Maltese-English?

André Borg

It-tagħlim tal-lingwi minn dejjem kien meqjus fost l-aktar importanti fl-iżvilupp pedagogiku tat-tfal. Dan specjalment f’Malta fejn minkejja li pajjizna jħaddan lingwa unika li biha jitħadded dan il-poplu, is-sistema edukattiva tagħna tingħata u bbażata fuq textbooks barranin, u bl-istess mod l-eżamijiet sa mill-ewwel snin tat-tagħlim ‘il quddiem.

Għandna naraw dan il-fattur bħala vantagg għalina l-Maltin, li minn eta’ zgħira diġa nkunu prattikanti f’zewġ lingwi kuntrarju għal tfal oħra f’pajjiżi barranin inkluż fl-Amerka fejn lingwi barranin jiġu mgħallma separatament u mhumiex intrinsiċi fis-sistema edukattiva kif għandna aħna.

Min naħa l-oħra huwa hazin il-preġudizzju li jeżisti f’certu skejjel jew ċrieki socjali fejn donnu hemm ċertu stmerrija lejn l-użu ta’ l-Ingliz jew il-Malti. Issib skejjel f’Malta li jikkastigaw l-istudenti għaliex ikunu lissnu kelma bil-Malti, filwaqt li ssib ukoll skejjel oħra fejn l-Ingliz ma jingħatax priorita’ bir-raġunament li aħna Maltin u nitkellmu bil-Malti biss. Iż-żewg ċirkustanzi huma ta’ ħsara għat-tfal li diġa jitilgħu bi preġudizzji li jibqgħu iġorru matul ħajjithom.

L-Aċċent Ingliż f’Malta

Ħafna drabi jsir tmaqdir li l-aċċent Ingliż ta’ ħafna Maltin fih karatteristiċi distinti li faċli tagħrafhom minn aċċenti oħra tal-Ingliż madwar id-dinja. L-uzu tat-‘th’, l-‘r’ u fonetici oħra jinstemgħu xi ftit iebsin. Dan ħazin? L-Ingliz bħal kull lingwa internazzjonali oħra mitkellma, inkluż il-Franċiż, l-Għarbi u anke lingwi Afrikani jew Asjatiċi fihom ċertu varjazzjonijiet fl-aċċent. Tista' faċilment tgħaraf aċċent Ingliz-Amerikan minn aċċent Ingliz-Karibbew, jew Ingliż-Slaviku. Fir-Renju Unit ukoll ivarja l-aċċent Ingliż. Jeżistu l-hekk imsejħa East End cockney, Birmingham Brummy, Scouse Liverpool, Mancunian English, Northern Dialects u oħrajn. Anke f’servizz tal-aħbarijiet fuq stazzjon Brittaniku ukoll ivarja l-aċċent minn ġurnalist għall-ieħor. L-aċċenti jirriflettu ħafna t-tqassim soċjo-ġeografiku tas-soċjeta’.

Għaldaqstant ma naħsibx li hu ħazin li f’Malta għandna aċċent Ingliz partikolari, bl-istess mod li jeżisti f’reġjuni u kontinenti oħra madwar l-erbat irjiet tad-dinja. Jekk huwa aċċettat aċċent Gamajkan, u aċċent Awstraljan għaliex l-aċċent Malti meqjus ħamallu?

RP (Received Pronounciation)

Din hija dik li nirreferu għaliha bħala l-verżjoni ‘standard’ tal-lingwa. Ġeneralment huwa aċċent li jintuża fuq meżżi tal-medja nazzjonali. It-Taljan tar-RAI jew l-Għarbi tal-MBC jużaw il-verżjoni standard tal-lingwa bil-għan li tinftiehem mill-aktar firxa wiesgħa ta’ nies possibbli. L-Għarbi fl-Alġerija mhuwiex l-istess wieħed mitkellem fl-Eġittu, fil-Ġordan jew fl-Iraq! Hemm distinzjonijiet kbar derivati mill-Għarbi Klassiku li bih huwa miktub il-Koran.

Fl-Italja l-aċċent Milanesk ivarja bil-kbir minn Naplitan jew djalett Sqalli. Anke' n-naħat ta’ Piemonte viċin l-Awstrija mad-djalett fil-Basilicata jvarja sew. Madankollu fl-iskejjel jiġi mgħallem it-Taljan ‘standard’ kif diġa rreferejt għalih bħala l-RP.

L-Ingliz sfurzat

F’Malta għandna bilingwisti li kapaċi jitkellmu kemm l-Ingliż kif ukoll il-Malti b’mod liberu u b’ċertu għarfien tal-lingwi. Fuq kollox, anke magħrufin fost l-Ewropej li l-Maltin uħud mill-aktar popli li kapaċi jitkellem b’lingwi differenti meta t-Taljan, Franċiz, Ġermaniż u Spanjol huma wkoll prattikati sew.

Madankollu l-uzu ta’ lingwi barranin jistona meta l-aċċent uzat ikun wieħed sfurzat, imġebbed jew artifiċjali. Fost dawn insemmu l-ilħna li jinstemgħu fl-Automatic telephone operators li ġeneralment huma pprogrammati b’lehen femminili rekordjat b’Ingliz imqanzah. L-istess fuq meżżi tax-xandir inkluż aħbarijiet, fejn ġieli tisma' newscasters li għalihom l-Ingliż mhuwiex naturali jużaw frażijiet imġebbdin li jinstemgħu foloz fuq it-televiżjoni biex nimitaw l-‘aċċent’ standard.

