If this is man

There were two news items on yesterday evening’s edition that struck me more than any other. It’s true that the nature of news reporting is such that you will inevitably get the worst picture of the nature of man. Crimes and wars are committed by man upon man. It is usually our reaction to natural disasters that seem to bring out the “humanity” (that ill-fated term) in us. Yesterday though we had to hear of the fraudulent activity related to two of the great tragedies of this century. In the first case we heard of how “heros” of 9/11 had been claiming disability benefits ever since when they had absolutely no disability at all. In the second case we heard of how thousands of euros intended to assist victims of the L’Aquila earthquake tragedy had been misappropriated.

Such news items do make you wonder where the world is going at. The world will remain full of criminals and “evil” in an anti-human sense but they will never cease to surprise.

« Considerate se questo è un uomo
Che lavora nel fango
Che non conosce pace
Che lotta per mezzo pane
Che muore per un sì o per un no. »
– Primo Levi

Facebook Comments Box

Doktor! Doktor!

The law students are apparently throwing some hissy fit and demanding guarantees that the reform of their degree will not entail the dropping of the “Dr” nomenclature for the law course graduates. Such big deal this “Call me a Dr” business. Or is it? It is quite indicative that the law students were much less vociferous whenever the requirements for entry into the law course were diluted over the last decade or so. The law faculty seems to have unfortunately become some kind of petri dish to test the GIGO principle: first we dilute entry requirements until even the illiterate can get in, then we apply that sad unwritten rule that the vast majority of students present on the first opening day will eventually graduate (by hook or by crook).

Sure they will “suffer”. Sure there will be moments when the whole Civil Code will appear to them in nightmares and beat them around the head with worse effects than an Actio De in Rem Verso. Without the need to generalise too much though it was already obvious in the early noughties that the levels of aspirant lawyers were spiralling dismally downwards. The most evident flaws were a failure to grasp basic logic and language (and of course the logic of language). Bereft of these two most basic of tools that should arm the interpreter of laws we get an army of players of the system who will take advantage of a weakened faculty, live out six years with an Erasmus or two in between and graduate with the final “bonus” of getting to be called Dott.

The Robert Musumecis (he did tell me personally that he did not bother going to lectures for his law degree… “kemm nistudja in-notes) of this world are not to blame though. The system developed as it did independently of their aspirations for a doctoral title. Frankly I find the whole Dott thing mildly embarrassing. First of all Malta’s LL.D. award is rather unique. In the anglo-saxon system LL.D.’s are awarded for lifetime achievements in the field or as Wikipedia puts it:

In the UK, the degree of Doctor of Laws is a higher doctorate, ranking above the Ph.D., awarded upon submission of a portfolio of advanced research. It is also often awarded honoris causa to public figures (typically those associated with politics or the law) whom the university wishes to honour. In most British universities, the degree is styled “Doctor of Laws” and abbreviated LL. D., however some universities award instead the degree of Doctor of Civil Law, abbreviated DCL.

So already you are being bestowed with a title that ill describes your academic achievements until graduation. Add to that that the actual use of the “Dr.” title is universally acknowledged as being reserved for Ph.D. graduates. The Maltese graduate gets to be called doctor without ever having pursued the studies of a real doctorate. I recall pleading with the Chef de Mission of a Maltese government delegation for EU Accession negotiations not to introduce me – a newly graduate junior lawyer – as Doctor Zammit to the foreign colleagues at a conference. It was less humility than the fear of giving the impression of being the legal equivalent of Mozart – drafting doctoral thesis while eating egg soldiers at the age of 4.

I am still surprised to this day when the HSBC call center (fully informed clerks with your dossier at hand) still calls me Doctor Zammit (followed by “kif nista’ nghinek hi”). It does feel ridiculous. It’s not that I don’t have a sense of pride in the profession that I chose to pursue for the earning of my daily bread. It’s actually because I am proud in what being a law graduate should really mean that I get irked by these ridiculous obsessions with such ill-conceived nomenclature.

The legal profession naturally carries a reputation of sorts. Such a reputation is, objectively speaking, very unfortunate and imprecise. The role of the law and its interpreters is very important in civil society and for a very long time purveyors of the profession were among the most respected, well-read and upstanding individuals of the community. Being a lawyer meant as I mentioned earlier that you carried a love of knowledge, of society and its organisation and of the classical foundations of education. The last thing on your mind should be what people are calling you. You should be much more concerned as to earning your respect through your work.

