Timing political strategy

Beyond proofreading I dreamt that I saw an article written by Lawrence Gonzi courageously called Growing Stronger Together. This time it had better linguistics and I suppose that the previous proof-reader has been dumped in an administrative reshuffle which people would have preferred to see in the Cabinet.

At first I was tempted to ignore the article, as Dr Gonzi likes to say "Judge us by what we do not by what we say". (So why bother to write articles and make speeches - which are words not actions?) This is tantamount to saying "Ignore what we say". But I will read him anyway. How can I start the year by being intolerant in spite of suggested intolerance?

This article emphasised social justice and consultation. And this is why I consider it bad political strategy timing. For, only a short while before, members of the armed forces, among others, were back at the Ombudsman's office complaining about unfair treatment in promotions, members of the legal profession wrote letters to the press about a similar matter, the government wanted to legislate in Parliament without a vote and the people of Marsascala and surrounding areas expressed themselves vociferously at being ignored - just like the Gozitans regarding Hondoq ir-Rummien, the Slimizi in Qui-Si-Sana, not to mention Safi and Munxar. Also the promise of journalistic consultation every month at Castille vanished after being kept only 15 times out of 34. (But the NSO can correct this.) In such circumstances, I am not quite sure that judging a person by what he does is necessarily flattering.

My dream article states that "Our way of doing politics is all-inclusive" (perhaps all-inclusive of inner-core Nats?) and that "We are all one family". (Perhaps a family of nephews and nieces?) It seems to me that it is truer to say that some of us are lucky while the masses are seeing neither social justice nor consultation. As for growing stronger together, yes, the friends of friends are growing more solid together.

Shaun

The sad story of the Gozitan boy Shaun shocked everyone who saw clearly that he wanted absolutely to stay in Gozo with his father and brothers. What happened really to make him be legally snatched from his loving family and sent to England? Is English law superior to Maltese law? Is it a matter of Maltese law bowing to EU law? Or is it true that law has not evolved enough to grant equal rights to mothers and fathers? Before the law recognises equality of parental rights, one cannot but conclude that the law is an ass.

Pinochet

Last year the democratic world was lucky enough to lose the rightist Augusto Pinochet - the grave-digger of the Chilean people - who cynically declared before dying that "Everything I did I am ready to do it all over again". That means that he was ready to kill 3,000 more innocent people and torture 30,000 others. His daughter Lucia called his tortures "barbaric". However, the conservative leader Margaret Thatcher thanked Gen. Pinochet for "bringing democracy to Chile". For this he sent her chocolates and flowers.

An anti-divorce obsession

With every new survey, there are more and more Maltese in favour of the introduction of divorce - which is only the right to remarry after separation. Rich Maltese obtain their divorce abroad and this is recognised in Malta. Thus, there is a law for the poor and a law for the rich - which is a parody of democracy. By opposing the harmonisation of divorce laws in the EU, the government is making a laughing stock out of the country. I also suspect that some angry persons oppose divorce out of pique - not to see their ex-spouse remarry. Others fear being abandoned by their partner for another union. But would a scalded dog remarry just like that? I believe that a conservative attitude towards divorce will have an influence in the local and general elections of this year.

Stealing from the police

On December 30, drinks meant for a Sliema police party in a car in front of the station, were stolen. This is proof enough that some people are really starving to go to this extent. Again, I propose a better reform and educational solution than a prison sentence, when the thief is caught and placed behind bars with the taxpayer paying for his upkeep. The bandit should be made to work until he earns enough money to pay for another police party. Of course, the party must be bigger than originally planned (after all he spoiled the first party) and he must be the barman and waiter during this party. He will also clean up afterwards. And he will become a better man.

Better than liposuction

I am afraid I have bad news for slimming parlours, plastic surgeons and liposuckers. Obese people will no longer use their services. They will go to the National Statistics Office, which changes figures overnight. The fact that Father Christmas this year rolled more heartily on the ground, roaring Ho! Ho! Ho! while pressing bags of statistics into our chimneys and climbing our balconies on bar charts may have something to do with it.

Give pensioners a break!

I don't believe my eyes when I see letters from particularly rich correspondents stating that pensioners are living a comfortable life. Some well-off letter writers even approve that pensioners have only two-thirds cost of living increases. Actually, our senior citizens have more expenses than younger people. Medicines are just one example. And the government is surprised when they say that they cannot find certain medicines or that their price is astronomically high. Surprise at social reality is one way of being distant from the people.

Best present

The best present I received last Christmas was a badge of the national Maltese football team. The best suggestion I can make regarding Maltese non-patriots siding with a foreign football team during a game against a Maltese team is that these people should be exported to any country of their preference - especially to some place where patriotism is not important. Their position in Malta is a treacherous contradiction.

Dr Licari teaches psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and geolinguistics at the department of French of the University of Malta.