Many moons ago, when the then government was devoting a substantial part of its diplomatic initiatives to push for a greater unity among Mediterranean countries, I wrote an article in the “Malta Year Book” to back this effort. However I also pointed out that the life experience of the Maltese people had been cut off from the Mediterranean situation in which it found itself “placed”.
Another problem was that on the basis of its own history, the Mediterranean had become divided in ways that could not be easily bridged. On paper, the interests of north and south would seem to be complementary. In reality, they are not. Besides, between their governing institutions there had not been much convergence, nor is there today. As a result, it has been difficult to set up directions for longterm cooperation that are truly effective.
This is not an argument in favour of the claim that the effort to bring Mediterranean peoples closer together should be abandoned. It is one that emphasizes the point that if the division that exists in the Med is going to be overcome, we will need new methods for cooperation that are based on a realistic assessment of actual and inherited difficulties.
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Coherence
Critical comments are not necessarily destructive or malicious. Frequently genuine criticism can be of huge value. This is how the homily/sermon/speech that Gozo bishop Mario Grech was reported to have delivered struck me. Its subject was about how in this country we receive the people who visit us from abroad. If I understood his meaning well, the bishop stressed the incoherence in the way by which we relate to them.
--There are those who arrive in their “millions” as tourists for short stays. We welcome them for the cash they leave during their visit.
--There are those to whom we give citizenship because they bring to the island a million or two and stack them here. We welcome them.
--There are the boat people who arrive from Africa. When these manage to survive drowning, we still wouldn’t want them around and shoo them away.
--There are the thousands of foreign workers that according to official projections, we will need here to keep the economy running. We do our best to facilitate their arrival and stay.
We need to maintain some coherence between these probably contradictory lines of “development”. If I understood well what the Gozo bishop said, beyond criteria of an economic and social sort, we also need to maintain a moral coherence. I agree.
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Jobs in culture
I mentioned it before on other occasions, but in the face of the increase that continues of new jobs in the cultural sector, two remarks remain relevant. The employment that is being created is most useful for it serves to renew creativity in our society, promote an awareness of what other peoples have experienced, and improve the quality of life of our citizens.
However many of the jobs concerned are financed by the state. This country is too small to carry so many artists and cultural activists needing to make a living on the basis of the sales of their output. It would be wise therefore to make provision as of now, for what should be done in case a financial downturn occurs. One would hope that such an eventuality will not happen and strive to ensure it does not. But it would be a good thing if we are well prepared to contain it, whether it happens or not.