X’jirriżulta?

Jirriżulta li l-Maltin poplu bħal ħaddieħor li għandu influenzi esterni jaffettwaw l-aċċent użat fil-lingwa Ingliża. Min jitkellem Ingliż b’laqta Maltija, ma jkun qed jagħmel xejn ħazin, kif wara kollox għandhom l-aċċent tagħhom għexieren ta’ pajjiżi oħra madwar id-dinja. L-aċċent jagħtik identita’, u l-aċċent ‘Malti’ fl-Ingliz itina identita’ partikolari tagħna l-Maltin.

Fuq kollox kemm l-Ingliż u anke l-Malti għandhom jiġu rispettati, u bl-ebda mod m'għandu jkun hemm preġudizzju kontra xi lingwa hi x’inhi. Importanti li t-tfal tal-iskola sa minn eta’ zgħira jitghallmu jitkellmu biz-żewġ lingwi (u possibilment anke b’lingwi oħra), inkella jsibu ċertu tbatija fl-eżamijiet aktar ‘il quddiem. Isibu wkoll problema biex jesprimu ruħhom b’iktar minn lingwa waħda u dawk l-iskejjel fejn l-Ingliz jew il-Malti qed jiġi imwarrab, jew agħar minn hekk jekk qed jinħoloq preġudizzju kontra min juża lingwa u mhux oħra, allura dan hu żball kbir li s-sistema tagħna għandha tindirizza. Tfal ta’ għaxra, ħdax-il sena li ma jkunux kapaċi jitkellmu tajjeb bl-Ingliż, jew dawk li għalihom il-Malti hija lingwa barranija, allura ma naħsibx li jkunu ħadu l-aħjar edukazzjoni li jistgħu jieħdu!

Il- Festival tal-Kanzunetta tal-Ewroviżżjoni – Innuendo

The Eurovision fever hit us all, and this blog was not left unharmed. I’ve never followed this locally highly acclaimed festival with any fervour, I do however amuse myself with its outcome. I am not talking here about who wins or loses, nor the ‘bull’ we hear from the bad losers such as our country and on our local media, but rather the socio-political innuendos that interweave the final outcome of the festival.

For starters, let us go through some definitions.

Definitions:

The Eurovision Song Contest:

The Eurovision Song Contest (French: Concours Eurovision de la Chanson)^[1] is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition. Each country participates via one of their national EBU-member television stations, whose task it is to select a singer and a song to represent their country in the international competition. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest

Eurovision:

Eurovision is the operational service of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and is the world's largest provider of international transmission services of live sports and news events. - http://www.eurovision.net/about/profile.php

European Broadcasting Union:

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; French: L'Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision ("UER"), and unrelated to the European Union) was formed on 12 February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference in the coastal resort of Torquay in Devon, England. In 1993, the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), an equivalent organisation of broadcasters from Central and Eastern Europe, was merged with the EBU.

As of July 6, 2007, the EBU has 75 active members from 56 countries, and 43 associate members from a further 25. Members are radio and television companies, most of which are government-owned public service broadcasters or privately owned stations with public missions. Full active Members are based in countries from Algeria to the Vatican State, including almost all European countries. Associate members aren't limited to those from European countries and the Mediterranean but include broadcasters from Canada, Japan, Mexico, India and Hong Kong, as well as many others. Associate Members from the United States include ABC, CBS, NBC, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Time Warner.

Active members are those whose states fall within the European Broadcasting Area, or otherwise those who are members of the Council of Europe. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Broadcasting_Union

Europe:

Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth. The westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, it is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, to the southeast by the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea and the waterways connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. To the east, Europe is generally divided from Asia by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and by the Caspian Sea.^[1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe

Democracy:

Democracy is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and either exercised directly by citizens or through their elected representatives. It is derived by from the Greek δημοκρατία ([demokratia] (help·info)), "popular government"^[1] which was coined from δήμος (dēmos), "people" and κράτος (kratos), "rule, strength" in the middle of the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.^[2] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

Eastern Bloc:

During the Cold War, the term Eastern Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were its allies in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and—until the early 1960s—Albania).

The label "Eastern Bloc" was also used to collectively denote member states of the Warsaw Pact (a Soviet-dominated military organisation) or the Comecon (an international economic organization of Communist states). Allies outside of Eastern Europe, such as Mongolia and often China, Cuba, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and North Korea were sometimes included in the term Eastern Bloc as well.

The terms Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union are sometimes confused. Although the Soviet Union had much political and economic influence over its Eastern Bloc possessions, the other countries in the Eastern Bloc were never constituent republics of the Soviet Union. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc

Pop Music:

Pop music is music charted by the number or sales, plays, etc., that the work receives.^[1] It is not a particular genre or style of music, but simply that which is the most popular for the tracked period of time. Most commercial music of any genre is composed with deliberate intent to appeal to the majority of its contemporaries,^[2][3][4] but, unless extremely popular in its own genre, it must to appeal to a wider audience to appear on the pop charts.

In opposition to music that may require education or formation to fully appreciate, a defining characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it. Artistic concepts such as musical form and aesthetics are not a concern in the writing of pop songs, the primary objectives being audience enjoyment and commercial success.^[5]

Although pop music is produced with a desire to sell records and do well in the charts, it does not necessitate wide acclaim or commercial success: there are bad or failed pop songs.^[6]

Initially the term was an abbreviation of, and synonymous with, popular music, but evolved around the 1950s to describe a specific musical category.^[7] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music

###

With a few definitions in place, one is in a better position to entertain himself/herself with the Eurovision Song Festival.

