Four square with the president

Thanks to the proposed government amendment on the law to govern medical treatment for pregnant women at risk, the president is in the spotlight.

Considerable space in the media seems to be used up to conjecture what he will or will not do when faced with the choice of signing a law he strongly disagrees with.

Unbelievably, public opinion is always shifted to focus on the wrong person or group.  I stand four square with the president and his revulsion at the proposed law and the manner in which it is being rammed down our throats.

Democracy is not being put at risk by the president but by a government that disregards the basic principles of democracy and the most basic of human rights: the right to life.

The president is there to represent the nation and to protect the integrity of the constitution and the function of democracy. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The people of Malta have not given the government the mandate to introduce abortion, let alone abortion by stealth with the excuse that it is strengthening the law which protects pregnant mothers at risk and the doctors who treat them.

Not so long ago, the president was faced with a law that introduced the evil procedure of eugenics. Again, a law that goes against every principle upholding the right to life was forced through, ignoring widespread disagreement by civil society.

This abuse of power has happened before.  When President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was in office, she was presented with a law that gutted the Embryo Protection Act.

Once more, we had a situation where an agonising decision was foisted on the Office of the President without fair public consultation, let alone approval.

In just a few years, this law has led to the production of hundreds of surplus embryos that now are stored indefinitely in sub-zero temperatures with next to no hope of survival.

I strongly believe that the president is there to represent the nation and to protect the integrity of the constitution and the function of democracy. The president not only has a right but also a duty to take a stand when such core values of a civilised society are dragged through the mud.

 It is long overdue that the Office of the President does not remain ceremonial and is given the powers it deserves to prevent such abuses of power from taking place. 

Klaus Vella Bardon – Balzan

Appreciating local talent

The Malta Film Awards were held recently and I was very disappointed that the veteran iconic film director Elio Lombardi was not invited to the event.

He is one of the local pioneering directors who on his own directed films that entertained many, long before the current soap operas on TV took off.

Lombardi not only directed but also wrote the script, often had an acting role, built the props and did the make-up and chose the right characters and costumes – all at his own expense.

I had just published his biography and learnt of the great lengths he went through for certain props to match the time frame of the script. Lombardi is now 89 and working on his 114th film – alone.

Where is the encouragement and appreciation of local talent that film organisations often boast of when Lombardi is not even recognised for his talent or even invited to events such as the Malta Film Awards? 

Mary Attard – St Paul’s Bay