Mark Montebello's blog

Huwa zmien il-kontijiet. Minghajr ma jrid, wiehed jibda jaghmel is-somom – izid u jnaqqas – halli jara jekk fl-ahhar mill-ahhar fejn jinsab; x’kellu wiehed johrog u x’irnexxielu jdahhal; ghamilx qliegh jew ghamilx telf. Hu zmien il-kontijiet ghax kull elezzjoni generali hija stedina ghal ezaminazzjoni xierqa. Dan hu d-dmir tac-cittadini. Ghax skond il-kont, hekk il-vot. Klijentilizmu Hu x’inhu l-lewn politiku ta’ cittadin, wiehed jiehu gost jara pajjizu jiffunzjona. F’dan l-ispeci ta’ pajjiz, hija hasra li l-politika partiggjana tgharraq kollox. M’hijiex konvinzjoni stupida ghall-ahhar dik li ssostni li l-gzejjer Maltin ma jistghu iffunzjonaw qatt. Ghax il-politika partiggjana ggib il-klijentalizmu; u dan jimpedixxi milli s-sistema ta’ servizz jahdmu sew jew b’mod xieraq. Forsi dan hu wiehed mill-aghar gheltijiet li wiehed jista’ jsib fil-kont li jrid jaghmel f’dawn il-gimghat li gejjin: l-ghelt tal-klijentilizmu; jigifieri l-ghelt ta’ xi nies li, unikament ghax huma blu, baqgh...

AHMED ABUBAKER, Somali ta’ 19-il sena, bin-numru ta’ l-immigrazzjoni 04F002, ilu l-habs ghaxar xhur. Il-kaz tieghu ghadu fi stat ta’ kompilazzjoni. Bhal hafna injorati ohrajn, huwa maqbud f’loghba gudizzjarja li tidher bla ras, bla denb u, fuq kollox, bla tmiem. Hija l-loghba li jilaghbu kuljum il-pulizija, l-avukati u l-gudikatura. Hija loghba bil-hajja tan-nies u bid-drittijiet umani li dan l-ispeci ta’ pajjiz jghid li jiddefendi. Stqarrijiet dubjuzi F’nofs Marzu tas-sena li ghaddiet, kwazi sena ilu, il-pulizija akkuzat lil Abubaker li, fost hwejjeg ohra, kien stupra tfajla. Dan minkejja l-fatt li kellu katater mwahhla ma’ gismu, jigifieri (skuzani l-precizazzjoni) kellu pajp ta’ l-urina hiereg minn ras il-parti tieghu. Hekk hu, il-pulizija akkuzat guvni b’pajp hiereg mill-parti tieghu ghal go borza b’stupru ta’ mara! Ma tridx wisq immaginazzjoni biex tikkonkludi reat bhal dan huwiex possibbli. L-akkuza tidher li saret fuq il-bazi ta’ zewg stqarrijiet moghtija lill-pulizija f’ci...

It-Tlieta li ghaddew, wiehed mill-ghorrief magistrati tal-venerabbli qrati ta’ Malta xehet il-habs tifla ta’ 13-il sena! Le, ma qatlet lil hadd; ma ghamlet ebda hold-up; ma dahlet fid-dar ta’ hadd. Kellha glieda bl-idejn ma’ shabha l-Belt. Temminha din? Daqshekk huma ta’ l-affari taghhom il-qrati li jilaghbuha ta’ difensuri tac-civiltà taghna. X’vergonja! Zball kbir u serju Ghalkemm ir-responsabbiltà kriminali f’Malta hija ta’ 9 snin, hija l-prattika normali li hadd bl-età ta’ anqas minn 16-il sena ma jintbaghat il-habs. Wahda mir-ragunijiet ewlenin hija li l-habs mhuwiex post it-tfal. Mill-habs it-tfal ma jistghu jiehdu xejn hlief hwejjeg hziena. Sat-Tlieta li ghaddew konna tal-fehma li, fis-sapjenza infinita taghhom, il-qrati Maltin dan jifhmuh, imma issa nafu li konna zbaljati. Jafu biss ihammrulna wiccna. Naturalment, il-magistrat gharef li ghamel din il-buzullotta kapaci johrog b’hafna spjegazzjonijiet ghala xehet tifla ckejkna ta’ 13-il sena l-habs. L-ispjegazzjonijiet tieg...