A few myths still surround the Festival; firstly it is neither a ‘Euro Song Festival’ nor a ‘Song for Europe’. It is organised by the EBU, which is comprised of a group of high profile Broadcasters that have nothing to do with Europe or the EU. They are an International money making entertainment enterprise, and as such they are very successful.

With respect to the argument that Israel, Turkey or Russia not being part of Europe hence the case for their right to be or not be in this Festival, one has to look at the who are the EBU, and the definition of Europe.

The results of recent editions of the Eurovision Song Festival were decided by ‘televoting’, which is in theory the will of the majority. At least it is definitely the will of those who are fervently following the festival! There are numerous discussions about the outcome of this voting system, but a ‘demos kratos’ better than this I still have to conceive.

The voting has been characterised by a new definition of ‘neighbour voting’, mostly by the Eastern Bloc. The sociological impact of these results are very clear, at least they are clear to me. Firstly Europe is not England and France, nor Germany. Not mentioning Italy because they do not even care to participate. Europe is far from united, and the discrimination between the financially Big European Countries and the rest of the Countries is one effect of such voting. Maybe the Eastern Block feel they that they are not wholly equal to their big buddies hence naturally flock together and block vote.

Definitely the numbers that make the New European countries outnumber the old Europe. The majority is in the East! Old is relative to post World War Two definitions. In the 18^th Century Europe was a conglomeration of Kingdoms that inter-wed to keep a stronghold over their territories and wealth. It encompassed the lands between the Mountbattens and the Romanovs.

The current Music Industry is dominated by UK and USA, maybe these votes are the first signs of an Eastern shift. Few people are aware for instance that the budgets of Bollywood already exceed those of Hollywood.

My final comments are about Pop Music. What is popular is the current fad. (With the exception of Finland’s victory a few years back, which was more of a show of force by the 'Rockers'.) We’ve seen, even in this edition of the Eurovision, high rankers that are basically Brtiney Spears wanna-be’s, a current craze. Tátu` were the eastern version of the Spice Girls plus some current (for the time) eccenricities from Madonna.

A good song is a good song, and what the people like at the moment is what gets to the top, add to that the block voting, and you get the results we have in the Eurovision Festival.

Lastly, one should not refrain from giving due attention to things like the Spanish entry. These are spin-offs of the frustration of western citizens that are coerced into a ‘politically correct’ society pushing forward such performances akin to the utterly gross “Borat” film.

Demokrazija?

Morena ġiet u marret - jew marret u ġiet b'idha f'idha. Ma stennejtx affarijiet kbar, mhux għax naħseb li l-kantanta jew l-awturi m'għandhomx talent imma għax għandi dubji serji dwar il-mod kif jiġu magħżula l-kanzunetti rebbieħa kemm lokalment kif ukoll fuq livell Ewropew (avolja qatt ma fhimt kif l-Israel jitqies pajjiż Ewropew).

Immaġina kirurgu li jagħmel ix-xogħol tiegħu skond ir-rieda tal-maġġoranza - min jgħidlu għamel hekk u min jgħidlu mod ieħor - biex ikun demokratiku, joqgħod għar-rieda tal-maġġoranza - li ma tifhimx! Il-pazjent ftit ikollu tama. Il-kanzunetta rebbieħa qed tintagħżel b'dan il-mod - naħseb li għandna speċjalisti li jafu jevalwaw kanzunetta imma jew għax mhux fdati jew għal xi raġuni oħra ħadnielhom il-poter u tajnih lil pubbliku li jivvota bit-telefon. Nibża li f'soċjetà żgħira bħal dik tagħna li fiha kulħadd jaf lil kulħadd qed nispiċċaw nivvotaw lil min nafu minflok lil min naħsbu li għandu l-aħjar ċans.

Il-farsa tal-votazzjoni Ewropea lanqas hemm għalfejn nitkellmu dwarha għax ma nistgħu nagħmlu xejn għajr li nuru d-disapprovazzjoni tagħna. Xi ħadd qalli li kif sejra x-xejra ta' votazzjonijiet lil pajjiżi ġirien il-Eurovision se jkun iddominat mill-pajjiżi tal-Lvant.

Taħt Sant Iermu

Nhar il-Ħadd 18 ta’ Mejju filgħodu, flimkien ma’ sieħbi Bernard, inżilt taħt Sant Iermu fejn bdejna nsegwu ġrajjiet li seħħew eżattament 443 sena qabel.

18 ta’ Mejju: Dawk għassa Sant Anġlu u Sant Iermu lemħu l-flotta Torka tletin mil ’il barra mix-xatt joqorbu mix-Xlokk. Mal-ewwel ingħata is-sinjal miftiehem sabiex in-nies jinġabru ġewwa l-ilqugħ tas-swar, filwaqt li l-iMdina u Għawdex ġew avżati bl-isparar ta’ zewġ kanuni. In-nies iffullaw minnufih għall-kenn tal-Birgu, ikaxkru warajhom tfal, annimali u kull ma kellhom. Sabiex ma jinġabarx kullħadd ġewwa l-Birgu, il-Granmastru kien pront bagħat il-Kmandant Gabriel Gort lejn Port Aragon sabiex jidderieġi wħud min-nies lejn San Mikiel.

Hekk jibda r-rakkont ta’ l-Assedju l-Kbir ta' Francisco Balbi di Correggio, arkebusier Spanjol li, ta’ sittin sena, ġġieled tul l-Assedju.

