Guilty or not? -- Ħati jew le?

 

You might remember my article in The Voice of the Maltese No. 184 entitled ‘Archbishop Wilson and the Catholic Church’.  For those unfamiliar with the case, Philip Wilson, then Archbishop of Adelaide was found guilty in May of this year in the Newcastle Local Court in NSW of concealing sexual abuse of a minor that had occurred by another priest in the seventies, and had been condemned to six months detention in his home.

 

I had mentioned he was to appeal the sentence and that this appeal could be decided in his favour or against.  In fact, the appeal has just been heard and Wilson was found not guilty, and his detention sentence was terminated.1

 

That means that Wilson wasn’t believed by Magistrate Robert Stone when declaring in May he didn’t recall being notified of the abuse by the victim Peter Creigh who was found more credible.  Now in November, this same declaration was believed by Judge Roy Ellis, who described Wilson as honest and consistent, while noting inconsistencies in testimony of victim Creigh.  The opposite.

 

So, was Wilson guilty or not?

 

Let’s start with whether the man truly did what he was accused of doing.  Neither I, nor anyone else on this earth knows or can know the answer to this, except Wilson himself, Creigh and their God.

 

We can make some progress if we answer if Wilson was guilty or not according to law.  This is an easier question.  Between May and November 2018, the ex-Archbishop of Adelaide was considered guilty by the criminal justice system and had a sentence of detention.  From December 2018 onwards, he is considered not guilty by the criminal justice system and that he never was.

 

Which decision trumps?  This question also has an answer – the last one.

 

So is this the last word?  Probably not, as the Crown (the state’s Prosecution) intends to appeal, which can lead to the last decision being confirmed, or revert back to the original one!

 

This naturally is not the last time a decision is turned on its head, and won’t be the last either, in NSW, Australia or elsewhere in the world.  In fact, this is the whole reason for having the ability to appeal, that is having the possibility of remediation of a mistake by a first court by a judgement of a second, and by a third on that of the second etc. until some limitation to appeals is reached.

 

We are talking here about the reputation of the accused, their ability to form part of a community, the possibility of losing their liberty for a period of time and, in some countries, of losing their life by their sentence.  We are also talking of people who suffered and still do as victoms, or their families still crying out for justice.

 

The problem is that mistakes are made or can be made both in the initial decisions and also in the final ones.  How can we be confident that the decision by the Court of Appeal is the right one, or that the one of the first Local Court was correct?  And on what do we base our confidence?

 

Situations and decisions that seem so arbitrary unfortunately lead to lack of faith in the justice process, so important a pillar in the country’s governance.

 

With every decision, one side of the case will feel justice has been served, and the other that it hasn’t, and who is actually right we will never know.

 

Someone once offered me a description of how similar court decisions look from the outside, to independent observers as well as those directly involved, such as the accused, victims, witnesses and others.

 

A lottery.

 

I often recall this.

 

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Forsi tiftakru l-artiklu tiegħi f’The Voice Nru. 184 intitolata ‘l-Arċisqof Wilson u l-Knisja Kattolika’.  Għal min mhux familjari mal-każ, Philip Wilson li dakinhar kien Arċisqof ta’ Adelaide kien instab ħati f’Mejju ta’ din is-sena fil-Qorti Lokali ta’ Newcastle f’NSW li kien ħeba abbuż sesswali ta’ minorenni li kien seħħ minn qassis ieħor fis-snin sebgħin, u kien ikkundannat sitt xhur ta’ detenzjoni ġewwa d-dar tiegħu.