Xi whud il-hin kollu jhambqu fuq l-Ewropa, bhallikieku l-Ewropa kienet l-art imqaddsa politika taghna. Hafna appoggjaw din l-ghajta minghajr forsi bil-kemm kemm qatt rifsu fl-Ewropa jew zaruha bizzejjed biex jafu sewwa xi ssarraf tabilhaqq. Dawk li rifsu kemm-il darba fl-Ewropa u zaruha bizzejjed biex jafu sewwa xi ssarraf ma jistghux ma jagharfux li l-Ewropa hi tassew l-art imqaddsa 'politika taghna. Però ghandhom jagharfu wkoll li dan l-ideal huwa ghal kollox lil hinn minn kull possibbiltà jew probabbiltà ta’ twettiq. Non-diskussjoni Hija sfortuna li l-diskussjoni dwar id-dhul fl-Unjoni Ewropea (UE) hames snin ilu ma kienet diskussjoni xejn. Hasra wkoll li hawdet ghal kollox l-UE ma’ l-Ewropa. Xi whud raw is-shubija ma’ l-UE bhala l-ahjar mezz ghall-qrubija politika (u ghalhekk socjali) taghna lejn l-Ewropa. Minhabba din in-non-diskussjoni kollha, xi whud ohrajn hadu l-impressjoni li Malta ghandha xi haga komuni ma’ l-Ewropa. Ibda biex, in-non-disskussjoni ta’ hames snin il...

Some people draw pride from stating that the Maltese are a quiet nation. History seems to prove their case. On the one hand they produce a string of conquerors (Phoenician, Carthaginian, .. French, British), and on the other, a meek and yielding people who suffer it all out with a saint’s patience and endurance. Needless to say, this is a convenient paradigm (and, like most of its type, false) that is generally intended to serve the purposes of projecting an image of our environment as ‘naturally’ and ‘historically’ or ‘traditionally’ safe (for both locals and foreigners). This philosophy seems to believe that, due to our seemingly long track-record of being accommodating and obliging, we are a sort of a breed that possesses this marvellous and commendable quality that makes us submissive, acquiescent and dutiful. Why this ridiculous belief continues to retain its grip on most people’s mind is easy enough: it has always been the way by which the ruling classes preserve their consol...

Kienet tabilhaqq sorpriza, ghalija ghallanqas, meta l-Papa Benedittu XVI tkellem dwar l-imhabba erotika b’mod pozittiv. Li kienu smajnih jitkellem dwar din it-tip ta’ mhabba b’mod negattiv ma kont nistaghgeb xejn, ghax kont nistenniha. Imma b’mod pozittiv!? U f’referenza ghal Alla!? Din kienet xi haga gdida u, fil-fehma tieghi, ta’ min jixtarrha aktar. Specjalment meta wiehed iqis li, wara li semmiha l-ewwel darba, il-Papa Benedittu baqa’ kostantement jerga’ jsemmiha u jithaddet dwarha. Ir-raguni ghala jien jidhirli li dan il-kuncett jisthoqqlu kemmxejn tal-istharrig minhabba zewg ragunijiet. L-ewwelnett, ghax jifforma parti mit-taghlim tal-magisteru tal-Knisja; u ghaldaqstant irid jindika zvilupp aktar mit-teologi u l-filosfi Kattolici. It-tieni, ghax jidher li jista’ jitfa’ ftit dawl pozittiv fuq il-kuncett tar-relazzjonijiet tal-imhabba bejn il-bnedmin. F’dan li gej bi hsiebni li, l-ewwel, wara li nintroduci ftit is-suggett, nesplora dak li jghid Benedittu XVI dwar l-imhabba ero...

I would submit that Fr René Camilleri ( Times of Malta , March 5) has a very narrow concept of the nature of philosophy. He opposed Fr Peter Serracino Inglott’s contribution (February 24) that basically stated that philosophy is, beyond Scripture, a ‘guide for the perplexed’ by throwing in the idea of Church tradition. Fr Peter was justly incensed (March 9), maintaining – and rightly so – that Church tradition itself is, in part at least, the work of philosophical reflection. Of course, it is not only that, but this very fact further defeats Fr René’s assertions. For the nature of Church tradition is essentially, as Congar says (in Tradition and Traditions ), a ‘subjective sense, a kind of Catholic instinct, [which] is called “sensus fidelium”, “sensus fidei”, the sense of faith’. Fr René claims Scriptural objectivity, which, evidently, is not the case. Certainly, Scripture is the root and foundation of Church tradition, but, as a ‘handing on of a message’, as Rahner calls Church tra...