People. Yes. The denigration of the lawyer’s profession has peaked over the past few years. Even in the hallowed halls of popular representation the natural predisposition of lawyers to political service (in Cicero style) has given way to other professional representations – including the johnny come lately economists. The media will not miss a beat in beating on the lawyers. Truth be told some colleagues might not have been the best advertisement to the profession of St. Yves’ protected but one rotten apple does not make the whole basket rot. At least not immediately.

People and “dott”. I’m not impressed when I hear people address colleagues of mine as “Dott” these days. Most times there is a sense of mockery almost built into the word as it is pronounced. Yes, the Dott business too has become a strong symbol of the dilution of the respect quotas of the profession. There was a time when we would jokingly sing during graduation ceremonies the ditty “Lil tal-Ligi tghidlu Dott, lil tal-B.Comm tghidlu Mr.”. At the time I thought it was more the kind of sfottò that befits the camaraderie of graduation ceremonies. Apparently the buscading graduates of tomorrow find the Dott appendage indispensable.

Time would be much better spent working on improving the quality of the profession than on worrying what people call them, and in any case I guess that the latter would mean a list that is never ending and quite colourful.

As for the rest…. suum cuique.

Facebook Comments Box

Notre classe politique est une pipe

pipe_akkuza.com

I believe that I have referred to this idea at least once before. Magritte’s creation seems prima facie to be an inherent contradiction since he accompanies an image of a pipe with the caption “this is not a pipe”. In actual fact Magritte’s observation was more of the obsessive compulsive kind – “you could not stuff this pipe, it is just a representation, it is not a pipe but an image thereof”.

I like to think that our political class, and particularly the Taghna Lkoll Movement/Government have mastered the art of denying the obvious that is in your head. They will present you with a pipe – as real as can be – and then proceed to deny that it is a pipe at all. Magritte’s prima facie contradiction becomes a reality after all. In this the Taghna Lkoll Movement and its discontents are aided by a particularly malleable media and a voting class that is more than willing to dance to the tune as the piper intended.

It is only with such “politics” that a government can afford to claim not to be putting citizenship up for sale when no matter which way you look at the (revised) proposals we are still facing an outright sale of passports – changing the small print does not change anything of the final underlying reason for the transaction. It is such “politics” that allow a well-oiled media machine to “sell” the idea that citizenship has always been easily obtainable (so why no charge a price?) while at the same time denying that this has anything to do with price. Such “politics” sells you the lie that this is all about attracting “talent” to Malta. Indeed.

Meanwhile the opposition huffs and puffs and is still unable to put Humpty together again after his great fall. Right now the opposition is gearing for the forthcoming MEP elections and is investing quite a little bit of its time in hyping up its list of candidates. The latest to be mentioned is one of the biggest pipes in Maltese “journalism” – the inimitable (thankfully) Norman Vella. Not content with overhyping the legal qualities of some of its line-up, still unsatisfied with the questionable economic credentials of some of its other careerist members of the list, we now have the PN pushing Norman Vella as a journalist. “Ceci n’est pas une pipe, c’est Norman Vella.”

Will the voters have enough? Have they not seen enough posturing and over-hyping from both sides? The great toilet of so-called journalism in Malta will survive many a flush and seems to be geared to provide the electorate with more and more choices for European election day. The parties will strut up the figures of their supposedly pre-selected candidates and will over-sell them to a populace that seems to have given up on any concept of discernment. The candidates will shoot non sequiturs of the highest order – sometimes hyping up an issue as though they have discovered the world. Thus Cyrus Engerer and Stefano Mallia supposedly “agree” that the President of the Republic should be chosen from outside the politicial milieu. A non-politician. “Ceci n’est pas un politicien, c’est votre President de la Republique”.

It’s getting very, very confusing and more and more difficult to cut through the hyperreal crap that the establishment uses to legitimate the ideas that it sells. When we fail to question the obvious and to point out the embarrassing nudity of the Emperor we insist on committing a disservice to ourselves. As the various lobbies continue to struggle for a place to suckle at the teat of this Labour government’s fat pig bonanza, they become willing participants in the lie that we live in daily. It will become harder and tougher to call their bluff. And by “their”  I mean all of them.

Ceci n’est pas un blog post politique.

1. The government will be revising art censorship laws. Malta does not have art censorship laws, it has censors in artists’ head. Ceci n’est pas une phrase censurée.

2. The biggest issue in the controversy on gay adoption is not whether it should be allowed but whether this government had a mandate to introduce it. Ceci n’est pas un enfant terrible.

3. The Bishop’s rant about moral duties of politicians in parliament is a huge tautology. The truth is that any politician is accountable to his own set of morals and values as well as those of his party. Whether they are legislating on spring hunting or gay adoption politicians are supposedly inspired by a code of ethics, morals and values. The trick is in finding out what values our politicians and their parties represent. Ceci n’est pas une blague.

