Spoilt for choice, I have decided to briefly touch upon four issues meriting a comment. The National Commission for Persons with a Disability was instrumental to help our society to give more value to the capabilities rather than the disabilities in people. Today we can look back and celebrate the long strides forward our society has made. Indeed, it was not plain sailing. It was the hard work of many dedicated people who has pushed persistently for these changes. The negative perceptions which were well engrained in our culture and in our mind-set changed substantially. No doubt there is still room for improvements. During the past fifty years people with disabilities rightly so became equal and can enjoy the same rights and opportunities like all other citizens.  Society realised the great potential of disabled persons and when trained and guided they can contribute to improve their well-being and society also. This was a significant change and should encourage the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to push for more.

Like many my age may recall, persons with disabilities were not allowed to go out from their parent’s home and when they did they were eyed, laughed at and at times hassled. I remember a time when a group of youths regularly encouraged a disabled person to knock down street traffic signs for a penny or a cigarette. This occurred many times after school hours.  I am certain others can recount more unfortunate incidents of this sort. Thankfully, this has all changed, but let me not be misunderstood, more needs to be done. 

While on many fronts people with disabilities have achieved what was theirs in the first place it would be right at the beginning of this new legislature for the responsible incumbents for local councils and people with disabilities to jointly look at some of our pavements in various localities.  The chauffeur driven incumbents will soon get too busy and will not have time to walk in streets with the sole purpose to appreciate and understand the hardship bad workmanship and wrongly designed pavements can cause to people.  Such an issue which may be perceived as trivial and small remain to be addressed.

Whereas there is an overall improvement in the construction of pavements in various localities in others this leaves much to be desired.  Only a walk will lead one to realise the poor level of accessibility people with disability have to use many pavements.  Very steep short ramps, broken slippery tiles, disjointed pavement cords, broken drainage inspection box covers together with garages concrete ramps on pavements are all obstructions to our disabled, elderly and the rest of our society. It seems that pavements repairs do not rank high on most of the local councils’ agenda either.  A collective co-ordinated effort should be made to address this issue. An accessibility locality challenge amongst local councils should engage them into taking corrective actions.     

Brazil World Cup 2014

The World Cup final matches are now a reality Italy and England were drawn in the same group along with Uruguay and Costa Rica. Italy will face England on Sunday 15th June. The newly announced kick-off time will push players to their limits in Brazil’s very high humid temperatures.  Undoubtedly local football enthusiasts’ particularly those supporting England or Italy will miss a heart-beat or two during this match.

Together with many other England supporters I have been waiting for far too long to watch our favourite team crowned world champions.  In 1966 I wonder whether my parents had a television set at home when England won the World Cup title but can recall the 70’s World Cup final in which Brazil trounced Italy 4-1. Earlier on that day my mother had prepared home-made biscuits. Indeed pleasant memories of my parents and my brothers at home.    

My old Union Jack flag has for many years been neatly ironed and placed at the bottom of the drawer. The Union Jack is in desperate need to gasp fresh air away from the smell of moth-balls placed at the bottom of my drawer. Whether this wish will become a reality or not is too early to comment but may the best team win.

President Nelson Mandela

This will not do justice to the enormous achievements he has mastered for his people and humanity. Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner, a President and a great world leader has passed away. He has successfully fought apartheid for many decades.  He has gained admiration for his perseverance and constant pressure to give coloured people rights equal to whites in their own country and elsewhere.  Coloured people were treated as second class citizens in their own country. He will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of the world and an inspiration to many other leaders in various societies including ours. President Mandela will join the list of successful world leaders of our times. We will not find his statue in our churches, as President Mandela may not qualify for sainthood but he has certainly achieved abundantly for humanity. He has served a world-wide purpose. 

The IIP

The PN leadership team able led by Simon Busuttil made it very clear from the onset - The Individual Investors Programme IIP as proposed by Government was not acceptable to the Opposition. Many organizations followed and expressed their concerns.   Two weeks ago from these pages I have also strongly appealed to Government to go back to the drawing board with his proposal to sell our citizenship and re-draft his proposal.  I have also encouraged Government that going back to the drawing board would not be a sign of weakness but on the contrary it would be a signal of willingness not to move against people’s will. 

In this sense it was brave of our Finance Minister Edward Scicluna to publicly admit that his Government has made a mistake. Before launching the Individual Investor Programme Government should have sought agreement with the Party in Opposition and other interested parties.  Admitting a mistake of this magnitude while addressing the European Parliament’s Econ Committee says more than one can imagine. 

The embarrassment and friction this statement has stirred within Government has to be seen in the coming weeks and months.  While to a large extent it is acceptable in a democracy to allow for domestic politics to take various twists and casts different shades on either side it should be unacceptable to all,holding a Maltese passport to allow Malta to earn world-wide negative publicity because our Government has decided to do things his way.

To restore Malta’s credibility if not Government, the Minister responsible for this mess should be held accountable and allowed to make way for the sake of the nation. This should send a strong signal to all international media houses and interested parties that Malta is not for sale.  

[email protected]