Inżilna taħt Sant Iermu, fejn qattajna ftit tal-ħin qisna żewġ boloħ, nikkonsultaw riproduzzjonijiet ta’ mapep antiki. 'Min jaf kieku t-Torok kienu ħadu l-Malta, kieku llum il-Maltin jemmnux li t-Turkija għanda tkun parti mill-UE?' spiċċajt naħseb. Imma l-istorja hi dik li hi, u l-istess il-preżent. Flok flotta ta’ l-Ottomani, flotot ta’ dgħajjes mimlija b'imigranti illegali (jew irregolari, ma' nafx liema hi l-verżjoni politikament korretta) deħlin tista tara. Ħarist lura lejn Sant Iermu, u warajh rajt xena ta’ invażjoni oħra. Fl-isfond ta' Sant Iermu, il-proġett ta’ Tigne jieħu xejra ferm aktar mostruża milli qatt rajtu jieħu qabel. Bilmod tlajna lura lejn il-Belt. 'Nispera li ma nerġax insib l-partitarji tal-futbol jimblukkaw it-toroq kollha ta’ madwar il-Belt bħall-bieraħ,' kont qed naħseb.

Fl-1565, wara ftit xhur twal, it-Torok qatgħu qalbhom u telqgħu. Imma llum, ħadd ma għadu ħareġ b’soluzzjoni raġonevoli għall-imigrazzjoni, l-isfruttament ta’ l-art dejjem tiżdied, u għal kull ħaġa ta’ xejn noħorġu ninvadu t-toroq f’isem il-politika, sport, qaddis jew xi alla ieħor.

Tini sitta u 'ntik sold

Missieri jirrakonta li meta kien għadu tfal u t-tallaba kienu għadhom xena komuni f'bieb il-belt, kien hemm żewġ tallaba li xogħolhom dawruh f'arti. Milli qalli, kienu jiġu fuqek u jghidulek 'tini sitta u 'ntik sold'. Jien ma niftakarhomx. Jien twelidt fi żmien ieħor, fis-sebgħinijiet meta nies ibgħatu l-ġuħ kienet ħaġa tal-passat. Biss din l-istorja dejjem affaxxinatni. Hi l-illużjoni li int tgħatini xi ħaġa, jien ngħatik xi ħaġa lura u t-tnejn kuntenti. L-illużjoni li għax it-tnejn ħadna xi ħaġa, it-tnejn għandna nkunu kuntenti.

Illum ħafna huma dawk li din l-arti, dik tal-fabbrikazzjoni tal-illużjonijiet, ipperfezzjonawha. F'dinja fejn l-informazzjoni saret il-bidu u tmiem ta kollox, ħafna drabi ninsew li dak li niġu infurmati dwaru hu biss parti mill-verita, u li l-verita tista jkollha ħafna livelli. Biss, il-fatt li l-verita jista ikollha aktar minn faċċata waħda, ma jfissirx li nistgħu nistmgħu kollox bħala validu u vera. Li jkollok opinjoni mhux bizzejjed, trid ukoll is-sustanza. Agħar minn hekk, li nitfgħu nofs tużżana minn nies fuq it-televiżjoni sempliċiment għax għandhom xi jgħidu u nistmgħu kollox b'mod ugwali mhux aċċettabli. Xi kultant inħoss li din id-dinja saret biss dominata minn min jew jemmen li l-verita hija waħda jew minn dawk li jemmnu li l-verita ma teżistix. Gvernijiet u reliġjonijiet li jemmnu li l-verita tagħhom biss tgħodd jew il-medja li tgħatik l-impressjoni li kollox jgħaddi, l-importanti mhux x'tghid imma li kapaċi tgħid. Qisu kullħadd jinsa li d-dinja mhix mgħamula minn abjad u iswed imma minn ħafna gradazzjonijiet ta griż. Dan l-aħħar laqgħatni kumment ta Peppi Azzopardi fuq il-blog tiegħu fejn qal

Hawn Malta għadna mkaħħlin li ktieb, programm tat-televixin jew radju jrid jgħallem, irid ikollu messaġġ. Frankament inħares lejn din l-atitudni bħala arroganza ta’ min jaħseb li huwa moralment ‘il fuq mill-oħrajn u jrid jgħallimna kif għandna ngħixu. Hafna nies jgħiduli li fl-aħħar Xarabank għandu jkollu konklużjoni, xi ħadd jgħid x'inhi l-verita'. Fil-blog li jmiss ngħidilkom għala naħseb li jekk nagħmlu hekk inkunu qed noqtlu lil Xarabank...

Peppi qed iħallat il-ħass mal-qarabali. Li twassal, jew tiprova twassal messaġ ma jgħamlekx arroganti. Kif jaf ħafna aktar minni Peppi, il-medja tintuza principalment għal żewġ raġunijiet, informazzjoni u 'entertainment'. U talkshow irid jiddiskuti xi forma ta informazzjoni, le? U la twassal informazzjoni, qed twassal messaġġ trid jew ma tridx. Hija nkwetanti li Peppi jemmen li għax Xarabank m' għandux konklużjoni mhux qed iwassal messaġġ. Jew din parti mill-illużjoni?

Iċ-Ċalie

Min iħobb jaqra' l-kotba ta’ Paolo Coelho jaf kif dan l-awtur għandu fissazzjoni li xejn ma’ jsir għalxejn u li kull avveniment tal-ħajja huwa sinjal jipponta lejn direzzjoni li qed jipprova jiġbidlek l-attenzjoni u jigwidak. Il-ktieb li kont qed naqra’ kien ta’ Laurence Mizzi Għall-Ħolma ta’ Ħajtu.

