more members to join the EVRF; for another, the more people that join the greater the number of smart, trained, part-time soldiers who can take back to their jobs the discipline and motivation that military training effectively imparts.

In addition, the AFM, but also the politicians, ought to have a close look at how the law stands now in order to see whether it is opportune to relax the provision whereby the use of the EVRF is only allowed in a state of emergency. The motivation, commitment and skills of the present reservists is enough to demonstrate they can fulfil very useful roles even when the going is not so tough.