People in Gozo have become blind, deaf and silent as a dirty game continues to be played right in our midst. We are living a new experience, different to the Gozitan character I know.
Personally, I remain tied to the roots of our forefathers and a letter I received from a friend of mine in Rome reinforces my resolve.
“Dear Fr Charles, I know how much you love Gozo, which is very evident in the various books you have published, copies of which you kindly gave me. I cherish them because every word, every photo in them reminds me of what you always told me.
“I am writing this letter after I read in the media what Pope Francis said during his visit to Malta and Gozo last April: ‘Fight building mania, greed and corruption. Eliminate illegality, corruption and land speculation.’
“I couldn’t believe that those words were referring to the islands of Malta and Gozo, which I visited some years ago. Unbelievable! To me Gozo is a haven of peace, beauty, harmony and uniqueness, in other words a paradise on earth.
“Allow me to implore: please, stop these vandals, opportunists and thieves before it becomes a jungle, a mess or, worse, a landfill. I am very curious to know what the minister responsible for the island of Gozo really thinks about this.”
In his Foreword for my book Gozo: The Roots of an Island, former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, a good friend of mine, described Gozo as “a jewel in the Mediterranean”.
As a Salesian of Don Bosco, I was always taught to look at things through the eyes of the gospel. Doing so on the island where we live today, our vision is blurred and we are disorientated. We lack perspective and fail to see sense on the horizon, which make us much the poorer.
The way some are acting verges on dictatorship. They line their own pockets, putting aside their morality and principles
We need to start looking around us, at things that are more important than power, satisfaction and money. Defending the rights of the poor, Saint Oscar Romero, the archbishop shot dead while celebrating Mass in San Salvador in 1980, used to say: “We all have a little Church in ourselves, our own conscience. God is there! There His spirit dwells.” We, too, must hear our conscience.
Gozo, in its simplicity, has always been a jewel. A beauty. A heaven. We need to educate ourselves and make direct contact with all that is beautiful in Gozo. Both through our heart and our mind, we need to keep reminding ourselves that Gozo belongs to every person who lives there, is born there and those who visit.
Dirty people, who persist with their projects, come what may, their only concern being of lining their pockets, are labelled as ‘mafia’ in the neighbouring island up north. I never understood how such people can combine their Christian way of living with their erroneous decisions, even of a political nature, affecting both Gozo and Malta!
Now that the election is over, our daily life goes on. However, I wonder: are we back to square one?
The dirty people are already on the move. Gozo will soon become a jungle and the Gozitans who voted in the last election must shoulder their responsibility.
Driving along certain roads in Gozo is like sitting in a very fast drum truck. The road leading from Marsalforn to Victoria is a case in point.
Who gave these dirty people permission to destroy the harmony of Gozo? And why are we Gozitans remaining passive? Which interests are being protected?
No one has a conscience anymore. Have we sold our identity and dignity for a job engaging us for just a few hours in the morning?
Gozo does not only belong to a few selective people. What about everyone else? Gozo is not Russia or Cuba.
Wake up and talk because, when we defend Gozo, we are defending ourselves and, especially the future of our children.
Dear young people, have you lost your voice and sensibility? Wake up.
Gozo is the island I love most.
Cassiodorus, in book 1, 39, writes these profound words: “It is most noble for every citizen to try to increase the honour of his native land.”
Living in Italy for more than 20 years, I missed my Gozo very much. Visiting various countries as World Delegate of the Past Pupils of Don Bosco, I discovered how fortunate I was to be born in the small island of Gozo Gio Pietro Francesco Agius De Soldanis (1712-1770) once said: “In my opinion, there are many individual and singular characteristics worthy to be known and never forgotten. If our politicians and citizens read these words, they would be less willing to ruin Gozo. Stop and reflect on wise men’s words. Leave Gozo as created by God.”
However, there are many hidden interests. Money, money and more money. The way some are acting verges on dictatorship. They line their own pockets, putting aside their morality, principles and abusing the dignity of all Gozitans and all the people who live there.
The damage being done to the environmental landscape in Gozo is irreversible.
I conclude with a line from Manzoni’s I Promessi Sposi, what Padre Cristoforo told Don Rodrigo: “I have compassion for you! A day will come” – very fitting to our politicians and contractors.
Fr Charles Cini is a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.