Il-ktieb ta’ Mizzi huwa ktieb ta’ valur storiku mhux sempliċiment għall-Istorja u r-riċerka interessanti li fih imma fl-opinjoni tiegħi anke għall-mod kif inhu miktub. Il-ktieb jagħti rendikont tal-ħajja u l-idejal ta’ Malti mill-Isla li ried jara’ lil Malta meħlusa minn taħt l-Ingliżi biex terġa’ tingħaqad ma’ l-Italja, il-pajjiż li Maltin l-aktar jidentifikaw irwieħhom miegħu. “Borġ Pisani kien iħoss sinċerament li l-Italja, u mhux l-Ingilterra, kienet omm Malta. Il-ħolma tiegħu u l-ideal ta’ ħajtu żagħżugħa kienu li jara’ l-Malta terġa’ ‘l ura fi ħdan “ommha””. Fi kliem l-Avukat Nerik Mizzi huma “diversi fatturi li jiddeterminaw in-nazzjonalità ta’ poplu; l-ilsien huwa wieħed minnhom iżda m’hux l-uniku, lanqas l-aktar wieħed importanti. Il-ħwejjeġ li jikkostitwixxu ir-razza, l-istorja, id-drawwiet, it-twemmin u naturalment il-kuxjenza tal-poplu li tesprimi u tiġbor fiha dawn l-elementi naturali u morali”, U għalhekk, Karmenu Borġ Pisani tilef ħajtu, mgħallaq fil-ħabs ta’ Kordin.

Mizzi jistqarr li għalkemm huwa kontra kull tip ta’ estremiżmu (kemm lemini kif ukoll xellugi), Karmenu misslu s-simpatija minħabba l-idejaliżmu li kellu. Kważi kważi, il-lingwaġġ tal-ktieb kollhu jeżalta lil dan il-karattru u li jġgħielek tkun trid li tagħmel lil dan il-bniedem eroj ta’ pajjiżek. Għax emmen fl-idejal. Imma, ngħid jien, wieħed li jimtella’ kollhu splussiv u jtajjar lilu nnifsu f’nofs suq tal-għadu mhux meqjus bħala terrorista? Dak ukoll għandu l-idejal tiegħu u għall-ħolma ta’ ħajtu għamel li għamel. Il-kejl mhuwiex l-istess.

Interessanti aktar huwa l-fatt li dan il-ktieb kien ippubblikat fl-1981. Tista’ tgħid li r-riċerka tal-ktieb kienet qed issir fis-sena li Malta qatgħet kull tip ta’ rabta ma’ pajjiżi, imperi jew super potenzi. Is-sena li la konna Inglżi u lanqas Taljani iżda Maltin. Huwa ż-żmien ukoll li għal ħafna nies kienu s-snin meqjusa bħala imwera’ fejn il-libertà tal-kelma kienet ikkontrolata mill-Istat u li kellek tmur l-Italia biex tlissen u x-xandar il-fehma tiegħek. Tgħid it-ton u l-messaġġ fuq il-liberta tal-kelma miktuba minn Mizzi kienet kumbinazzjoni jew kumment ikkalkulat? Mhux stramba li waqt li kien hemm din il-fehma joħroġ ktieb bħal dan.

Hija vera ironija li spiċċajt naqra’ dan il-ktieb dwar l-idejal faxxista ta’ dan iż-żagħżugħ meta’ l-Gvern iddeċida li jieħu d-deċiżjoni tal-PfP mingħajr ebda’ konsultazzjoni ma’ ħadd (ikun xi jkun l-argument – favor jew kontra id-dħul), meta donnu l-istazzjon ta' l-Istat huwa ikkontrollat minn xeqlieba ta' ħsieb wieħed biss, meta f'parlament demokratiku jiġu proposti offerti li jtappnu l-irġulija f'forum suppost rappreżentattiv tal-poplu.

The Case for Sprint Hunting.

Hunting has been a political issue for decades throughout the world. The debate for and against hunting spawned numerous protests, political campaigns, lobbying and hidden agendas. Our tiny archipelago has not been spared from the hunting fervour. Void of any large game, the main hunting issue in this country concerns mainly the hunting of migrating birds.

We live in a western world, which is viewed by some as the pinnacle of democracy, where the majority rules and the rights of minorities are protected and sheltered. We live in an environment that promotes tolerance and appreciation of another party’s views. Hunting is indeed an age old activity of human kind. Being at the top of the food chain, we erect walking and talking monkeys hunted for millennia and still do. Had our ancestral hunter gatherers not risen to the challenge, we would still be living in the trees. It is therefore seen by some that it is their birthright to freely hunt other species.

We also live in a dying world. Cursed by unnatural natural-disasters, degradation of the ecosystem and an ever increasing large list of endangered species. Some soothsayers see the end of the world; other opinions view the humankind as a virus plaguing our beloved Mother Gaia.

Tolerance is indeed the key for happiness whenever there is a disparity of opinions. Many may not fathom the animalistic needs of bird hunters, but they too have their rights. The middle way is the way of the sage, and with a dying eco-system, we have to find a middle way too. Many a bird hunter admit that bird hunting has become meaningless – “ma tarax rixa” the say – as fewer and fewer birds seem to be soaring above our skies.

