Here’s how modern democracies work. We got this notice in the work mail. It was addressed to all persons of Spanish nationality. You can open the link and even with a rudimentary level of Spanish you will soon understand what is going on. Yes. That’s right. They’ve got elections coming up so they are being asked to register so as to be able to vote by post. Simples no?
Click here to read the document.
A Zolabyte with a difference. A friend of mine has asked me to plug this event that is raising money to build a project to provide food in an area of Guatemala. It’s a long, long walk for a good cause. There’s all the contact details you need at the end of this post. Picture shows the route for the walk.
As though last year’s 24hour walk wasn’t ENOUGH, TOUGH AND GRUELLING, this year we will be organising and attempting an even longer walk on the
So keep it free…
This year we will be walking to raise funds for a MEGA good cause. The funds will be used to build a project to provide food in an area of Guatemala, This will not only help to feed families in the area of Lake Izabal in Guatemala but will help to create jobs. This project will leave long term benefits, since it is sustainable and will help the community, help itself.
The two of us seasoned walkers, will be volunteering to walk 27 hours NONSTOP around Malta, covering an approximate distance of 130km!!! Longer than running 3 consecutive full marathons!!! A further 3hours on top of last years tremendous effort, which left us feeling knackered with a few nagging injuries which lasted a few months but feeling extremely exalted.. We have been training even harder than last year to ensure that we are physically and mentally fit for this challenge.
The walk will start at 9am near ITS in St. Julians and will end…
27 hours later back at ITS
You are all invited to WALK AS LONG as you like 10min, 30min, 1hr, 3hr 8hr, 27hrs :))) or as much as you like. Get your friends to sponsor you for this mega good cause or register for €5. Click here to download the registration form.
Call us, Email us, or Facebook us for sponsor sheets and more info!!! If Walking is just not your piece of cake, you can just simply donate money by sending an sms on:
Please help us by inviting your friends to our facebook group, emailing this and passing the word around.
Looking forward to seeing you there, lets walk together for a good cause!
Lara Gerada & Brandon Pace
HSBC ACCOUNT NO: 071017552051 /
IBAN NO: MT89 MMEB 4471 6000 0000 7101 7552 051
*****
Zolabytes is a rubrique on J’accuse – the name is a nod to the original J’accuser (Emile Zola) and a building block of the digital age (byte). Zolabytes is intended to be a collection of guest contributions in the spirit of discussion that has been promoted by J’accuse on the online Maltese political scene for 5 years.
Opinions expressed in zolabyte contributions are those of the author in question. Opinions appearing on zolabytes do not necessarily reflect the editorial line of J’accuse the blog.
***
Tislimiet mid-dinia phein id donna bendata ghadha timrah b’goduria sadomasochistica u phein ma inbidel scein mir regola stacanovista illi tinnarra “hadd ma ierdghu ichtar minn dach li ierdghu l’ichtar u dach li ierdghu l’ichtar hua deiiem ien (subjective).”
Iddecideit minn ieddi u di mia sola sponta li napprofitta mid-disattentioni ta’ sid is sit u infaccharchom illi iena Gachbu Sfi*o ghadni hai u naghti bis-siech (chiph ighidu seuua geuua l’albioni). Bhalissa ghaddeiin minn periodu ta’ trasloch illi iophri bosta spunti ta’ episodi sfi*ati u maniphestattioniiet ta’ dagha fahsci iccausati mill-hidma ghalenia tas-servi ta’ dich ilcahba bendata.
B’mod specificu u dettaliat chiedin naghmlu l’ghalmu taghna li t-traslocar u demanaggar isir minghair ebda dannu isda chif taphu an hua diphicli iecch mhux posittivament impossibli. Esempiu lampanti hua dach illi ched iiseiiah “Il Cas tal-Flushing Imneiiech”. Dan ilghaliesc minhabba illi darba ilu is-sottoscritt chien nesa scemgha miscghulha ghal scopiiet ta’ purificattioni ambientali fuc il-parti tal-lochi detto “il-flushing” illi hua maghmul tirchiosament minn plastic.
M’hemmsc sci nghidu. Isc-scema chienet spiccat billi hallet portion chbir tal-“flushing” in cuistioni b’tali mod illi ilna nissaportu flushing b’toqba f’nophsu dan l’ahhar scur. Issa però illi geina sabiesc nittraslocau irridu nassigurau ruhna illi l-perphida proprietaria minn letz’e’burgu tcun cuntenta mita tigi biec taghmel supervisioni illi halleina il-post tali u quali chif sibnieh seba snin u mitt elph euro kera ilu.
