By international standards, local media rarely provide any real challenge to anyone let alone people in power. We have rarely seen reporters asking challenging questions at press briefings. We rarely witness investigative reporting that unearths hidden truths. And we almost never experience the use of “doorstepping” to elicit the truth from politicians, people in power and in certain positions, or protagonists in stories who are answerable to people. This is why the use of doorstepping by a section of the local media to investigate the culprit in a hit and run case came as a surprise.

Honestly, I feel that rather than face the man who caused this accident, an old man, on camera, the media house in question, certainly not this one, should have investigated the matter off camera, at best revealed the truth and that’s it. If media have decided to start using this technique it should reserve it to cases where people who are answerable to the public keep hiding the truth, avoiding press conferences, lie blatantly and repeatedly, or mislead national institutions such as Parliament in the same manner.

In the past months there were numerous occasions when the use of such a technique would have been justified. There were occasions where members of this government avoided media by not answering questions on financial declarations they had to make public, on high salaries offered to government appointees and so many more such cases. Requesting such a comment from a politician would have been justified. I believe the criticism levelled at the media house that used this technique to get a comment from an 80-year-old who in any case had reported the incident to the police is justified.

Hopefully, lessons were learned from this incident. Hopefully, all media should realise that while doing it with the big fish is in the public interest, doing it to a common citizen can be interpreted as an act of bullying.

 

Sick leave

The Malta Employers Association’s (MEA) proposed amendments to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act were met with rebuke from a number of quarters. As the MEA itself said, this harsh criticism centred mainly around the proposals concerning sick leave rather than other elements which were not touched upon.

From the outset, I need to declare that I am against one particular proposal concerning sick leave related to sports injuries. In my opinion, if this had to be done it would undermine all efforts to promote sport and physical activity on a national level which is also beneficial to employees. If we eliminate sick leave related to sports injuries we would be eliminating a number of important activities such as daily jogging, workouts in a gym or aerobics sessions to take a few examples. I am less keen on criticising other reasons for sick leave, given that professional experience has shown me that there are employees who can be extremely creative with their sick leave entitlement. I agree that we should re-examine many aspects of the employment law, including the sections dealing with sick leave, to ensure that abuses are curbed and employers, who provide jobs, are protected against this abuse. On the other hand, one should also get professionals such as general practitioners on board to ensure that medical certificates presented to employers are filled in rigorously and detailed assessments of the sick employee are carried out. After all, uncontrolled abuse of sick leave may cause problems to the economy, to the country and ironically to the same individual who abuses such a benefit.

 

Robin Williams

The untimely death of Robin Williams was met by many with a sense of disbelief and deep sorrow. The death of an actor who is largely associated with comedy, especially when it is self-inflicted, is deemed illogical by some. Certainly ironical. The truth is that good actors of Williams’ calibre are able to project an image of themselves which is miles away from the truth. They are able to make people laugh but then end up crying their heart out away from the public eye. They are able to be sociable but in truth they would rather be alone. We have learned that Williams suffered from depression which might have lead him to take his own life. Such an eventful life. Such a successful life. What a pity.

Unfortunately, we tend to underestimate the perils of depression. We dismiss it as a sort of phase in someone’s life which normally goes away with or without medication. It’s true some may overcome this problem but others may simply succumb to it. Both in my profession and as a politician I have seen people transforming from bubbly, outgoing people to introvert and lonely people whose life has become barely recognisable. I think more should be done to help these people. There should be more awareness on depression and how this could affect anyone. Those who suffer from such a condition should get all the necessary understanding, assistance and support. Employers should ensure that his or her company provides professional support to employees suffering from depression. Families who have a member suffering from depression should also get such support. Communities should be more supportive too.

Meanwhile, let’s remember the best moments in Robin Williams’ career. Thankfully, his films will forever remain to be enjoyed by all.

 

Charlo’ Bonnici is a Nationalist Member of Parliament