The natural question arises, as to whether we are out hunting and out fishing species, increasing more Dodos, Tasmanian Tigers and Quaggas to the list of extinct fauna. Hunters and fishermen claim it is not their fault while bird lovers and environmentalists disagree. The fact remains that less and less birds are reaching our islands. If the Hunters truly loved their ‘hobby’ they would themselves put restrictions on bird shooting. They would themselves close the season for a few years or put restrictions, until the bird numbers increase. Same restrictions are ‘in vigore’ for fishing Tuna and Whaling. Another option would be to set up ‘Pheasant Hunting Facilities’, where Pheasants are farmed only to be shot for sport.

Earlier I mentioned the tolerance prevailing in the Western World. Unable to understand the fad/obsessive sport of bird-hunting, nor being a fanatic bird lover, I took the path of tolerance. I had to tolerate lead falling on my head when I went for walks in our ever decreasing countryside. I had also to tolerate aggressiveness and foul language whenever I accidentally walked into some ‘RTO’ marked area. I was scared to death some years ago while driving to work through the Mgarr Road, when two pickup trucks coming from opposite sides of the road braked suddenly screeching their tyres to a halt, and out of the vehicles two men armed with shotguns came out. I thought that I had ended up in the middle of some feud; to my amazement these two persons aimed their weapons to one area of the sky and fired a few rounds. I could only fantasise that a dragon had just come out of some mountain and whoever of the two heroes managed to bathe in it’s blood would become the next Achilles.

The Hunting subject has been for decades at the top the local political agenda. We have on one side Hunting fanatics, and on the other side a bunch of self appointed bird experts. In the middle we have an impotent parliament. The GhKNK tried all sorts of scare tactics, while the bird lovers just chose the role of victims. Both sides took the role of environmental protectors; while neither side seems interested in the opinion of the public in general, save for brain washing propaganda. They should have sought a referendum in order to settle this dispute once and for all. The result of the referendum would have coerced the government to adhere to the wishes of the majority, and take away all illogical fears.

Being blessed with “photo finish” electoral results we see that our two major parties are afraid to take a stand because a minority holds them at ransom. Now we are cowardly hiding behind our Big Brother and like Pontius Pilate washing our hands and passing our duty and responsibility to take action over to the EU.

However, even a patient and tolerant person like myself has a limit. The final speech before the previous election of the GhKNK’s president in Gozo was purely and simply an instigation for civil unrest. Enough is enough. It is not a matter of bird loving or any other green/environmental agenda any more, it is a National Security Issue, and appropriate actions should be taken immediately, starting with the revocation all shotgun licences. Whoever would like to practice sport shooting should do it in a legal shooting range, otherwise he’s a criminal.

Il-Parkeġġ tal-Mater Dei

Komdu ħafna. Issib post dejjem u s-sulari t’isfel ikunu kważi vojta. Ir-rati tnaqqsu u mnalla għax ngħiduha kif inhi, l-isptar ma tmurx biex tieħu kafè jew tiddeverti u barra minn hekk hemm min ikollu l-ħtieġa li jmur tnejn jew tlett darbiet kuljum. Nifhem li kull servizz ikollu l-ispejjeż marbuta miegħu u li dawn irid iħallas għalihom min jużahom. Ma nifhimx l-iskema tal-ħlas però – hemm attentat li wieħed iħallas skond kemm ikun dam jagħmel użu mill-parkeġġ – il-biċċa hija li l-ħinijiet huma mkejla b’mod li jagħtu vantaġġ inġust lil min qed idaħħal il-flus minnu. Għaliex tħalllas siegħa siegħa? Ġieli tara min ikollu jħallas għat-tieni siegħa għax ikun qabeż il-ħin b’minuta jew tnejn. Ġieli tkun ser tilħaq tħallas qabel taqbeż is-siegħa – tħaffef il-pass tul il-kurridur twil twil li jwasslek għal-lifts u t-turġien tal-parkeġġ – iddur il-kantuniera u ssib li hemm kju ġmielu biex iħallas il-biljett, tgħid f’qalbek “illum weħilthom”. Tista’ tipprova tinżel l-ewwel sular u tħallas hemm, imma aktarx li ssib kju hemmhekk wkoll.

Naħseb min qed jopera l-parkeġġ ikun aktar ġust li kieku jkollu skema ta’ ħinijiet li biha t’tqassim tal-ħin li ddum ipparkjat jitkejjel bil-minuti u mhux bis-sigħat. Dan jistà jkun li minbarra li jkun moralment aktar ġust, iħajjar lil dawk il-ħafna li jagħżlu li ma jagħmlux użu tal-parkeġġ u jipparkjaw ħdejn il-fabbriki. Tajjeb li n-negozjant (li hawnhekk qed iħaddem riżorsi pubbliċi) jżomm f’moħħu d-dmir morali – jekk dan ma jagħmlux minn jeddu, l-awtoritajiet għandhom jaraw li dan isir.

Test Card

Bum Bum

Is-Sibt. Hekk kif saru l-ħamsa l-arloġġ daqq. Provajt nitkellem ħazin waqt li tawwalt idejja ħalli nitfieh iżda ma rnexxilix; la nitfieh u l-anqas nitkellem ħazin, kien wisq kmieni. Ma nistax nifhem għalfejn daqq. Niftkar żmien meta kont inħares lejn l-arloġġ b'dik l-għajn nofsha miftuħa, nara li għadu kmieni u nerġa norqgħod. Illum le, la qomt, qomt. Għamilt kafe u tlaqt nimxi. Il-kelb ma kienx jaf x'laqtu, u fil-verita l-anqas jien. Waqt li qed nippassiġġa f'nofs in-Naxxar sibt ruħi quddiem fejn ftit ġimgħat ilu sploda dak il-garaxx; fejn waqghu dawk id-djar; fejn mietu nies innocenti (u mhux); fejn inqerdu familji. Għad hemm riħa ta porvli.

