Who does this paper, The Malta Independent on Sunday, think it is? And who does this writer, yours truly, think he is – to contest the conclusions of the high and mighty?
I am referring to the letter by Professor Frans Ciappara that appears in today’s paper. (See page 21)
A solemn launch, has been held at the Auberge de Castile, the seat of power in this country, with the participation of two Prime Ministers – one a former PM and the other the current one, chaired by a Professor of History at the University, attended by the Minister for Education (who has also contributed an article on the subject. And a former President of the Republic has been called in to contribute an article as a book review, couched in lofty concepts and words.
They all concluded that GianNicolo Muscat, who rose from rags to riches under the Order of St John and who, hitherto, had not been much acclaimed in Maltese history, was an unsung Maltese hero because he dared to stand up to the Pope.
And then comes along Judge Giovanni Bonello who, writing in a history review, dared question all this received wisdom and concluded that, far from being a hero, Muscat was a corrupt scoundrel who amassed huge riches, brown-nosed his way up and trimmed his sails according to the prevalent winds.
And from being a ‘Minister’ under the Grand Master, emerged as one of the leading citizens under the French, so much so that he signed the surrender of the Order on behalf of Napoleon and then somehow cosied up to the new British rulers and enjoyed his position (and riches) until he died, a cantankerous, avid and sad person.
Tahttlietsaltniet, indeed.
So who is right? The learned Professor or the Judge?
The Judge is not new to such iconoclastic blasts. Just a few years back he wrote a caustic article about Bishop Francesco Saverio Caruana, who the Zebbugin consider to be their own hero, and who lived at around the same time (tahttlietsaltniet) as GioNicolo Muscat, who morphed from an army general fighting the French from Tas-Samra Hill in Hamrun to Rector of the University and then to Bishop of Malta.
That’s the received wisdom but, according to the Judge – who quoted from a contemporary source, Caruana was a lecher who sent his soldiers fighting while he enjoyed the soldiers’ wives.
Two hundred and more years since all this happened, there are still people in Malta who are related to the bishop (including the mother of a very prominent person) and they got together and sued the Judge but the court ruled that dead people cannot sue for libel and threw out the case.
Airing such iconoclastic barbs is a boon to journalism, cutting through the pious verbiage of the received wisdom, which, like the annual Giehir-Republika awards, thinks everybody is pious, honest and worthy of admiration.
And speaking of iconoclasts, what about Franco Debono, who wrote a riveting article entitled Starting 2019 on the wrong foot? You would not find me praising Franco Debono in any of my past articles but I do praise him at least for this one.
In it he railed against L-Istrina: “For now that grotesque oversized cheques have been glamorously presented with clownish fanfare thus destroying the very intrinsic essence of charity, solidarity, generosity and altruism, in the yearly drama splashed on all TV stations and we have been declared by none other than the President of the Republic (of Paqpaqli catastrophe fame) as the most generous and altruistic people on Earth, we can now comfortably afford to go back to each others’ throats in a year of insults, hate, threats and incessant fighting (not to mention the occasional murder), in what is probably, considering its small size, one of the most highly politically polarised places on Earth.”
He then says: “2019 should be the year when the new President of the Republic gives much more attention and energy to his/her constitutional roles rather than to fundraising. 2019 should be the year when this country sheds its blinkers and awakens from its coma and rediscovers the real meaning of solidarity and charity – the exact opposite of the glamorous L-Istrina show featuring gigantic cheques ensuring all the world sees. Solidarity, charity and altruism are the complete opposite of the L-Istrina drama. They may be other things but surely NOT altruism or a genuine sense of charity which always meant giving without mentioning let alone advertising.”
And then, as if to prove him right, we had the charade on Friday of three gorgeously-dressed Magi coming through the MIA arrivals’ lounge while outside at sea, 42 miserable beings, including three children, have been waiting on storm-tossed waters for someone to take them in, as highlighted by this paper’s sister daily front page yesterday.
Our society does need iconoclasts badly, while remembering that the best iconoclast of them all ended up in pieces in a Bidnija field some months ago.
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