 

Kont semmejt li se jappella mis-sentenza u li dan l-appell seta’ jinqata’ favurih jew kontrih.  Fil-fatt, l-appell għadu kif instema, u Wilson instab mhux ħati, u l-kundanna ta’ detenzjoni tiegħu ġiet itterminata.1

 

Jiġifieri Wilson ma’ kienx emmnut mill-Maġistrat Robert Stone meta stqarr f’Mejju li ma kienx jiftakar li kien notifikat tal-abbuż mill-vittma Peter Creigh li kien iktar emmnut.  Issa f’Novembru l-istess stqarrija ta’ Wilson kienet emmnuta mill-Imħallef Roy Ellis, li ddeskrieva lil Wilson bħala onest u konsistenti, filwaqt li innota inkonsistenzi fix-xhieda tal-vittma Creigh.  L-oppost.

 

Allura, Wilson kien ħati jew le?

 

Ejja nibdew minn jekk verament għamilx dak li kien akkużat li għamel.  La jien, u lanqas ħadd fuq din l-art ma jaf jew jista’ jkun jaf it-tweġiba għal dan, ħlief Wilson innifsu, Creigh u Alla tagħhom.

 

Nistgħu nagħmlu ftit progress jekk inwieġbu jekk Wilson kienx ħati jew le skont il-liġi.  Din il-kwestjoni iktar faċli.  Minn Mejju sa Novembru 2018, l-ex Arċisqof ta’ Adelaide kien meqjus ħati mill-proċess tal-ġustizzja kriminali u kellu piena ta’ detenzjoni.  Minn Diċembru 2018 ‘il quddiem, huwa meqjus mhux ħati mill-proċess tal-ġustizzja kriminali, u li qatt ma kien.

 

Liema deċiżjoni tirbaħ?  Din il-mistoqsija wkoll tista’ tingħata tweġiba – l-aħħar waħda.

 

Allura din hi l-aħħar kelma?  Probabbli li le, għax il-Kuruna (il-Prosekuzzjoni tal-Istat) beħsiebha tappella, li tista’ twassal lill-aħħar deċiżjoni tiġi kkonfermata, jew li treġġa lura d-deċiżjoni ta’ qabel!

 

Din naturalment mhix l-ewwel darba li deċiżjoni tinqaleb ta’ taħt fuq, u lanqas mhu se tkun l-aħħar darba, la f’NSW, la fl-Awstralja u lanqas fid-dinja.  Fil-fatt, dak hu l-iskop kollu li jkollok il-faċilità ta’ appell, ċioè li jkun hemm iċ-ċans li jekk ikun sar żball f’deċiżjoni ta’ qorti, dan jiġi rrimedjat fit-tieni, u tat-tielet fuq tat-tieni eċċ sakemm jintlaħaq xi limitu tal-appelli.  

 

Qiegħdin nitkellmu fuq ir-reputazzjonijiet tan-nies akkużati, tal-abbiltà tagħhom li jiffurmaw parti minn komunità, li jistgħu jitilfu l-libertà tagħhom għal perjodu ta’ żmien, u f’xi pajjiżi, li jitilfu ħajjithom bħala piena.  Qiegħdin nitkellmu wkoll fuq nies li sofrew u għadhom isofru bħala vittmi, jew lill-familjari tagħhom li għadhom jgħajtu għall-ġustizzja.

 

Il-problema hi li żbalji jsiru jew jistgħu isiru kemm f’deċiżjonijiet tal-bidu, u kemm f’deċiżjonijiet tal-aħħar.  X’fiduċja għandna li l-Qorti tal-Appell għandha raġun, jew li l-ewwel Qorti Lokali kellha raġun?  U fuq liema bażi għandna din il-fiduċja?

 

Sitwazzjonijiet u deċiżjonijiet li jidhru tant arbitrarji sfortunatament iwasslu għal tnaqqis ta’ fiduċja fil-proċessi ġudizzjarji, pilastru tant importanti fit-tmexxija tal-pajjiż.

 

F’kull deċiżjoni, se jkun hemm naħa tal-każ li jħossu li tkun saret ġustizzja, u n-naħa l-oħra jħossu li le, u min għandu verament raġun nibqgħu ma nafux.