Għal ħabta tas-siegħa ta' wara nofs inhar, jew forsi ftit aktar tard kont għaddej mill-pjazza. Rajt numru ta pulizija quddiem il-każin tal-banda, ħsibt li forsi inqala xi inkwiet iżda bqajt għaddej lejn l-istudio. Xi l-erbgħa kont għaddej lura lejn id-dar u rajt il-vann tal-bomb disposal unit, skoss ġurnalisti u nofs in-Naxxar fil-pjazza, kullħadd iħares u jissindika. Ma ridtx x'intelliġenza partikolari biex tifhem x'ġara. Ġewwa l-każin, instabu xi murtali. Il-każin qieghed għoxrin metru il-bogħod minn pompa tal-petrol, eżatt quddiem il-pompa tal-petrol fil-pjazza! Imġienen, imma xejn ġdid. Jidher li f'dan il-pajjiż int għandek dritt ikollok 'passjoni' jew 'delizzju' u r-rispett lejn ħaddieħor tista tarmih. Niftakar li ftit ġranet wara t-traċedja tan-Naxxar kien l-Irxoxt. Ma nafx minn kien qed jispara u minn fejn imma l-mara ġibditli l-attenzjoni kif ma jistħux jisparaw murtali wara dak li ġara. Nies bla rispett.

Kull sena, numru ta nies imutu vittmi tan-nar. Ħafna storbju wara u imbagħad ninsew kollox, ma jiġri xejn. Xi kultant naħseb li aħna pajjiż b'memorja qasira, jew forsi pajjiż li ngħażlu ma niftakrux. Kieku vera niftakru f'min miet għalxejn, kieku forsi, xi ħaġa ssir. Possibli li fl-2008 hu daqshekk faċli li f'dan il-pajjiż tista tixtri, timmanifattura, taħżen u iġġorr splussivi mingħajr ħadd ma jkellmek? Nistgħu nimmaġinaw kieku dawn l-imwiet kienu f'xi settur ieħor x'kien jiġri? Min hu responsabbli? Jien, int, il-knisja, l-każini, kullħadd, speċjalment l-istat u min imexxih. Imma forsi n-nar tradizzjoni u la tradizzjoni għandna dritt nisplodu lil xulxin.

Inklużjoni

Fadal biss xahar għal l-elezzjoni tat-tmexxija l-ġdida tal-Partit Laburista u ma' niistgħux ma' ngħidu xejn fuq dan il-fatt storiku importanti fl-istorja politika maltija. It-transizzjoni minn kap għall-ieħor indubjament qajmet diskussjoni sħiħa u qegħdin f'proċess interessanti fejn il-pedament tal-Partit Laburista qiegħed u għad irid jiġi diskuss u analizzat taħt lenti ħoxna. Partit b'saħħtu jrid ikollu ideat ċari u konkreti u permezz ta' din l-isfida t-twemmin xellugi tal-lum irid jiġi identifikat u mressaq quddiem il-poplu Malti bl-aktar mod ċar u konkret. Dan it-twemmin irid ikun il-bażi soda ta' partit li jrid jaffronta r-realtajiet differenti li kull ħaddiem Malti, fl-istrati differenti tas-soċjeta, jrid iħabbat wiċċu magħhom.

Huma ħafna il-fatturi li qed jiġu evalwati imma bla dubju ta' xejn l-aktar ħaġa li qiegħeda tiġi msemmija minn kull kandidat f'din it-tellieqa hija l-inklużjoni.

Inklużjoni tinvolvi fiha proċess sħiħ ta' komunikazzjoni, parteċipazzjoni u organiżazzjoni

• Komunikazzjoni: Biex xi ħaġa tiġi inkluża, l-ewwel irid ikun hemm djalogu sħiħ bejn żewġ partijiet jew aktar. Dawn iridu jressqu quddiem il-parti l-oħra ideat li jappartjenu għal dak il-grupp partikolari. Dan jimplika li kull organu differenti irid ikollhu twemmin partikolari u li dan it-twemmin jiġi ikkonkretiżżat sabiex ikun jista' jiġi ikkomunikat. Din id-diversita' ta' ideat differenti tiġi diskussa ħalli flimkien tiġi stabbilita il-linja komuni u d-diverġenzi li jistgħu jeżisitu.

• Parteċipazzjoni: L-inklużjoni fiha infisha hija att ta' parteċipazzjoni bejn dawn il-partijiet differenti. Ma' jistax ikollok inklużjoni ta' xi ħaga jekk ma' jkunx hemm xi forma ta' involviment bejn dawn l-oqsma differenti. U għalhekk kull organu irid jipparteċipa b'mod attiv.

• Organiżazzjoni: L-inklużjoni hija att ta' involviment kontinwu u li fiha hemm bżonn ta' organiżazzjoni sħiħa. Jekk ma' jkunx hemm dan is-sens ta' ordni, l-kommunikazzjoni u l-parteċipazzjoni bejn l-imsieħba diversi ma' jistgħux jersqu lejn xulxin. Bil-parteċipazzjoni ta' ħafna elementi differenti u permezz ta' diskussjonijiet miftuħa miġbura fi struttura sistematizzata, l-organiżazzjoni tieħu l-ħajja b'sens ta' direzzjoni u b'metodi fluwidi u komprensivi sabiex tirranġa in-nuqqasijiet matul il-process.

