Mark Montebello's blog

Xahar ilu, fit-18 ta’ Marzu, Sean Hodgson gie mehlus mill-habs wara 27 sena msakkar ghalxejn. Minghajr dell ta’ dubju, il-Qorti Rjali ta’ Londra sabitu innocenti mir-reat ta’ qtil li kien gie akkuzat bih u misjub hati tieghu. Il-Gustizzja kienet qaflitu l-habs ta’ 30 sena u, wara battalja harxa kontriha, saflahhar hargitu hieles ta’ 57 sena. Bhal hafna ohrajn qablu, irrovinatlu hajtu ghal kollox. Il-fatti Il-kaz tragiku ta’ Hodgson imur lura ghal Dicembru tal-1979, meta f’Southampton, l-Ingilterra, l-imsejkna Teresa De Simone, tfajla ta’ 22 sena, instabet fil-karozza taghha stuprata u maqtula. Il-pulizija kienu interrogaw mijiet ta’ suspettati minghajr ma sabu tarf ta’ xejn. Sean Hodgson kien wiehed minn dawn l-isuspettati u saret pressjoni qawwija mill-pulizija sabiex jammetti li ’l De Simone qatilha hu. Fl-ahhar, f’Dicembru tal-1980, waqt li kien il-habs fuq serq, minn hawn u minn hemm Hodgson ammetta u, fi Frar tal-1982, gie misjub hati u kkundannat ghal ghomru l-habs. Is-sena...

Nhar il-Gimgha, 24 tax-xahar, nixtieq nistiednek ghal serata ckejkna li fiha se nohrog ghall-pubbliku ktieb gdid bl-isem 20th Century Philosophy in Malta . Bhalma jindika l-isem, il-ktieb jittratta l-istorja tal-filosofija f’Malta tul is-seklu 20. Is-serata se ssir fil-Lukanda Osborne, Triq Nofsinhar, il-Belt, fis-6.30 ta’ filghaxija. Tahrig ta’ djalogu F’din is-serata, se jitkellmu l-Professur Peter Serracino Inglott, Dr Mario Vella u Michael Grech, tliet filosfi li jiena ghandi stima kbira lejhom u nqis bhala hbieb tieghi. Barra dawn id-diskorsi, ikun hemm ukoll l-opportunità li inti wkoll tesprimi l-fehma tieghek fid-diskussjoni li ssir. Il-ktieb il-gdid qed jigi ppubblikat minn Agius & Agius Books, ta’ Triq il-Kbira San Guzepp, Hamrun. Ghaldaqstant, minn hawnhekk nixtieq pubblikament nirringrazzja lill-proprjetarju, Bastjan Agius, li accetta bil-qalb u bil-ferh li jippubblikali dan ix-xoghol gdid tieghi. Din is-serata ghandha tkun wahda semplici u sabiha li fiha ghandu ...

Darba wahda, wiehed raghaj jismu Gige kien qieghed jirgha l-merhla tieghu. Fil-jiem ta’ qabel, kienet ghamlet hafna xita u sar ukoll terrimot. Waqt li kien qed jirgha, Gige ra li t-terrimot kien fetah fondoq fejn is-soltu kien jiehu l-merhla tieghu. Gietu l-kurzità u nizel gol-fondoq. Hemmhekk sab speci ta’ ghamla ta’ ziemel tal-bronz b’bibien ckejkna go fih. Meta fetah il-bibien, ra skeletru ta’ bniedem li mal-ghadam ta’ jdejh kellu brazzuletta tad-deheb. Ghalhekk Gige qabad u ha l-brazzuletta u lebbet ’l hemm. Ftit taz-zmien wara, ir-rghajja kellhom il-laqgha tas-soltu taghhom biex flimkien ihejju rapport ghas-sultan dwar il-merhliet taghhom. Gige mar ukoll, liebes il-brazzuletta li kien sab. Waqt li kien qieghed ghal-laqgha, fettillu joqghod iteftef fil-brazzuletta. Hekk kif dawwarha lejn il-polz, Gige ma deherx aktar. Ra li r-rghajja bdew jitkellmu dwar bhallikieku ma kienx hemm. Huwa staghgeb bil-kbir. Minnufih rega’ beda jteftef fil-brazzuletta u, hekk kif dawwarha lejn wicc idej...

