I will start with our Police Force. A force such as this is there not only to keep law and order, but also to assist citizens (or anybody for that matter) and educate. It must never abuse of its position and, above all, not be violent or brutal, or devious for that matter. Last week I commented about the poor Castille protester who was sent to Mount Carmel, just as they do under Communist regimes, like Russia and China. Is that what our Prime Minister, Minister of Police and Acting Police Commissioner are coming to? We now have regular allegations that our forces of law and order (sic) are targeting non-Maltese persons. We had the case of an Englishman claiming these days that he was beaten up by the police (even being strangled).

 We had that despicable and disgusting strip search of two ladies (Swedish, I believe) at Police Headquarters. That’s respect for human dignity! I was under the impression that such an exercise, if deemed necessary, should be carried out at a hospital. It seems that ever since the appointment of Acting Commissioner of Police Ray Zammit things are going from bad to worse. Perhaps his background at the Special Assignment Group and the Corradino Correctional Facility has hardened him. That is why we are in dangerous times and we must watch it. Clearly our police force is returning to the arrogant and abusive behaviour of the seventies and eighties and it is only us citizens who can restrain them, together with our weak press, who will stand up to be counted, I hope.

I happened to be present at a sporting event last week, where there was a disturbance after the match. There were a number of uniformed policemen/women present, but the Special Intervention Unit was called in. They arrived in two cars. Men in black baseball cap and all, and carrying truncheons (legitimate of course, had there been a riot).

As far as I remember mobile squad members under the previous administration wore normal police uniforms and had identification numbers.Their presence threw me back to what I have read (not being around at the time) of Nazi police squads in Adolf Hitler’s time (and I did not notice any identification numbers, though I stand to be corrected). They pushed and shoved their way through all present, the uniformed police having already largely controlled the situation. If indeed they were not wearing service numbers, then this is a total lack of transparency. How can one find redress for manhandling if a police officer of sorts cannot be identified? Hence, I say “let us be vigilant”. We cannot afford to go back to the days of the notorious, violent and brutal SMU.

And I also echo the wise words of our Foreign Minister, Dr. George Vella, about being vigilant about the infiltration of the Islamic State into Malta, probably, if at all, through Libya. Islam has raised its head and is making inroads in Iraq, Syria and Libya. We are too close to Libya not to be on guard. And this especially in view of the fact  that the  Libyan Tripoli Parliament has been taken over by this faction. It is here that the men in black baseball caps should be assigned. At our airports and seaports. The trouble with Islam is that there are no holds barred. There is no compassion or mercy. There are no half measures. And the problem is that Europe is overrun with Muslims – although the vast majority are law abiding and fraternal. But to what extent can the UN, Nato, the EU, etc intervene? There is a very fine balance to be kept. And what would be the result? Just look at the disaster in Libya.

And this where Dr. Vella is so right in reviewing the concept of neutrality, which is enshrined in our Constitution. In today’s scenario this has to be reviewed with out delay. It is no longer feasible or realistic. Malta requires a pact or pacts to be able to call on states with military prowess and clout to defend us. All these smokey ideas of neutrality and non-alignment, whatever that means any way, are outdated and “passe’”.

Can I know appeal to our Foreign Minister to move at the first Parliamentary sitting a Bill to amend our constitution and push a full, vibrant Parliamentary debate to amend the constitutional provisions regarding the outdated, anachronistic concept of neutrality?