 

Darba kien hemm min offrieli deskrizzjoni ta’ kif jidhru deċiżjonijiet tal-qrati simili, kemm lil osservaturi indipendenti u kemm lil min huwa involut direttament, bħall-akkużati, vittmi, xhieda u oħrajn.

 

Lotterija.

 

Spiss niftakar fiha.

 

1https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-06/philip-wilson-former-archbishop-conviction-quashed/10589198, retrieved 11/12/2018

1https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-06/philip-wilson-former-archbishop-conviction-quashed/10589198, retrieved 11/12/2018

Foreign aid -- L-għajnuna barranija

While still in Malta, I remember Maltese governments used to delight in, amongst others, negotiation and later announcing agreements with foreign countries offering assistance to the country in the form of substantial grants of money, low cost loans or donations of machinery, like patrol boats.  Front of mind for his ability to play country against country to almost create a queue of countries offering this assistance was Dominic Mintoff, who obtained such assistance from Italy, Libya, China and others.

 

Today, Malta itself offers assistance to other countries, and this is clear evidence of the substantial economic development of the country.

 

Charity is an extremely positive attitude, characteristic of the social life of humans, and a fundamental aspect of the largest religions in the world, such as those of the main monotheistic beliefs: Christianity (tithes), Islam (nisab and zakat) and Judaism (tzedakah), and other religions (Buddhism and others).

 

If religious charity reflects the merciful and altruistic answer to the human need, I have no illusion that the charity of one country to another is based (or only based) on altruism, that is that one expects nothing in return.  It is evident, for example, that with low interest loans, or even no-interest loans, one is expecting at least the capital back.

 

This does not mean that these kinds of loans are not useful to the beneficiary country, as if invested wisely projects can be implemented to the benefit of the respective people at a lower cost than if loans were to be made at commercial rates.

 

However apart from all this, there are strategic and geo-political considerations as well.  In the example I mentioned earlier from Malta, one can look at the then foreign aid and military guarantees by Italy and Libya as a game in which they were buying their country’s influence in a strategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean.

 

Why am I mentioning all this?

 

In these last few weeks, in Australia there was a consistent commentary and expressed concern about aid from China to several small countries around Asia, like Vanuatu, Sri Lanka and others.  The criticism that was being made was that aid consisted generally of low interest loans for significant infrastructural projects, such as ports, which leave the country in debt, with a question make on what would happen if the debt is not paid back.  This commentary suggests that China offers this finance as a lure for the indebted country to lose control of its assets, especially if it cannot repay its debts.1

 

I say this may well be true, but what is new in this?  Are the Chinese the only devils?

 

Let us say you borrow money from a commercial bank to buy a property for your home.  If for some reason you aren’t ready to make the agreed repayments to the bank, do you have any doubt that the property will be foreclosed and resold and you’d end up on the streets?

 

Did not Western countries lend large sums of money (for the period) to third world countries – Latin America, Africa and Asia, leading to the crises of the eighties and the nineties, and initiatives to renegotiate the debt terms and even, in some cases, to their being wiped clean?2

 

So now we need to remain vigilant, lest some country with a red flag entice some Pacific island states to take on some debt, as this could found down the track to be too heavy a burden and an unnecessary dependence on a country whose motivations are less than clear.  Perhaps this country could have strategic military intentions, who knows?

 

Therefore, Australia has just announced a foreign investment facility worth $2 billion for infrastructural projects in the Pacific, where this financing will be done by grants and – wait for it – loans!3  A few days later, Australia announced it would be developing a military base on Manus Island together with the United States.4

 

Those in glass houses cannot throw stones!