4. 10 months into this legislature and we still have no news about those ridiculous claims by various ministers as to what they earned. Ceci n’est pas un bon souvenir.

5. The oil purchasing scandal rages on. It remains the biggest excuse yet whenever you confront Labour with anything wrong with their government. Ceci n’est pas une bonne excuse.

6. Arriva left the island. The money that went into the government side of transport planning remains money hopelessly spent. The luminaries behind the ideas that tied Arriva’s hands as from its arrival (excuse the pun) have a lot to answer for. The general public remains blind to a series of improvements that Arriva made (quality wise) – except in Gozo of course where Arriva worked like clockwork and actually contributed to an increase in public transport use. Ceci n’est pas un autobus en flammes.

 

 

Facebook Comments Box

Din għalikom, li mingħalikom…

ghalikom_akkuza

Is-sena intemmet bit-tajjeb. Intfejna xi ftit mid-dinja tal-opinjoni u intfajna xi ftit fuq ir-riflessjoni. Nifs ‘il ġewwa qabel ma terġa’ tibda tonfoħ. Kelli ċans nisma’ u ntaffi ftit mill-fatt li, issa li qed noqrob l-għaxar snin ‘il bogħod mill-gżejjer, il-politika insegwiha tabilħaqq bl-aloofness sanitarizzat. Titfa’ widnejk ma’ l-art bħal xi indjan fil-films tal-kajbojs (mhux Johnny) u tgħarrex x’inhu jiġri. What’s Up? Bħall-messaġġ li jippruvaw jobżqu s-Sempliċiment tat-Triq fid-demo Qumu minn hemm li għal waqtiet jaf ikun lirikament brillanti – partikolarment fl-akkuża bla limiti tagħhom lejn l-abbużi tal-liberta’ tal-espressjoni u r-rabja tagħġom lejn is-sistema.

Sempliċiment jirrimaw u jobżqu r-rabja tagħhom filwaqt li fl-istess nifs ma jiddejqux jenfasizaw li din hija perspettiva differenti u jiġu ABŻ li int taħsibha differenti (għax x’iktarx li int ukoll sirt pupazz tas-sistema). Tajjeb li tisma x’inhu jingħad fit-triq il-bogħod mill-kuriduri tal-poter infestati bil-virusijiet ta’ inċest u tħabbil-il moħħ. Iva tajjeb, mhux neċessarjament tkun qed tara “the full picture” pero tkun qed tosserva tila importanti. Biżżejjed tiftakar li l-moviment anti-politiku popolari ma huwiex mistur f’xi pinna ta’ xi Alunnu ta’ l-iSkola ta’ Brussell immaġinata jew f’xi rapport miżgħud bias ta’ xi blogger irrabjat iżda jimmanifesta ruħu fit-triq.

Jimmanifesta ruħu mingħajr komplikazzjonijiet ta’ prinċipji fil-fatt, għax minkejja li r-raġel tat-triq isemma’ leħnu fuq kull tema (minn adozzjoni sa’ bini illegali sa’ tixħim fix-xiri taż-żejt) issib li meta jiġi biex jagħżel min se jmexxi pajjiżu dawn it-temi jintilfu f’ġigġifogu infernali ta’ ħsibijiet u lealtaijiet. Malta sħiħa raħal b’żewġ każini imnejka. Hemm min hu ‘imweġġa’ mill-komportament tal-każin tiegħu. Wisq drabi din il-‘weġgħa’ ma hix għajr rabja personali għax b’xi mod ma ħax dak li deherlu li jistħoqqlu.

Iwa, jiddispjaċini ninnota illi titkellem ma’ min titkellem u titħaddet kemm titħaddet dik hija r-realta’ qarsa. Il-bogħod mit-tmasħin fuq facebook, ‘il bogħod mil-praspar tal-bloggijiet popolari u ‘il bogħod mill-aħbarijiet telekomandati tal-midja imniġġsa hemm verita’ wisq iktar bażika. Il-vutant Malti ma jistax jinfatam miż-żejża tal-partiti megalomani li ma’ kuljum li jgħaddi jivvintaw kantilena oħra li magħha jkun jista’ jiżfen. Għad irid jiskopri lill-Orwell filwaqt li jgħix ħajja Orwelljana ta’ kuljum.

