For those who like I do, remember the launching of Air Malta and how during its first years of existence the project was run courageously and prudently, the company’s demise – long expected as it had been – gives rise to a deep sadness. Surely if wiser decisions had been taken over the years, such an end could have been avoided. The company’s history now much resembles that of Malta Drydocks.
All along, mistakes among which political ones, were committed. But the beginning of the end was triggered during the 1990’s when completely erroneous investment decisions were taken. Caught between clientelistic requirements and the lack of a firm leadership, personnel recruitment and management issues did not help matters.
Then during the first decade of this century, as economic circumstances in the tourism sector changed hugely, low cost flights to Malta were introduced without Air Malta being provided with any new way forward. In later years, even as it was hardpressed to satisfy EU rules, the company experienced “strategic jolts”, some of them senseless in scope, which contributed further to its downfall.
What during the first half of Air Malta’s existence was successfully initiated and implemented, got totally dismantled during its second half.
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“UPSTAIRS”
I do not like at all the attitudes adopted by officials and executives who while holding a position of responsibiltiy, await to first receive instructions from “upstairs” instead of taking directly the required decisions. This does not always happen in response to some reflex of idleness but actually due to fear at having to decide about something. For in fact then, faced with a lengthy and difficult task that however requires no decisions, that same person would fully and diligently attend to the job.
The problem arises in the public setor but not only.
However it could be too that in our culture, “upstairs” one finds little appetite to let decisions be taken “downstairs”. It may be the case that the delegation of duties and tasks is not always so popular among the leaders of Maltese organizations.
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ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
The latest terrible developments in the ongoing tragedy between Israel and Palestine will very likely not be the last in this horrendous story that seems to be unending. Atrocities and blood splattered killings have been taking place and will provoke in their wake more of the same.
According to the views of this or that outsider, condemnations of this and that side will proliferate. Facts will be distorted by propaganda exercises and religious invocations, as if the facts in and by themselves were not already sufficiently complex and inflammatory.
As I see it, for as long as the Palestinian people are not given an opening towards a way of life that they consider to be just and that is really like so, Israel’s security can never be guaranteed. It was a mistake when with time, the objective of finding a solution to the ever-lasting crisis with the establishment of “two” states in Palestine was abandoned. The prospect that a solution could be arrived at simply by getting Israel to have friendly diplomatic relations with Arab countries is in my view illusory.