 

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Meta kont għadni Malta, niftakar li l-gvernijiet Maltin kienu, fost l-oħrajn, jieħdu sodisfazzjon li jinnegozjaw, u iktar li jħabbru, ftehim ma’ pajjiżi barranin li joffru assistenza lill-pajjiż f’forma ta’ għotjiet sostanzjali ta’ flus, self b’imgħax baxx jew għotjiet ta’ makkinarju, bħal dgħajjes ta’ sorveljanza (patrol boats).  Fuq quddiem fl-abbiltà tiegħu li jilgħab lil pajjiż kontra ieħor biex joħloq kważi kju ta’ pajjiżi li jagħtu din l-assistenza, kien Duminku Mintoff, li ġab assistenza mill-Italja, il-Libja, iċ-Ċina u oħrajn.

 

Illum, Malta toffri għajnuna hi lil pajjiżi oħra, u din hija xhieda ċara tal-iżvilupp ekonomiku sostanzjali tal-pajjiż.

 

Il-karità hija attitudni pożittiva immens, karatteristika tal-ħajja soċjali tal-bniedem, u aspett fundamentali tal-ikbar reliġjonijiet tad-dinja, bħal dawk fit-twemmin monoteistiku Nisrani (deċmi), Musulman (nisab u zakat) u Ġudajk (tzedakah), u reliġjonijiet oħra (Buddisti u oħrajn).

 

Jekk il-karità reliġjuża tirrifletti t-tweġiba ħanina u altruistika għall-bżonn tal-bniedem, jien m’għandix l-illużjoni li l-karità ta’ pajjiż lil ieħor hija bbażata (jew biss ibbażata) fuq l-altruiżmu, jiġifieri li wieħed ma jistenna xejn lura.  Huwa evidenti, per eżempju, li self b’imgħax baxx, jew anke self mingħajr imgħax, wieħed qiegħed jistenna li l-kapital mogħti jiġi mrodd lura.  

 

Dan ma jfissirx li dan it-tip ta’ self mhux utli għal pajjiż li jirċevih, għax jekk jinvestih b’mod għaqli jkun jista’ jwettaq proġetti ta’ fidwa għall-poplu bi prezz irħas milli kellu jissellef b’rati kummerċjali.

 

Imma apparti dan, hemm kunsiderazzjonijiet strateġiċi u ġeo-politiċi ukoll.  Fl-eżempju li semmejt qabel ta’ Malta, wieħed jista’ jħares lejn l-għanjuna barranija u l-garanziji militari tal-Italja u l-Libja ta’ dakinhar bħala logħba fejn kienu qiegħdin jixtru l-influenza ta’ pajjiżhom f’post strateġiku f’nofs il-Mediterran.

 

Għalfejn qiegħed insemmi dan kollu?

 

F’dDawn l-aħħar ġimgħat, fl-Awstralja kien hemm kummentarju konsistenti u tħassib fuq l-għajnuna mogħtija miċ-Ċina lil diversi pajjiżi  żgħar madwar l-Asjafil-Paċifiku, bħall-Vanuatu, is-Sri Lanka u oħrajn.  Il-kritika hija li din l-għajnuna ġeneralment tikkonsisti f’self b’imgħax baxx għal proġetti infrastrutturali sinjifikanti, bħal portijiet, imma li jħallu lill-pajjiż midjun, u b’mistoqsija fuq x’jiġri jekk id-dejn ma jkunx jista’ jitħallas lura.  Dan il-kummentarju jagħti x’jifhem li ċ-Ċina toffri dan l-iffinanzjar bħala l-lixka biex il-pajjiż midjun jitlef il-kontroll tal-assi tiegħu, speċjalment jekk ma jiflaħx iħallas lura.1

 

Jien ngħid, dan aktarx hu minnu, imma x’hemm ġdid f’dan?  Iċ-Ċiniżi biss huma x-xjaten?

 

Ejja ngħidu li int tissellef il-flus minn bank kummerċjali biex tixtri proprjetà ħalli tagħmilha darek.  Jekk għal xi raġuni ma tkunx tista’ tagħmel il-ħlasijiet regolari miftiehma lill-bank, għandek xi dubju li l-proprjetà tittieħed lura biex tinbieh u int tintefa fit-triq?