Tismagħhom lill-vutanti tat-triq janalizzaw b’reqqa l-għeltijiet tat-tmexxija bipartitika u jgħarrfu sew fejn sejrin ħażin u għaliex. Analiżi intelliġenti jekk trid għax mhux ċuċ il-Malti ta’… le, jaf li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar il-wiegħdiet huma dawk li huma. “L-aħħar elezzjoni soqt sal-polling station u ħlift, ħaqq ismi, li ma nivvutalhomx”. Hekk jgħidlek. Imbagħad jgħidlek li għax “weġgħa”. Dik il-kelma li hija biss il-flipside ta’ sistema mibnija bil-brikks tal-favuri, biċ-ċejċa u bit-taparsi meritokrazija illi wara kollox tissarraf biss f'”dawk li aħna naħsbu li ħaqqhom jieħdu xi post fuq bord”.

U l-partiti konxji ta’ dan ir-raġunar bażwi tal-votant ta’ triq lesti jaċċettaw din ir-realta qarsa u jaġevolawha. Imbagħad kulltant biex jitnejku bih jgħidulu “Ara, issa għal President nagħżlu lil xi ħadd li huwa barra mill-politika”. Għax bħal dak li qallu il-kandidati esperti tagħhom huma kollha politikanti (fis-sens minsi tal-kelma). Psewdo ekonomisti, psewdo filosfi u psewdo moralisti soċjali jittelqu għal min se jirnexxilu jirkeb l-ikter fuq id-dwejjaq tal-votant tat-triq.

Il-ħsieb u r-riflessjoni ser ikomplu waqt li nieħdu iswed b’wieħed zokkor. Ceci n’est pas un blog politique. U ifhmuni. Jekk ma tridx tifhem allura dak għax int differenti u għalhekk niġi naqa u nqum minn x’taħseb int. Wisqqqq.

Din għalikom
li mingħalikom
li intom ikbar minn ilsien pajjiżkom

Facebook Comments Box

Il-Vapur ghal Betlehem

Qbadna il-kju mill-Ghadira. Il-Hadd imqaddes. Kju karozzi Maltin ta’ Malta li ghogobhom jghaddu l-ahhar Hadd tas-sena f’Ghawdex. Allajbierek. “Ghawdxi tajjeb aharqu” jghidu. Ma’ l-ewwel cans li jkollhom imaqdru ‘l Ghawdex u lill-Ghawdxin. Imma min imaqdar irid jixtri jghidu u f’dan il-kaz ix-xewqa tax-xerrej tigi ikkargata ghira.

Kju jibda mill-Ghadira. Min jipprova jaqbez, min jirnexxilu b’komplicità ta’ pulizija nofs kedda u min jitwaqqaf. Ihirsa tal-passat fis ifeggu meta tinduna li l-karozza li thalliet tghaddi u taqbez kellha it-Torca fuq display god-dashboard. Allajbierek.

Manjieri xejn u tinhass tensjoni generali li titkebbes go qalb il-Malti meta jara kju. “Kif se naghmel biex nasal qabel haddiehor?” Il-kuncett ta’ stennija ordinata thawwad il-boxxla tal-parti l-kbira tal-vjaggaturi. L-istennija tikxef il-verita maghrufa. Il-Malti pampalun li tghidx kemm ihalli ewri Ghawdex f’ikel u xorb (u souvenirs?) jiftah il-boot tal-karozza u wiehed malajr jilmah il-picnic cooler, it-thermos, u l-kaxxa pastini. Ihalli zobb mhux ewro.

Igri jitla’ fuq il-vapur halli imbaghad iserrep lejn ir-Rabat, jipparkja fejn irid u jhossu komdu u wara erhilu jilmenta dwar it-tickets li jaghtu “l-Ghawdxin”. Dan l-ahhar sid ta’ flat go Ghawdex qalli wahda gdida. Kera flat lil xi Malti u x’hin mar jara kid sejrin isib li kienu gabu seba’ heaters tal-elettriku magghom. Genji. Ghax il-kont tad-dawl ma jhallsuhx huma.

Konversazzjoni ghaddejja barra karozzti.

“Kif int?”
“Heqq. Nipprova nirkeb” (N.Dr. – ghax fih talent toqghod fil-kju)
“U jien ma ridtx ninzel ta… Imma t-tfal…”
“Anki jien ta… Darba f’sena ninzel”
“Xtaqt hallejt il-karozza c-Cirkewwa u naqbad tal-linja imma ma riedux”

Ma komplejtx insegwi ghax f’daqqa il-kju mexa. Shuttle service. Filfatt tkun stennejt inqas milli tahseb u hafna mill-infern ikun ikkawzat mit-tensjoni u nervi. Nissuspetta li dan gara ukoll sa certu punt lill-Arriva. Appuntu l-Arriva. Kull min kellimt Ghawdex jahlef bis-sistema taghhom gewwa Ghawdex. Hasra.