Ghal darba, il-muntanja ma welldetx gurdien. Konna nistghu nghidu li welldet gurdien li kieku, wara hafna xhur ta’ stennija, ir-rizultati tal-bicca xoghol li kienet qed issir kienu fjakki jew sempliciment bzar fl-ghajnejn. Imma din id-darba ma kienx hekk. L-inkjesta li saret il-habs bejn Awwissu tas-sena li ghaddiet u Marzu ta’ din is-sena tat rizultati tassew sodisfacenti. Inkjesta fil-habs L-inkjesta kienet giet imsejha mill-Ministru tal-Gustizzja u l-Intern, Dr Carm Mifsud Bonnici, fi tmiem Awissu tas-sena li ghaddiet wara r-rizenja tad-direttur tal-habs, is-Supretendent Sandro Gatt. Dan irrizenja wara li nqala kaz ta’ harba u allegat swat ta’ prigunier Olandiz. Ghaldaqstant, il-Ministru sejjah inkjesta mmexxija mill-Assistent Kummissarju u eks-direttur tal-habs, Emanuel Cassar. Il-bord tal-inkjesta kienet iffurmata minn tlieta minn nies li baqghu jahdmu fuq dak li tqabbdu jaghmlu ghal seba’ xhur shah, minn Awwissu tas-sena li ghaddiet sa Marzu ta’ din is-sena. Fuq l-esperjenz...

The Catholic Church in Malta missed the boat. More than once. And it still cannot come to grips with reality. In the recent past―say, a sixty years ago―it failed to gauge correctly the change coming over the Maltese people. This was influenced both by internal factors as well as European factors. Then, in the eighties and nineties, it also failed to relate adequately to new social and economic conditions. Now, though trying to make the best of its dreary situation, it apparently still cannot understand in what ways it inexorably keeps loosing ground. Change factors The factors that shifted the ground upon which the local Catholic Church stood, and sometimes pulled the carpet from under its feet, are many and varied. First of all, since the end of World War II there had been an economic development that changed people’s minds. On the one hand, this gave most Western-modelled people a prosperity that made them delight in their material wealth (and be less religiously-minded). On the ...

Ftit aktar minn gimghatejn ilu, inqatghet il-kawza kriminali kontra sitt zghazagh li fil-karnival tan-Nadur speci ta’ libsu ta’ sorijiet. Ftit qabel, kienet inqatghet ukoll il-kawza kontra zaghzugh iehor li speci ta’ libes ta’ Kristu rxoxt. Ta’ l-ewwel, gew illiberati; tat-tieni, gie misjub hati. Imma apparti dawn il-manifestazzjonijiet gudizzjarji, x’sinifikat jista’ jkollha din l-istorja kollha? Is-sens tar-ridikulu Naturalment, in-nies mhux fil-karnival tan-Nadur biss jilbsu ta’ Kristu jew ta’ sorijiet. Il-problema mhijiex ta’ lbies, imma x’messagg ikun irid jitwassal b’dak l-ilbies. Hafna dehrilhom li fin-Nadur l-impersonaturi kellhom l-intenzjoni li jirridikulaw lil Kristu jew lir-religjon nisranija, u aktarx kellhom ragun. Imma li jhassibni mhuwiex dan daqskemm ghamliet ohra, forsi anqas ovvji, li jirridikulaw daqs tan-Nadur lil Kristu jew ir-religjon nisranija, imma li ma jqajjmu l-indinjazzjoni ta’ hadd. Il-hafna manifestazzjonjiet religjuzi kulturali, nghidu ahna, forsi ...