The title of Mr C. Galea’s letter – We are poor, not our language, (TMID, 3 October) was spot on and it gives much food for thought. There is only one point where one might disagree with Mr Galea; a language is not made by language experts or in universities; it is made by the people who speak it and use it. Sadly, there are too few positive influences which favour a flourishing of our language in our country.

The crux of the matter is that (as Mr Galea says) there is no money to be made through culture and our language is destined to become debased, both through national avarice and neglect.

Unfortunately, our country is in the hands of cultural goons (for which, read politicians).

Our government readily allotted close to Lm50,000 in support of the Eurovision Song Contest but saw no problem in shutting down Malta’s only cultural radio programme, Radju Bronja, some time ago in order to save a little money.

This kind of attitude leaves Malta exposed to culturally negative influences. Gone are the wonderful, carefully compiled cultural talks, in exquisite Maltese, about music, art and literature as were enjoyed on this most exceptional and excellent Maltese radio channel, Radju Bronja. Shutting down this station was cultural vandalism of the first order; it deprived Malta access to the only remaining easily accessible source of beautifully composed Maltese. Decent cultural programmes in the local media are now so rare as to be non-existent.

In addition to the stinginess of our government towards encouraging culture and talent, there is also the extreme commercial pressure exerted on youngsters by entrepreneurs who are out to make a fast buck at our youths’ expense.

Malta’s collective mentality is now in the hands of rapacious business entrepreneurs who cash in on the cultivation of an attitude that enjoyment of life is a matter of getting high on alcohol (or worse) and extreme stimulation from loud noise and other excesses. Thus, our youngsters grow up largely in an all-pervasive atmosphere of hedonism and disco culture.

One cannot possibly expect our national language to flourish under the current circumstances in Malta where the attitude is one of profit over sustainability at all costs – with a government that is only interested in sponsoring high profile kitsch. As a consequence of the foregoing, our Maltese youth grow up without exposure to, or even awareness of, wholesome cultural influences. To our youngsters the concept of “culture” does not extend beyond the continuous stream of junk music spewed out by countless radio stations to the accompaniment of a racy DJ patter in a mish-mash of English and Maltese and the disco way of life.

Besides the pernicious effect on our beautiful language, the prevailing attitude of money before all else is destroying our countryside, our architecture and our heritage. Soon Malta will not be a place worth living in. It will also be inhabited by people who have forgotten how to express themselves articulately in any language – apart from when they are talking about money.

G. Debono

Sliema