Ghaddeina diga minn raptus ta’ panicu schin indunaina illi d-doityourself regionali huwa iddominat quasi esclussivament minn persuni ta’ lingua tedesca di chermania u bhala tali kellna nidrau termini bhal Spulkastendeckel (ipha hemm ucholl umlaut imma ma sibthiesc fuc it-tastiera). Telephonati lill-varii Hornbach u Batiself u Profi irrisultau biss f’ conphutattioni ta’ ideat u generalment spiccau catghu il-linia ph’uicci b’sinial ta’ disgust ta’ chemm ma iniesc colt u tedeschisissat.
Issa seiier nipprova nuza l’approcc personali. Ipprintiait d-disinn tal-flushing in chuistioni chif ucholl uara haphna ricerca ghandi sahansitra il-modell number. Itolbu ghaliia lill chaddisin chollha tedeschi li taphu… inclus (pero mhux limitat) ghal Santissima Grunewalda, Santissima Ludgarda u Santissimo Schophtlochi.
sahiiet
taghchom fl’isfi*a
Gachbu Sfigho
J’accuse Note: Pardon this intrusion by Jacob Sfike. It seems that he is back from a very long period of lethargic inactivity and has decided to invade our site. He normally blogs at ilbollettinodellasfiga.wordpress.com but has been know to invade J’accuse every now and again.
An article penned by Nestor Laiviera in MaltaToday (Cheap flight for divorce referendum still up in the air) attempts to stir the waters with regard to the issue of whether or not Airmalta will be asked once again to foot the bill for expats coming home to vote. It’s sad really that we have to go over this business every time there is a vote or two to be taken.
You’d think that by the 21st century we’d have voting in embassies as a given – at least on a Yes/No issue such as a referendum. We don’t though and we have to hear a number of absurdities based on a twisted way of perceiving reality. Here go some of “luoghi comuni“:
1. Airmalta should never foot the bill – if expats want to vote they can damn well pay for the trip in full.
Right and wrong. Yes, Airmalta should not bear the brunt for PLPN obtuseness but that does not mean that voting should cost an arm and a leg. Actually voting should not cost the citizen anything. So unless the PLPN movement gets its head out of its arse and agrees on legislation for ballots abroad, then all expats (myself included) will go on “abusing” of the cheap flight – even if only to make the point.
2. All expats vote PN.
Another good one that. Rewind back to Alfred Sant’s fury placing on the parliament table a list of all passengers who had used the Airmalta flights for elections. They’re all nationalist votes he thundered! Many, like Luciano Busuttil, seem to believe that all jobs at the institutions are obtained thanks to some favour with the blue eyed boys (and are sadly probably hoping for Labour to be in government to dish out such jobs accordingly). Well – they aren’t. Most jobs aren’t anyway. Unless of course we are speaking of Maltese representations in Brussels in which case it is no biggie that they are full of people who would not cause undue obstacle to the party in government. And anyway… since when does political affiliation qualify one person over another for the right to vote? What if all expats are part of the loony right? Does that give the PLPN the right to suddenly cut them off from exercising their vote?
3. It pays PN/PL more.
Not this time it doesn’t. Given as how none of the parties have a position of divorce (have I told you that before) it’s irrelevant to any of them how many of us vote in the end. Of course I’d like to hear Joseph Muscat shed a crocodile tear or two for us the expats – it’s not about divorce is it? It’s about exercising one’s opinion. I want my frijvowt too! I mean what do the 2,800 youths have that we have not got? Scratch that. I EXPECT a little video from Joseph telling me how he is doing his utmost to guarantee that my vote will be cast because it is my right. Let’s hope he does not screw up the next motion in parliament either… a ballot in Luxembourg City Hall would do nicely thank you very much. As would one in London, Brussels and probably Paris and Frankfurt. Go ahead Joseph… fight for my rights to say Yay!
Distractions, attractions and more. How easily we get waylaid by some mountainous pile of bull conjured up by the PLPN charade. Here’s the two videos made by both sides – each laying the blame squarely at the foot of the other with regards to the disenfranchised 2,800. They must both be seeing this issue as manna falling from heaven… yet another distraction to add to the referendum farce: all in the name of “consultation”. Remember – the real votes that count will be the 69 votes in parliament – and no matter what you or I say it’s the INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCES of 69 citizens that will decide whether divorce legislation is enacted or not.
