It was sensible, on the part of Joseph Muscat, the newly-elected leader of the Malta Labour Party, to raise the divorce issue immediately at the outset of what Alpha, my party, augurs will be a long reign under Joseph I. He has age and charisma in his favour, two equally colourful deputy leaders in Anglu and Toni, and no doubt Dr Muscat is going to find a lot of support given to him to restructure the dishevelled party that has been now entrusted to him. A hearty good luck.

Divorce in Malta is already legal as many are aware. Our then historic 1975 Marriage Act made this a possibility. It was only the egotistical manipulation of an institution that prevented the ultimate political decision to furthermore introduce legally-enforceable divorce proceedings in my country. We do not require any new legislation to formally and legally introduce divorce in Malta by way of a legal remedy to the thousands of Maltese marriages that have gone on the rocks, causing the chaos in our social life that has ensued through ever-increasing cohabitations, children born out of a relationship not in wedlock, single mothers, ever-rising separations whether by court judgement, consensual contract, or simply as a matter of fact, and the nonchalance attitude taken by our younger generations towards a relationship not aimed at a marriage.

The instability that has been created in my country can be attested to by, among others, the Department of Social Services in its various sections, such as single mothers` assistance, children’s allowance and other benefits that emanate from the DSS at the taxpayers’ expense with nationwide abuses which the department, through its investigative bureau tries to control but only succeeds in a number of cases through lack of infrastructural resources.

The Housing Authority is another department that has to bear the brunt of this preoccupying social situation caused by the non-introduction of legally-enforceable divorce and the non-recognition of the state relating to the thousands of cohabiting couples and partners who are for the eyes of the law residing at separate addresses. The list is literally endless, but the point is that to appease the whims of an institution whose significance among us has long now been lost, our cowardly politicians have unnecessarily burdened our country and its taxpayers.

So, dear Joseph, while my party will promise you all its support on this and other equally relevant social matters, you do not have to await until you become Prime Minister because that will be interpreted as a sign of weakness on you personally when weakness must not now be anywhere near to you. Act now, with immediate effect, while you have the backing of your party and others who no doubt will return to the fold or join up only on the assurance that you will tackle the enemy among us, an enemy which is well-known even if it carries the olive branch all along.

Malta is a free, sovereign and independent country... anything that shackles that inference must be eliminated. In this respect all we need to do is amend by a simple majority our Marriage Act exactly as by a mere majority had occurred in that infamous legal amendment of 1 March, 1995.

Emmy Bezzina

Alpha Liberal Democratic Party