Let us be clear from the off. Nothing should be taken away from young Gaia. Her performance in winning the Junior Eurovision song contest is a great achievement. As a young 11-year-old who took to the stage to beat all her competition, Gaia deserves all the plaudits, encouragement and praise that we can give her.

She is an extremely talented young girl, and we wish her well in her future endevours, whether they lie within the music scene, or elsewhere. She did Malta and herself proud and for that we congratulate her.

But, should someone who won a contest abroad be bestowed with a national honour? The decision raised many eyebrows, because there was confusion over which honour she was being give.  The Prime Minister first mentioned Gieh ir-Repubblika – Malta’s highest honour. But then, it turned out to be another (lesser) honour.  Let us give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the PM got the honours mixed up and said the name of one against the other. But even so, does this achievement deserve a national honour? We would have to say, in no uncertain terms, a flat no. It is all a question of priorities. What values do we want to promote in our society?

There are different types of honour. Some honours are given to people who act selflessly and impulsively in terms of pure courage, for example jumping into the sea to save people, foiling robberies and the like. There are other people who receive honours as groups, for the services they give our society, for example medical staff. There are others who are honoured because they have expanded our culture – writers, poets and their ilk.

There are others who are honoured for repeated selfless dedication to a cause. But seriously, we have to question where we are going with this. Are we going to honour singers for placing first, second or third in contests? Is this going to continue, every time someone gets a decent placing? If that is the argument, then we should also have to consider bestowing honours on sportsmen who get a medal in the Small Nations Games. Granted, if someone repeatedly shows dedication and success in their field, they should be given recognition, especially if they are improving Malta’s stock around the world.

We must again stress that we take nothing away from Gaia. We also take nothing away from other singers and bands that are registering success internationally, but we really should take stock of the situation and re-evaluate. There are plenty of Maltese who have pulled off some phenomenal feats, such as conquering Mount Everest, but they were not bestowed with an award or an honour. This was just a case of a young girl winning a contest. It also preys on our small island nation mentality, insomuch that if we ever win anything, we blow it completely out of proportion, much like when we pull off a victory in sports.

The sad thing is that while this is something that affects our national psyche, all too often we ignore the real heroes. There are sick children who still manage to smile and live life as best they can. Are they not heroes too? There are people who go about what they do offering help to others every say. Similarly, are they not heroes too? There are many heroes in our midst. But they are the quiet and unassuming types. It is up to us to honour them.