We want our reputation back – Christian Micallef
In 2011, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed a press conference at the Auberge de Castille. The end of the first Libyan civil war has ended. Malta was by no means a protagonist in the conflict but the political and geographical proximity of the conflict forced the Maltese government into tough calls.
Gonzi refused to betray his commitment to democracy and human life. He did not stop critical evacuations from Libya on the basis of Malta’s neutrality. He did not hesitate to speak out against the atrocities in Malta.
When he met with Muammar Gaddafi’s envoy in April 2011, he was not influenced. “We see this as an opportunity for Malta to increase its voice with that of the international community to call for an end to atrocities.”
That was back when leadership meant something.
I find it difficult to suggest that the Maltese government is now dragging its feet on Ukraine. It is almost as if the Labor Party has not yet given up its emotional ties to the Cold War-era communist bloc.
We have Alfred Sant to qualify his condemnation of Putin’s invasion, and put some of the blame on the West.
We have Robert Abela seeing nothing wrong with selling passports to Russian oligarchs a week into the war while the West has rallied to impose sanctions as hundreds of innocent Ukrainians have lost their lives.
We have the Maltese government giving in to pressure from the United States and the EU to stop selling gold passports to Russian oligarchs. But they do not refer to the illegal invasion of sovereign Ukraine as such. They prefer to use the “recent developments” in favor of Russia in the official press release.
What’s going on? In 10 years, we had Iranian bankers fleeing at midnight to be arrested in the United States. We had connections with Azeri,
Chinese agreements, Panama companies, Emirati bank accounts and Maltese killings. This is not Malta that rose up with Gaddafi in 2011. This is Malta where journalists are killed. This is Malta where prime ministers are salesmen first before they become leaders.
At the height of the illegal invasion of the innocent Ukrainian people, Malta is dragging its feet to condemn the Kremlin. Abela only wanted Ukrainian refugees if they had deep pockets. It had to be the hotel industry that offered to host them for free during the quarantine periods.
To prevent us from losing money quickly, successive Labor administrations have tarnished our reputation. And they are still going strong to make Malta look like a desperate country trying to please everyone. We learned the hard way during the 1980s when Malta’s foreign policy drew only suspicion and mistrust, not strong relationships based on commitments to mutual values.
It is almost as if the Labor Party has not yet given up its emotional ties to the Cold War-era communist bloc.– Christian Micallef
While Europe and the world look with admiration at the bravery and full commitment to democracy of the Ukrainian people, I cannot help but feel how the leadership of our country has left us. Bernard Grech’s PN has been fighting with its teeth and nails to change Abela’s position against aid to Ukrainian refugees and to condemn Russia. It doesn’t take much effort for Abela to do the right thing.
The Maltese stand up for what is right. The MHRA came in when Abela was not going to remove the hotel’s large quarantine bills. We give generously to those in need. We have not gained the reputation of ‘Nurse of the Mediterranean’ for nothing.
How far we have come. We are a people who love justice, love peace and love democracy. But we are being run by a cabinet of passport sellers who are more worried about their Russian oligarchs’ clients than what Malta will look like on the world stage.
Because appearance matters. How can I keep my head high when talking to a Ukrainian citizen or someone else from countries that have committed aid? I want to be proud to be Maltese because we helped those in need out of our pockets when it really mattered. Labor is telling me to be proud that I am Maltese because we have built a flyover from the sale of passports.
It seems a matter. Like many others, I want to live in a country where values are lived, not just scattered on billboards.
What the Ukrainian people teach us is to build a nation in times of crisis to fight injustice. Her values are affirmed when her people are willing to give up everything for them. A nation is built by its people.
I hate that so many young people want to leave. Living in the ‘best time’, imagine that young people want a return ticket when they fly. It is one thing to experience life outside. It’s another to be willing to cut ties with the home.
We have seen how people who love justice are treated in Malta. Reminders were dashed and protests were censored, shockingly including one to protest against the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Malta is more than its morally failed leadership. If we want our reputation to be restored, we must honor people with a genuine sense of justice.
Not the ones who sell our values to power their yachts.
Christian Micallef, PN candidate
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