Malta and neutrality

The very comprehensive article by Ranier Fsadni (May 26) is very compelling. However, I’m not an academic and I look at neutrality very simplistically, as I would imagine most of the local population does, that is that, in order to remain neutral, you have to be able to defend your neutrality.

Neutrality, of course, does not just mean ‘not taking sides militarily’ but also not trading with either side in such a way as to enhance their military efforts, like, say, Switzerland’s trading ventures with the Nazi regime in WWII.

My vision of neutrality is simple: if neighbours on either side of my property are having an argument, I need to have the power to stop either (or both) of them jumping over the fence and trespassing into my garden to get at each other or even to take me as hostage. If not, at least, I need to have the ability to call on allies and friends who have the power to help.

Would we send out the patrol boats if a hostile country invaded Malta? Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Putting it in simple form, for example, what if a hostile country decides to invade Malta, what or who is going to stop it? Alright, Faith, Hope and Charity can be reassembled out of the wartime museum but that takes more time than a MiG takes to travel round the world twice. Well, send out the navy (sorry, patrol boats) to repel a destroyer or two. Oh, yeah, and scramble the storm troopers.

If dropped at dawn, a small detachment of SAS can neutralise the island by lunchtime!

So why not keep it simple and join NATO and give the Maltese people a feeling of security, such as they had in WWII when defended by the British. Whoever thinks that, if Malta could have declared itself neutral in 1940, the Germans/Fascist Italy would have respected that and left us in peace?

In any case, Malta is not important strategically any more. It was once a sought-after summer resort and now it’s a corrupt building site with most seaside resorts invaded by smelly and unhygienic caravan sites, put there by vote-seeking and self-serving politicians.

Sweden, Finland and Switzerland are now seeking to join NATO and Malta should treat that as a wake-up call and follow suit.

Paul Brincau, Uxbridge UK

Valuable help for missions

I would like to thank the Mission Fund because, while I was in Malta last month, they offered Galilee Centre, our retreat house in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, a donation of €3,500. Of that, €500 went to support those affected by COVID, €2,000 to cover all the expenses of the aluminium doors and windows of the 12 rooms of the new building still in progress and another €1,000 for the spiritual ministries in our retreat house.

Due to the present situation, the cost of the building material has shot up considerably. Because of this, the building works have practically stopped in the last two months. Besides this, it is not easy to find donors to help build a retreat house.

When I presented these difficulties to Mission Fund, they offered us the generous donation mentioned above. For this reason, I would like to express to them my deepest gratitude for their support and encouragement.

Kindly continue to help us with your prayers so that, in this house of prayer, we continue to bring many closer to God.

Another way in which you can help us is by sending used stamps and donations to the Mission Fund office. More information may be accessed from the website: www.missionfund.org.mt.

I pray that God offers your families good health. I will continue to pray for you in my daily Eucharist. Let’s pray for one another.

Fr Joseph Pullicino SJ – Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

Greetings to you and to all readers. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the generous donation sent to our parish by Mission Fund. 

Indeed, it is most supportive to know that these good people always think about us, missionaries at the service of all.

Our parish caters for a lot of people distributed in different areas with their respective chapels and communities.

Mostly, we cater for the elderly who live alone and the migrants who live in very precarious housing. So, all the help which we receive is more than welcome.

May God bless Mission Fund and all their benefactors. You are in our prayers always.

And may I remind readers that they can support Mission Fund by depositing in their various accounts at the banks and by donating used stamps. Thank you all.

Fr Henry Balzan – Copiapó, Chile

Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@timesofmalta.com. Please include your full name, address and ID card number. The editor may disclose personal information to any person or entity seeking legal action on the basis of a published letter.