Tlaqna. Jien ghal dari u l-familja u c-corma Maltin ghal Bethlehem f’Ghajnsielem.

Awguri lil huti l-Maltin kollha.
U bilhaq… Tiskrux bil-Fanta
Go Betlehem.

20131230-104823.jpg

Facebook Comments Box

Philip

Illum wara nofsinhar ġej insellimlek. Martek qaltilna ma nilbsux kulur id-dwejjaq. Qaltilna li ma kontx tkun tixtieq, u minkejja li ma nafekx sew naqbel. Biex nilbsu lewn ħsibijietek u tbissimtek inkunu irridu qata’ sew mill-materjal tal-hippies, dawk tal-psikedeliku.

Kif għidtlek, ma nafekx sew Philip. Bilkemm kont indunajt li għandek (għax tibqa’ għal dejjem) affinita għall-inkwina. Nafek l-iktar mill-eteru u fuq l-eteru fejn triqitna virtwali kienu ta’ sikwit jiltaqgħu u kont nogħxa nomgħod osservazzjoni minn tiegħek. Iva, nafek ukoll bħala kumpann ieħor tal-fratellanza neo-liberali li ħarbet tiġri minn Malta u dik is-soffokazzjoni iżolana mimlija preġudizzji.

Spiss iltqajna ukoll f’ajruporti – fi tranżitu bejn post u ieħor – u skambjajna formalitajiet ta’ malajr. Xejn iktar. Iżda fuq l-eteru kont tħalli l-marka. Kont titfa osservażżjoni dejjem f’waqtha u f’moħħi kont inpinġik ġullar ta’ qorti li qiegħed hemm biex jiddikostruwixxi u jfakkarna li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar kollha dixxendenti ta’ l-istess ċorma xadini. Ġullar bravu, wisq iktar bravu milli jħalik tifhem li hu, u b’imħabba kbira għall-għarfien illi għoġbu jżewweġ mal-imħabba għad-dinja ġdida teknoloġika.

Lili dak li kien jogħġobni fik Philip. Li l-osservazzjonijiet tiegħek, serji kemm kienu serji, f’waqthom kemm kienu f’waqthom, kellhom sens qawwi  umoristiku ġo fihom. Dan l-egħruq kien ħoloq fil li għadda f’kull ħsieb li qsamt miegħek (minkejja li kienu ftit) u ħassejt li konna naduraw l-istess Alla li l-ewwel u qabel kollox kellu sens kbir umoristiku. Hekk hu, Philip, l-Alla li forsi lesti li nemmnu fih jaf jidħaq u jidħaq sew. Jiġbor nies ġentili u twajba bħalek li miżgħuda bl-imħabba tal-għerf qabel iż-zmien. Jew forsi dik kienet l-ikbar ċajta tiegħu…

Sens umoristiku kbir  għandu dan Alla Philip, avolja kulltant iħallina b’ħalqna miftuħa flok middieħqa. Imma forsi dan kollu jsir bi skop – il-kuluri, l-iskerzi u d-differenzi… il-kapaċita li nifhmu li hemm dinja wisq ikbar minn dawk l-erba’ ħitan magħluqa li bdejna fihom… il-ħarba mill-għar u t-twaħħid kuxjenti ma dinja li mill-eċċentriku toħloq norma…

Iva Philip, forsi ma tliftx ħabib imma tlift xi ħaġa ikbar. Tlift vuċi oħra li kienet tlewwen dinja li wisq saret tistona bin-normalita tedjanti u konformi.

Huwa minnu Philip, li kif kien jgħid persunaġġ kulurit ieħor li ħalliena dan l-aħħar “… l’impresa eccezionale, dammi retta, è essere normale.”

Saħħiet ħabib. Nittama li int fejn int, tagħmel x’inti tagħmel, l-importanti li qiegħed tidħaq.

“God is a comedian, playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” – Voltaire

From Minority Reports … a comment by Philip

Ah the nature of things, that ineffable theme. What you seem to be saying, in the end, is that for the PN to be successful at being the PN it needs to stop being the PN, and become what? A PN that is, by it’s nature, very good at being PN! A True scotsman indeed!https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/no-true-scotsman

Let’s cut through the chase, what you’re calling for implies the establishment of a new POLITICAL party the likes of which Malta has not seen in our lifetimes. Human resources being scant, such an entity will have to poach the best from the established, and PN being the losers right now, they are most prime for the culling.

You have repeatedly accused the political establishment of being morally inept. What makes you think that now suddenly, they have the aptitude or inclination to seek out what is morally right, not just for them, but for the nation? And if you don’t think they actually have changed, deep inside their soul, who are your appeals directed at?

 

Facebook Comments Box