Mark Montebello's blog

Ghad jigi zmien, nehber jien, li l-partiti politici jispiccaw. Is-sistema tallum, imwaqqfa f’pajjizna mal-mitt sena ilu, ghad tilhaq livelli hekk assurdi ta’ redikulagni li l-kunsent generali jkun li, saflahhar, il-partiggjanizmu jitnehha min-nofs, u titnieda sistema differenti ghal kollox li tkun hafna aktar xierqa u sana. Rizultati evidenti X’hadna bil-partiti politici kulhadd jaf. Kollox, kull qasam tal-hajja taghna, inghata l-lewn ahmar jew blu. Xi kultant l-ilwien ikunu kkargati; xi kultant dghajfa; izda huma dejjem hemm. Il-kontaminazzjoni taghhom infirxet bil-mod il-mod u ghajbet kull haga li misset jew ma missetx maghha. Kollox huwa b’xi mod jew iehor imdakkar mill-ilwien tas-sahta partiggjana. Ir-rizultat huwa evidenti: immaturità politika li tbikki; immaturità li turi ruhha f’irresponsabbiltà ta’ kull tip u fuq kull livell. Il-partiggjanizmu gabna nghixu qaghda ta’ tfulija permanenti fejn il-kappriccozità f’isem partit jew iehor jezonora lilu nnifsu milli jweggah id-d...

Min jipprotegi l-industrija tad-droga huwa gravament hati quddiem is-socjetà u quddiem Alla tal-hsara bla qies li qieghed jaghmel f’pajjizna. Mhuwiex hati bhalu jew daqsu l-‘junkie’; u mhuwiex hati bhalu jew daqsu t-traffikant. Il-htija shiha taqa’ fuq il-protettur; li qieghed jaghmel possibbli l-hsara kollha li qieghda ssir. Atti kundannabbli Din il-gimgha li ghaddiet kellna, bhal kull gimgha ohra, u bhalma bla dubju se jkollna l-gimgha li gejja, kazijiet ohra li fihom persuni presumibbilment ‘junkies’ jidhlu fuq in-nies tal-affari taghhom u jippruvaw jisirquhom. Dan aktarx jaghmluh halli jsostnu l-vizzju terribbli u ikrah tad-dipendenza taghhom fuq id-droga. Huwa naturali li kulmin jisma’ b’dawn il-kazijiet juri indinjazzjoni qawwija ghal atti bhal dawn u jaqsam kliem ta’ stmerrija ma’ ohrajn. Ghal ftit jiem, xi gurnalisti jisthnu fuq l-ahbarijiet ta’ dawn l-atti, imbaghad jibirdilhom. Maghhom, xi politiku ’l hemm u ’l hawn icaqcaq ilsienu halli jkun qal xi haga. Dan kollu ...

Min ghandu xi ghamla ta’ responsabbiltà fuq haddiehor―jigifieri min ghandu xi rabta ta’ fedeltà lejn l-istituzzjoni li jirrapprezenta―hemm zewg suriet ta’ popolarità li aktarx jista’ jfittex fost dawk li jigu tahtu: wahda hi dik li jaghmel affarijiet li jkunu joghgbuhom; l-ohra hi dik li ma jaghmel xejn li ma joghgobhomx. Hila u sengha Dawn iz-zewg suriet ta’ popolarizmu, it-tnejn jonqsu minn dik li tissejjah ‘tmexxija’. Meta wiehed imexxi lil haddiehor, aktarx ghandu d-dmir li jaghti gwida u direzzjoni lil dawk li hu jmexxi. Hu mistenni li jkun hu li juri l-aktar inizzjattiva, u mhux dejjem joqghod jistenna lil haddiehor li jindikalu x’irid jaghmel. Hafna mexxejja bla sinsla dan ma jaghmluhx. Ghaldaqstant, ftit jistghu jissejhu ‘mexxejja’, ghax fil-fatt imexxihom haddiehor, flok imexxi hu lilhom. Il-hatra nnifisha ta’ persuna ghal ufficju ta’ tmexxija ma taghmilx mexxej minn dik il-persuna. Kull tmexxija tehtieg hila u sengha: hila ta’ bniedem li ghandu l-immaginazzjoni u l-fi...

Il-film ta’ Pierre Ellul, DEAR DOM (cinimatografija ta’ Paul u John Preca Trapani), huwa pprezentat bhala ittra miftuha lill-Perit Dom Mintoff; ittra ta’ Malti li, minkejja li ma jidhirx li ghex il-hamsin sena tal-karriera politika ta’ Mintoff, ghallanqas interessa ruhu li jfittex dwarha. Gest ammirevoli fih innifsu. Izda r-rizultat ahhari ta’ dan l-isforz apprezzabbli huwa wiehed superficjali, banali u, fl-ahhar mill-ahhar, profondament insolenti. L-aghar haga – u l-aktar inkwetanti – hi li, bhalma nobsor, il-produtturi jidhru li huma genwinament konvinti li ghamlu bicca xoghol tajba. Superficjali Ebda rakkont tal-grajja storika ma tista’ qatt tkun nieqsa mill-interpretazzjoni suggettiva ta’ min jghidha. Dan huwa minn ewl id-dinja. Izda dan il-film f’ebda hin ma jaghti l-icken hjiel li tassew jaghraf il-kumplessit à bla qjies li minnha hi maghmula kull storja. Dak li sehh, mhux biss seta' , imma fil-fatt kellu , hafna u hafna kawzi jahdmu flimkien f’hin wiehed. Il-film supe...

Pierre Ellul’s film, DEAR DOM (cinematography of Paul and John Preca Trapani) is presented as an open letter to Dom Mintoff; a letter, apparently, by a Maltese who, though having no personal experience of Mintoff’s fifty-year political career, at least sought to learn and share something about it. In itself, considering the widespread disinterest of many young people towards Malta’s history, this is admirable. Nevertheless, the end result of this commendable effort is, regrettably, superficial, banal, and profoundly insolent. Yet the worse thing – and the most worrying – is that, as I deduce, the producers genuinely believe that they made a good job. Of course, no historical narrative can ever fail to be a subjective interpretation. This is understandable. However, in this case, the film at no moment attempts to provide a minimal indication that its producers recognise the vast complexity of any historical event. What occurred throughout Mintoff’s political career could , and in fa...

Ghalkemm, sa minn dejjem, is-sentiment razzista li kien jorbot mas-sens ta’ identità, jidher li f’dawn l-ahhar snin ha xejra kemxejn differenti fit-tifsira tieghu. Illum, ir-razzizmu hekk kif zviluppa f’dawn l-ahhar ghexieren ta’ snin huwa pjuttost ta’ natura territorjali u, ghaldaqstant, huwa marbut mill-qrib mal-idea ta’ nazzjonalità. Identità u razzizmu Fundamentalment, ir-razzizmu jinbet minn impressjoni ta’ identità: meta n-nies jiddefinixxu min huma u, ghalhekk, kif inhuma differenti minn haddiehor, jew kif haddiehor hu differenti minnhom. Meta nitkellmu dwar ‘jien’ (jew ‘ahna’) u ‘huma’, jigu mfittxija karatteristici li jiddistingwuna u joforquna minn xulxin. Ghalkemm dan, wahdu wahdu, ma jikkostitwixxi ebda sentiment razzista, jista’ jwassal sa hemm. Ovvjament, ahna lkoll differenti minn xulxin, xi kultant b’modi sinifikanti. B’daqshekk, meta wiehed jew wahda jagharfu dan, ma jfissirx li huma razzisti. Xejn minn dan. Jagharfu biss id-distinzjoni taghhom minn haddiehor, ...