What, you may ask, could Bryan Adams, fisherman Ray Bugeja and arguably our greatest export, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja have in common? Why have I chosen them as our ABC of Maltese heroes in a week otherwise dominated by stories of demonstrations, ugly misunderstandings and the pettiest of corruptions emanating from public sector employees, as well as all those who paid to get their skippers license without doing the course, which makes us all feel so ashamed of how low too many of us can still go? (And will that list be published in the public interest? In our dreams.)
At least though these three men continue to make us feel good about being Maltese. When Bryan Adams last Thursday to a packed Luxol crowd, told us all he was a bit Maltese the crowd roared with approval and a bit of disbelief.
As one guy laughingly shouted out behind me, “No wonder he’s so good then!” And Bryan Adams delivered one hell of a good concert, alternating between songs described amusingly in my view as “mushy” by Herman Grech of The Times, to good rock numbers which got everyone, including those seated in the VIP seats up and clapping, dancing and in my case, much to my ears’ dismay, my neighbour let out these truly amazing wolf whistles of approval that pierced through everything else.
So slightly Maltese Bryan Adams was a great entertainer. He brought up young Claire from Zebbug to sing with him, again to the massive approval of the crowd. She told him she was a facilitator (which he didn’t understand) who knew all the words of his songs but couldn’t sing very well. She was undeterred though, lovely, and represented our young people beautifully with her sense of fun, her openness and her happy, uncomplicated face.
Later he surprised many of us by singing again on a small stage in the middle of the crowd. We went wild. Then it was the turn of a bevy of again natural Maltese beauties, thankfully none of whom were dressed in our usual boobs out and crotch delineated fashion, to dance and strut their stuff along to his music.
One a girl called Rebecca Camilleri with legs and a body to die for, danced like her life depended on it and apparently is a trained dancer so full credit to her for doing us proud too! The happiness of all the girls on stage dancing to Bryan Adams was so palpable you could reach out and feel it, as was the happiness of the crowd that really had a night to remember, besides the very nice and still lingering thought that this lovely guy has some Maltese genes too!
And then on Saturday we read that one Maltese fisherman, Raymond Bugeja did us all proud on the international scene when he apparently ignored an AFM order to take a boatload of migrants back to Libya, and insisted on bringing them to Malta where they will undoubtedly be safer and probably treated far better. I felt very proud reading his words in an interview.” When I told the army about my intentions, I was threatened with arrest. If I’m arrested then I’ll proudly say I’m a hero for saving people.” On his refusal to send people back to Libya he said further.
”Are they crazy? Do they want to give these people a slow death?”
I mean we do have a serious problem with irregular immigration. I’m not happy about it either. But so does everyone European country. Almost everywhere you go in Europe today you come across places that are now obviously home to many dispossessed Africans. A report in The Economist recently almost made fun of the fuss we are making, because actually, however much we talk about strict proportionality, we have tiny numbers here compared to our neighbours in Europe. Of course EU membership has partly made it worse for us because now migrants who come here are, if they are allowed to stay, actually able to become citizens of Europe whereas before they just had to make it to Italy to achieve anything.
Of course there are limits and more could be done, but we all really must not lose sight of the fact that everyone is an equal human being. I am not advocating total wishy washiness but I do get very fed up of people attacking the government on this one. Of having the Economist report with Josie Muscat’s’ words of bravado for all the international media and the world to witness – I was so embarrassed. Thank God for the perhaps less educated fisherman Raymond Bugeja, who showed us all some Maltese have some common sense and compassion. How could a doctor who has delivered so much life, who has tried so hard, and to his credit, to give Downs children and others equal rights, say the things he has been reported as saying? Many people, Nationalists are saying, won’t vote because they think the government isn’t taking a tough enough stand on this thorny issue, but like it or lump it, this government or any other cannot leave people to die at sea because they are black. And whoever we vote or don’t vote for, people will have to be rescued.
And last but by no means least we have Joseph Calleja to look forward to. Another Maltese hero, another good ambassador for our tiny country. Together with his beautiful wife, Tatiana Lisnic, they are set to wow many people in Mdina this weekend. Thinking about these Maltese heroes made me wonder whether on this irregular migration issue, the government could enlist their help to start telling us all that racism, and extreme racism is just not on. Let’s be thankful for how much we have. Let’s not pretend we are lily white ’cos we ain’t. Let the government use and get the help of our most popular personalities, Eileen Montesin, Rachel Vella, Peppi Azzopardi, Joseph Calleja, Bryan Adams(!) and others to do publicity spots to educate us and get us out of this stupidity we’re stuck in. Malta is part of the world after all, and we can’t expect ethnic cleansing to be practiced here, even though that is what we are talking about if we refuse a boatload of black people into our country and expect them to cling to tuna pens like animals. X’misthija…
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