The right and duty to legislate for one’s country is vested in a democratically elected government. However, with regard to the question of divorce this government is acting in a hypocritical way because it accepts divorce obtained overseas but denies this same right to its citizens in their own home country. Yes, this is nothing but hypocrisy.

Now, the present government says it has no electoral mandate to legislate in favour of divorce, so it decided to resort to a referendum. Therefore, to my mind, this referendum is not being held so that the government knows the people’s opinion on the matter but to obtain a mandate either for or against the introduction of divorce in Malta.

I am against divorce, but when I go to vote I am not going there simply to express my negative opinion, but to tell the government: Hey! Mr Government! Please stop being a hypocrite and discriminating between those who can obtain a divorce overseas and those citizens who are denied to obtain this right in their own native country!

So I will be voting in favour of the introduction of divorce in Malta. Though I am not in favour of divorce, I cannot stick to my egoistic ideals in such a way as to deny this right even to one single individual who is entitled to it.

Some people are saying that those who vote yes will commit a mortal sin. This is simply not true. Mortal sin will be committed by those who, for their own egoistic purposes, want to impose their opinion on other people and who will try to deny this civil right to those who are entitled to it. Christ had never imposed anything on anybody, so much so that he told his Apostles: “And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town” (Matthew, 10:14). He did not tell them to torture people and burn them at the stake as was done by the ‘Holy’ Inquisition.

Civil marriage was introduced in Malta on the quiet, without any fuss and without squandering public money on referenda. So, let us put an end to this question once and for all so that it will never crop up again in the future. There are more serious problems to deal with.

Anton F. Attard

VICTORIA