I am not referring to the excellent film depicting the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The “rush” I have in mind is the perennial state this government seems to be in. It is the thread that joins together a number of initiatives taken by the Labour administration.

The latest rushed affair is the introduction of co-ed in public secondary schools. Barely four months into the pilot project initiated last October, the government has already announced that this system will be spread to all schools next October and a middle school will also be introduced. I have to say it from the outset that I am not against co-ed in principle. I agreed that it should have been introduced as a pilot project. This possibility had been studied for some time so introducing it in this way made sense. After all, the National School of Sport, introduced by a Nationalist administration was also based on a mixed sexes system

However, as the Malta Union of Teachers rightly pointed out, in such a short period one cannot the success or otherwise of such a change which not entails a change in the physical aspects of schools but also in the mentality and culture that have to go with such a change. As the union that represents teachers the MUT did well to raise this issue since the teachers are the ones who will ultimately face the music especially if problems are encountered as a result of this government’s lack of sensitivity. The same students could also suffer if things are not done in the right way. As an official of the MUT pointed out, such a rushed spread of this system might lead to a lack of proportion of the sexes in some schools with the consequences that might go with it.

There is still time for the government to revise such a decision and to first ensure that it has the necessary feedback and data on which to base this decision. I wonder what the opinion of seasoned education experts with whom Minister Bartolo is surrounded think about this issue. I am sure that if they had to be true to themselves they would caution the Minister, who after all I am sure, has the interest of the students at heart.

Blush

Watching one MEP after the other speaking against the sale of the EU passport by the Maltese government, made me, as a Maltese citizen, blush. It also made me angry at the way this government bulldozed its way, ignoring the rational voices that tried to stop it. Prime Minister Muscat had every opportunity to change course and propose an alternative to the IIP scheme which is not based on the sale of citizenship but on a real contribution to the island by those who join the scheme. He chose to ignore everyone and do what he set out to do, selling our passport to the rich of the world as if our country was a prostitute ready to sell her body to make easy money. Will he now ignore the European Parliament vote on this resolution approved by 89% of all members and by 90% of the Socialist Party to which our Labour Party belongs?

Shame on Muscat. Shame on his party. To add insult to injury, he and his gang had the guts to portray the Leader of the Opposition, the Nationalist MEPs and those who spoke against the scheme as some kind of traitors. It’s old Labour all over again. I would say that the present government is worse than its predecessors. At least Mintoff might have been guided by the slogan “Malta l-Ewwel u Qabel Kollox”. Muscat convinces me that his government’s guiding principle is “Everyone and everything can be bought”. I wonder what will have happened to our little island by the time these people are given the boot by the electorate.

Charl? Bonnici is Opposition spokesperson for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change