PL
PN
the Beatles
For the second time in a few weeks, Joseph Muscat’s spin office has been producing promotional video clips for the divorce referendum that are about everything but divorce. This week Inhobbkom’s little video clip was about the 2,800 Lost Boys and Girls who will not be allowed to cast their frijvowt (free vote) in the referendum. Joseph says he does not care how they would vote − if and when they are allowed to vote − and his inadvertent frankness on that particular point is rather moving.
What Labour’s Peter Pan fails to stress in his little bit of propaganda is that the outcome of the divorce issue has nothing to do with whether 2,800 youths apparate or disapparate on the electoral register thanks to the latest antic from the PLPN bag of tricks. Peter Pan is right though: his party does not care which way those 2,800 votes would go. It’s not those 2,800 votes that will determine whether or not divorce legislation gets through Parliament. It’s the 69 free votes of conscience that will do the trick.
Right now it pays Peter Pan to don his best suit and shed crocodile tears for the Lost Boys and their votes. It pays him to spin the latest of fables in our Fairy Tale politics where the Evil Gonzi is depicted as the villain who taketh away the votes and aspirations of the youth of the day. It’s revolting. Peter Pan’s party is on the same side as Gonzi’s on this one. Together they have contrived to leave the fate of the introduction of crucial legislation in the hands of 69 individual consciences − even after the outcome of the divorce referendum is known. Even Joseph thinks he is dragging us into Europe will eventually “respect the vote of the people” which means that a “No” vote in the referendum is one more No vote in Parliament as far as Joseph is concerned.
I’ll repeat this ad nauseam if I have to: The Labour Party has no position on divorce. The Nationalist Party has a position against divorce. Both parties have abdicated their representative responsibility by allowing a free vote in Parliament independently of what 2,800 youths, their constituencies or the whole electoral franchise thinks about the issue. Now that should make you sit down and weep.
Tinker Bell
Then there was the business of the Attorney General’s appeal in the Realtà case. The gut reaction was one of astonished disgust coupled with rhetorical questions as to whether the AG office’s timetable is not sufficiently stocked with interesting distractions. A second, more political, reaction targeted the occupier of Castille blaming him for allowing the AG to get on with this nonsense.
Writing in MaltaToday, James Debono tried to find out who was “politically responsible” for the Realtà case. As a nation we are beginning to demonstrate an acute inability to cope with the underpinnings of the rule of law and why we need it. Perhaps the knee-jerk reaction to dismissing a coherent set of arguments as “lawyer-speak” while reverting to the chaotic world of Maltese relativism has much to do with it. Sure we know the laws are there but hey − they must be twisted to make more sense in this day and age right? And why didn’t Lawrence Gonzi do just that with the Realtà case? It’s the 21st century no − what do we need laws and regulations for?
It’s the same thing for Joseph Muscat’s beef with the referendum motion and dates. Joseph’s solution was for the electoral commission to sit on the President’s writ for 18 days, just in time for the new electoral register to come into effect. You know that type of “I’ll close an eye just for this time” suggestion. As for the AG − many speculated that the Prime Minister should have intervened and prevented him from appealing. Sure. When would that be right and when would that be wrong? Who would decide? Laws and rules are not suggestions or guidelines − they are laws for a reason. They give us a sense of order and continuity as the old cliché goes: we are servants of the law so that we may be free.
Wendy Darling
Even though I do not find myself in agreement with the AG’s arguments as made in the appeal − particularly with his choice of inconveniencing deities once again (wasn’t divorce enough?) − I am still comfortable with the knowledge that this appeal forms part of a greater mechanism of interpretation and clarification of the law that is necessary for our society to work. The alternative is chaos and anarchy based on relative values. This appreciation should be part of every body’s civic conscience and not just of those who have gone through six years of law at university.
Understanding this objectively becomes even harder every day when the paladins of representative democracy twist and turn the picture to their own needs and devices. It is useless talking of “hidden rules of society” or conspiracy theories of some theocratic plot in some quarters if we are unable to get the message across about the usefulness of the rule of law that transforms − to the best of its imperfect capabilities − the will of the people into a working social system.
Nana
It’s a fine line between on the one hand a real society based on real laws and on the other a sham set of rules behind which hides the arch-democratic dictator. We’ve been very close to the latter before; I like to think we can still aspire towards the first… despite our politicians.
“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” − J.M. Barrie
www.akkuza.com − this column has been short-listed as a finalist in the Opinion Article section of the XXIst Malta Journalism Awards.
