So Daphne has produced one of her typical “gems” in her opinion, Another bright idea (TMID, 6 September). This time it is a Cubic Zirconium – a lovely gem, but fake.

She went to great lengths to criticise the Justice Ministry for proposing a Lm10,000 payment to victims of violent crimes. She accused the government of assuming the role of insurer by compensating a victim of violent crime.

Now let us suppose that a wage earner gets hit on the head by a thug. He or she is unable to work for a year or two so their income disappears. What remedy will be available to that person? Surely he or she would qualify for unemployment relief or some other help during the period of incapacity. But then who pays? Either way the taxpayer pays because as Daphne put it, “the government does not have any money of its own.”

Persons with the propensity to commit violent crimes are members of the same society Daphne belongs to and although the general public cannot be held responsible for the violent act, it has at least a minimum responsibility to help the innocent victim of such heinous crimes.

It is ironic that when disaster strikes elsewhere, Malta is always in the forefront offering all kinds of financial and material aid to individuals unknown to the generous public but Daphne expects the Maltese public to look the other way when one of its own meets the biggest disasters that could befall him in way of personal injury at the hands of a thug.

She then goes on to explain the difference between the “state” and the “government”. Excuse me, but who runs the affairs of the state?

Daphne would have been wiser to ask the what and how one would qualify for the compensation. How grievous the injuries suffered through crime have to be before the compensation issue kicks in.

It was naive of her to assume that having personal property stolen is almost at the same level of having one’s head busted. The trauma of losing personal items is nowhere comparable to being maimed for life. No, it is not normal for a person to have insurance to compensate in case of injury by a criminal. Luckily in Malta, such criminal events are rare. On the other hand, in today’s society wherever that may be, it is almost unthinkable not having insurance against the loss of property in the hands of petty thieves.

Like any other writer, Daphne sometimes makes a very interesting read but I often wonder why her articles are so boringly long. I suspect that she gets remunerated based on the length of her articles.

Joe Martinelli

London, Ontario