Jidher li informalment il-kandidati kollha qiegħdin jaqblu mal-prinċipju ta' l-inklużjoni. Għalkemm dawn il-fatturi li semmejt hawn fuq huma l-bażi ta' l-inklużjoni tidher li d-diverġenza li teżisti hija fil-metodoloġija. Interessanti huwa s-sens ta' dibattitu li nfetah u li jekk tiġi analizzata sa l-iċken dettal (mid-diskorsi li qed isiru sa l-għażla tal-postijiet illi fihom qeghdin jittellgħu dawn id-dibattiti) nistgħu naraw is-sens ta' maturita li qegħda tintwera' matul il-ġirja sħiħa.

L-Arrest ta’ Nenu

Jikteb André Borg

Nenu nzamm hemm, f’naqra ta’ cella mudlama u mimlija umdita’. Ghal erbghin jum iccahhad mill-liberta’ tieghu, li jara lil martu Karmni, li mbikkma minn wara l-persjana ta’ l-injam, imhaddna ma’ binha mgezwer fil-harqa, tipprova tifhem x’wassal ghall-arrest ta’ zewgha hekk bhal sajjetta fil-bnazzi. Qatt ma kien tgharrfilha b’xejn qabel u l-hsibijiet u t-thewdin kissirha. “X’seta’ gara?” bdiet thewden bejnha u bejn ruhha harsitha fiss lejn is-santa kulur it-te’ tal-Qalb ta’ Gesu li kienet izzomm taht l-imhadda. Ma setghetx taghlaq ghajn m’ghajn dak il-lejl, wahedha, fil-kamra ta’ fuq b’saqaf gholi, ticcassa lejn xemgha tnemnem tal-Madonna, bid-dellijiet ma’ kull naha tal-kamra li donnhom bdew iduru maghha sabiex iwasslulha messagg.

Kien l-ghabex tat-28 t’April 1958, l-istess jum li l-haddiema rvellaw kontra l-Gvern Ingliz. Dakinhar pajjizna ggammja bi strajk generali u l-poplu kien ta l-ewwel messagg li ried Malta hielsa mill-kmand barrani. Is-surgent Cauchi mill-ghassa taz-Zejtun mar ihabbat fuq il-bieb tar-remissa jistaqsi ghal Nenu. Kien diga beda jidlam gmielu u l-ghasafar tal-bejt bdew jingabru fis-sigar tat-tin fuq in-naha l-ohra tat-triq, ipespsu l-ghanja ta’ filghaxija. Nenu mar jara min gie, nehha l-istanga u bexxaq il-bieb tar-remissa kulur celestin. Mill-kamra ta’ l-ikel Karmni semghetu jargumenta izda baqghet tqatta’ l-hobz ghalkemm b’iktar lajma, iggebbed ghonqha tipprova titkixxef x’qed jithadded. Nenu l-ghaxqa tieghu kisra hobz bil-grass u l-buzbiez dak iz-zmien, tuffieha mghollija maqsuma f’erba’ flieli u frawli mahsul frisk. Paga kbira ma kellux imma qalbu kien itihielek. Missieru alla jtih il-mistrieh etern kien ragel fuq l-irgiel, b’sahhtu, u ta’ principji li ma kien jibdilhom ma’ xejn. Nenu fula maqsuma mieghu, fitter zaghzugh it-Tarzna li b’paga zghira ried jghajjex familja, johlom fi zmenijiet ahjar.

Kien zmien ta’ tbatija u ghaks lejn l-ahhar tal-hamsinijiet. F’Malta bdiet tinhass dejjem aktar il-htiega li l-poplu jkollu aktar drittijiet. Wara t-Tieni Gwerra, il-pajjiz kien ghadu ma giex fuq saqajh. Industriji tradizzjonali bhat-Tarzna ta’ Bormla bdew ibattu ghaliex il-flotta Ingliza naqqset il-prezenza taghha fil-Mediterran. Il-Gvernatur Laycock hedded l-impjiegi tal-haddiema tat-Tarnza li fl-1958 kienu jghoddu l-eluf. L-ghajta Mintoffjana ta’ l-‘integration’ jew ‘self-determination’ hassbet mhux ftit lill-Gvern Ingliz, li ma riedx icedi xiber. Mintoff ried li l-Maltin ikollhom l-istess livell t’ghajxien bhall-Inglizi, ghan nobbli ghalkemm ghajruh ambizzjuz. B’hekk gie l-hsieb ta’ l-‘integration’. Kellu biss 41 sena, u l-Prim Ministru Mintoff diga’ kien mahbub mill-klassi tal-haddiema, dawk li b’dirghajhom u bzulithom gherqu l-gharaq tax-xoghol li tieghu kienu mhallsa ftit soldi.

Lil Nenu akkuzawh li kiser l-ordni pubblika u ha sehem f’dimostrazzjoni ta’ tfiegh ta’ gebel lejn il-pulizija mmexxija minn De Gray. Kien mal-folla, b’ilbies umli u b’determinazzjoni liema bhalha ried iwassal messagg ta’ tama u solidarjeta’. Illum Nenu ghadu haj, ifettet buskuttin fit-te’ jhares lura lejn l-1958 b’nostalgija. Demmu jbaqbaq sa llum u b’qalb zghira jemozzjona ruhu b’dawn it-tifkiriet. Jghid li llum m’ghadx hawn sinsla u l-haddiem qed jigi mkasbar minghajr ma jintebah. Forsi ghad jghaddi z-zmien u nghidu Nenu kellu ragun.