The story of Toni and Rashid

It’s a baking hot evening in Xlendi. Toni is drained of energy.

After spending six hours on the streets of Gozo in his delivery truck, he is unwinding in his balcony, trying to cool down.

The blistering heat is relentless and an ice-cold beer provides a refreshing respite from the hardships of life.

As he gazes down blankly at the street of his seaside village, he glimpses someone approaching. It’s an imposing silhouette, a black man dressed in a  colourful tank top, extra-loose blue jeans, a baseball cap and a pair of distressed Nike shoes.

Toni smiles as he recognises the man headed to the bay; it’s Rashid.

From Ghana, Rashid arrived in Malta five years ago aboard a semi-deflated and overcrowded dinghy, carrying with him a backpack with some bread and a couple of water bottles as well as a pocket full of dreams.

Out of sheer desperation and in his quest for a more dignified existence, Rashid took a leap into the unknown, leaving behind a desolate life in Africa. 

Rashid has been working in the Gozitan quarries. Working his fingers to the bone.

He now earns a decent living, finally elevating his social status from “survival mode” to “living mode”. 

In his struggle, he has encountered several hazards and constant uncertainties, the sort which can break the spirit of the most resilient human being.  

As Rashid passes under Tony’s balcony, he glimpses the Maltese man who vaguely smiles at him. 

He raises his hand and smiles back in salute. 

Toni and Rashid live in the same area, shop at the same mini-market, hang out at the same pub, drink the same beer and even support the same football club.

But they are still relative strangers.

They have failed to break the cultural barriers between them, isolated from each other in a perpetual state of bilateral (hesitant) observation.

Toni and Rashid’s lack of social interaction reflects Malta’s failure to accept and integrate people from different social, racial and ethnical backgrounds.

Institutionalised support programmes tend to focus on the financial while failing to adequately address social integration issues and basic education.

A holistic approach to the situation seems to be lacking and the road towards multiculturalism is an uphill struggle. Maybe even an elusive utopia.

The reasons are multifaceted but it is evident there is a prevailing sentiment of diffidence and distrust and a subtle veil of racism. 

All these feelings may derive from an underlying fear that the foreigners could “take over” our islands or “disrupt” our lifestyle. 

Sometimes, this sort of fear of the unknown results in despicable incidents such as racially motivated social exclusion, street brawls, nightclub fights and the occasional Western-style action-drama like the ones reported on the news. 

Though much media attention is given to these sensational occurrences, there are other obvious daily reminders of the perils that foreigners, especially black people, must face on a regular basis.

An early drive through Marsa provides ample proof of the stark reality and precarious working conditions that black people are constantly subjected to.

Social integration cannot be forced upon a nation.

It should be attained in a progressive, sustainable and holistic fashion.

This goal can only be achieved through education, knowledge and true understanding of each other. 

Big changes start with small steps. Perhaps it is high time for Toni and Ahmed to have a chat and get to know one another.

Perhaps it is also time that, in Malta, the immigrants of goodwill and decent moral principles are truly accepted and fully integrated in our society.

Jason Grech – Victoria

Saving Gozo

Alan Deidun’s excellent article on Gozo (August 8) follows the barrage of contributions being made by politicians, NGOs, journalists, environmentalists, priests and many individuals who have the island at heart. To me, they are ‘The Save Gozo Crusade’.

Regrettably, history teaches us that many such crusades prove futile.

They are up against a section of Gozitan and Maltese landowners, developers, speculators, architects and public officers united in their bid to protect their building frenzy and turn Gozo into an environmental apocalypse.

“Make hay while the sun shines” is their latest buzz proverb. They very consciously ignore the fact that, sooner rather than later, unless this madness stops, the damage done to Gozo will be irreversible.

The latest disgraceful tactic being practised by applicants who seek to build on ODZ land is to remove the development application notices soon after they are posted in situ. Recently, a man was spotted removing a notice at Żebbuġ at 7pm on the same day it was affixed. One does not need to be a genius to understand the motive. They try to dodge the objectors.

The length of Gozo equals the width of Malta and, yet, Planning Authority statistics reveal that permits to build on ODZ are granted at an average exceeding 100 a year.

I appeal to the prime minister to announce a moratorium on ODZ permits. Can anyone in  these islands enlighten me and explain why a single permit to build on ODZ for private use should ever be granted?

The present administration faces two choices as far as Gozo is concerned. The first is simply to do the right thing, give priority to the environment and save Gozo. The alternative is to retain the status quo, a term which Ronald Reagan once jokingly said translates from Latin to “the mess we are in”. Very fitting for our scenario.

I pray that we will never lose the charm of our dear island of Calypso.

Victor Pisani – Birżebbuġa

Bernard Grech – a true gentleman

What others say against our leader and gentleman, Bernard Grech is none of our business.

Who said that Grech wasn’t going to pay his income tax arrears, after all?

Grech, being a most amiable and honest person, had the money available for a rainy day and when the rainy day appeared, he promptly settled the bill in full. He has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

You are in trouble if you cannot pay your dues, which is not the case.

To our knowledge, it is Prime Minister Robert Abela who failed to show us his tax returns, even though this goes against the rules of transparency.

Karl Flores – San Ġwann

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