The second place obtained by Maltese singer Chiara in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Kiev, Ukraine, last Saturday is an excellent result for the singer personally and for Malta as a country.

It betters the singer’s third placing obtained in 1998 and equals that of Ira Losco in 2002.

Whether Malta will ever win the contest is an issue that has gripped this Eurovision-mad country for several years. We have come close several times and, who knows, we might top the list one day although, we must admit, it will be a big financial headache to organise the contest here.

What is sure, however, is that the exposure Malta gets from the event, seen by millions across Europe, is perhaps better than any other marketing exercise undertaken by this country to promote itself.

The Eurovision might be snubbed by many as a second-rate song contest. Very few singers have emerged on the international scene directly from their participation and very few songs that were presented over the 50 years of the contest remain in our memory as international hits.

But the three minutes afforded to Malta – like all other participating nations – place the country in the limelight, not to mention the vast coverage given in the media in the weeks preceding the event.

Chiara’s performance was excellent on the night and certain clichés that often come up were washed away. Many claim that the Eurovision has turned into a show of dancing, that the song itself is not important, that the choreography plays an important role in the voters’ minds and that skimpily-dressed singers have a better chance.

Malta had none of this and, yet, we placed second. It goes to prove that Chiara’s talent, her marvellous voice and her great song were given great value by the viewers, right across Europe. Malta may have got only one 12-pointer, from Russia, but the fact that Chiara obtained votes from 31 of the 39 countries which voted showed that the song was well-liked by almost everyone.

She was alone on that big stage, alone with her voice, her personality and her song, Angel. There were no dancers to create a spectacle around her. But, as had happened in her first appearance in 1998, her performance was outstanding and she deservedly obtained a great result for herself and Malta.

The fact that Terry Wogan, the BBC correspondent who literally finds every defect in the evening’s songs and performances and cynically remarks on anything that he does not like, had nothing but words of praise for Chiara – and always said that voters knew what they were doing when Malta obtained a high vote – is a clear indication that her success was well-deserved.

That Chiara was the third on the list of singers was also a disadvantage, as usually people tend to remember the last songs when casting their vote. But her second place is another proof that her song was so good that it was “not forgotten” by the time that the voting took place more than an hour after she had sung it.

Naturally, Malta’s success gains an even bigger dimension when one considers our limited resources. OK, we do spend a lot of money to promote our representative but this is very little when compared to what other bigger countries can afford.

It is perhaps amazing that a country as small as Malta can get so much support across the board, especially when other major countries fared so badly. It is surprising, for example, that the four countries which have an automatic place every year, no matter how these perform, finished in the last four places with very few votes to their credit.

Once again, well done, Chiara.