The film based on Susan Isaacs’s novel Shining Through tells the story of an American woman, Linda Voss, with Irish/German and Jewish parentage, who works for her country against the dark forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. It is a tale of honour, sacrifice, passion and, ultimately, success.

Roberta Metsola’s election to the important position of First Vice-President of the European Parliament somehow reminded me of this best-selling story due to some parallels that, perhaps, only I can see but which I feel are there nonetheless.

For this young lady from Gżira, a town in a small island on the geographical outskirts of Europe, this was no mean achievement. The number of ceilings that she has managed to smash through, glass and otherwise, defy listing. The election being by acclamation, and uncontested by none of the other political groupings or their members, is simply the cherry on a very large cake.

The heroine of the novel referred to previously had suffered discrimination in her own country very early on in her career, being refused jobs for which she was amply qualified because of her background. And, yet, she soldiered on and defended her country’s interests with total commitment in a hostile environment. That is our Roberta, too.

Much maligned by the ‘big-lie’ Labour rhetoric, she has very often been the subject and target of undeserving hate. This is no coincidence; it is no chance happening. Labour propagandists have always used such strategies aimed to discredit and dehumanise those who dare try to expose their abundant dirty linen.

The Labour propaganda machine manipulates a particular segment of Labour’s following, irresponsibly and dangerously brainwashing people to believe the absurdities they spout out, and encouraging insults, labels and even threatening language.

Have they not learnt anything from their own mistakes, if we can call them mistakes, that is? Such a strategy has already led to tragedy and, yet, they persist in fomenting hatred once again and, once again, towards a strong woman.

Shine on, Roberta Metsola. You do us proud- Eddie Aquilina

Metsola has managed to overcome all that in the midst of perhaps the worst time for the reputation of our country, for which only the perpetrators of corruption, tax evasion and murder are responsible and not those who exposed it.

She has, in her own inimitable way, with a dogged determination stemming from her deep-rooted values and standards of honest and hard work, managed to shine through the deceptive fogs and thickest smoke screens that Labour could churn out.

I have here succumbed to the temptation of quoting the wisdom of the gospel, with Jesus Christ challenging his audience: “Verify, I say unto you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” This is not entirely appropriate, however. Metsola has been accepted in her own country, and with increasing success, as the European Parliament elections show. It is only those who feel threatened by such a strong and capable woman who refuse to acknowledge it.

Suffice it to mention that, while accolades and messages of congratulations flowed in for what she has managed to achieve for, and on behalf of, our country, there were those whose ‘sour grapes outlook’ had them trying to belittle this accomplishment of hers by snide comments about irrelevances, by resorting to outright name-calling and insults or by the state broadcaster relegating this item below the ‘ground-breaking’ revelation about a street in Gozo being given a splat of tarmac.

While the President of Malta tweeted a congratulatory message, as is expected from the person holding this position, but kudos, nonetheless, to George Vella for rising above partisan divides, the prime minister refused to acknowledge it. Would he have us believe that he is envious of the feats of this great woman, albeit so young, or that he feels threatened by her? Are we to think that he is making the letters ‘PM’ stand for ‘petty myopic’, rather than prime minister? He really should grow up to fill his role and I do not mean just physically.

I do not want to end this piece on such a negative note, so one last message to our top MEP, the First Vice-President of the European Parliament and the holder of the highest international office that a Maltese person has ever held.

The darts that are fired at you are only proof that you are a threat to the forces of darkness that have temporarily triumphed in our country.

Your continuous commitment to our values, to our reputation and to us, the people who make up this country of ours, is commendable and exemplary.

I cannot avoid some hyperbole here and say that you are a political star and, like a star, you have shone through… and through. Shine on, Roberta Metsola. You do us proud.