Recollecting Jimmy Carter

I must confess that I felt a wave of sadness upon learning of former US president Jimmy Carter’s passing. He was a gracious individual and a true embodiment of moral integrity, who devoted himself to helping those in need.

I fondly recall when, in August 1997, he and his lovely wife, Rosalynn, visited Malta, several years after his presidency ended in 1981. My wife, Helen, and I had the pleasure of guiding the Carters around the island for an entire day. They were incredibly down to earth and genuinely interested in the history of my homeland.

The letter sent by the former US president to Philip Farrugia Randon.

He was curious about the richness of Maltese culture and asked several insightful questions without being imposing. His trademark smile was ever-present, and he loved a light-hearted joke, radiating warmth and friendliness.

I can still hear his sincere laughter during our visit to the Mnajdra Neolithic Temples; he was truly astonished when I mentioned their construction date. I playfully remarked: “While we were building these temples, people in much larger countries were still in loincloths and living in mud huts.” Though I never named those countries, my playful wink said it all.

I remember our relaxed conversation about human rights and peaceful resolutions – topics that were especially dear to him and contributed to his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Among other things, we saw Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The Beheading of the Baptist, and took a late-night stroll through Mdina, which left a lasting impact on him.

I still treasure the letter he sent me, including a handwritten note expressing his gratitude. Farewell, good soul.

PHILIP FARRUGIA RANDON – St Julian’s

Public transport

John Ebejer tries to convince us that Malta needs a tram system (‘Public transport and quality of life’, December 2) but he does not really explain how the significant infrastructural work involved in laying down an extensive tram-line network will deliver a more cost-effectively efficient public transport system than more frequent buses and more rigorously enforced bus lanes.

Neither does he mention how most European cities discourage private cars by abolishing free street parking, even in your own street. The Maltese ‘would like their cake and eat it’ – use of private cars and no traffic.

Furthermore, Ebejer does not mention why, for example, Stockholm significantly reduced their tram network and built a metro. Neither does he mention that Catania (similar population to us) and Perugia (half our population) both recently built metros.

Neither does he allude to the repeated costed plans for a Malta metro (that also connects Gozo) in Times of Malta from a London-based Maltese civil engineer. Is this perhaps a matter of professional envy or the low calibre of our politicians, whose ‘far-sightedness’ does not go beyond the next election?

ALBERT CILIA-VINCENTI – Attard