 

Il-pajjiżi tal-punent ma sellfux ukoll tant flejjes lit-tielet dinja – fl-Amerika Latina, l-Afrika u l-Asja – li wasslu għall-kriżijiet tat-tmeninijiet u d-disgħinijiet, u l-inizjattivi biex jiġu rrinegozjati t-termini tad-dejnijiet u anke f’xi każijiet, il-maħfra tagħhom?2

 

Mela issa irridu noqogħdu attenti biex ma jkunx hemm xi pajjiż b’bandiera ħamra li jħajjar lill-pajjiżi gżejjer fil-Paċifiku milli jidħlu għad-dejn, għax dan jista’ jkun piż li jsibu li ma jistgħux jifilħuh u dipendenza żejda fuq pajjiż li ma nafux x’għandu f’moħħu.  Forsi dan il-pajjiż għandu intenzjonijiet strateġiċi militari, min jaf?

 

Għalhekk, l-Awstralja għadha kif ħabbret faċilità ta’ $2 biljun ta’ finanzjament għal proġetti infrastrutturali fil-Paċifiku, fejn dan l-iffinanzjar isir permezz ta’ għotjiet u – żommu n-nifs – self ta’ flus!3  Ftit ġranet wara, l-Awstralja ħabbret li se tiżviluppa bażi militari f’Manus Island flimkien mal-Istati Uniti.4

 

Min jiskonġra jrid ikun pur!

 

 

1http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/chinese-aid-to-the-pacific-what-are-the-concerns/, retrieved 28/11/2018

2http://www.grips.ac.jp/teacher/oono/hp/lecture_F/lec10.htm, retrieved 28/11/2018

3https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/08/scott-morrison-to-reveal-3bn-in-pacific-funding-to-counter-chinese-influence, retrieved 28/11/2018

4https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-17/us-to-partner-with-australia-and-png-on-manus-island-naval-base/10507658, retrieved 28/11/2018

1http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/chinese-aid-to-the-pacific-what-are-the-concerns/, retrieved 28/11/2018

2http://www.grips.ac.jp/teacher/oono/hp/lecture_F/lec10.htm, retrieved 28/11/2018

3https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/08/scott-morrison-to-reveal-3bn-in-pacific-funding-to-counter-chinese-influence, retrieved 28/11/2018

4https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-17/us-to-partner-with-australia-and-png-on-manus-island-naval-base/10507658, retrieved 28/11/2018

Humility -- Umiltà

 

Currently, the Catholic Church in Australia is preparing for the Plenary Council that will be held in 2020.  A Plenary Council is considered the highest-level formal meeting of local churches in a country.

 

It is being held following an invitation by Pope Francis for local churches to have a dialogue about significant changes in Australian society and fact that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse was a significant and influential event requiring profound consideration and response.1

 

So now Catholics in the country are being asked to respond to the question ‘What do you think God wants from us in Australia today?’  I was invited to attend for a session in my parish and unfortunately the time was not suitable.  I’ve decided that instead I publish my thoughts here.

 

I have three main thoughts.

 

The first is prompted from the Royal Commission I mentioned previously, and similar investigations in other countries, in very catholic communities, which arrived at the same conclusion – the scandalous sexual abuse by minors by clergy and other religious (not only catholic, but I will focus on my own church), and the far more serious and scandalous behaviour by some church leaders who hid, concealed and moved around offenders hither and thither and hence permitted the perpetuation of this abuse for many years.

 

One needs to understand that from church leaders, some form part of ecumenical councils, and others even end up as the Pope.  It is a dogma that definitions by the ecumenical councils and the Pope about faith and morals are accepted by us Catholics as infallible.

 

I do accept that such definitions are authoritative, but infallible?  The Royal Commission of Australia has shown that some Church leaders weren’t even capable of taking morally acceptable decisions with respect to those being the example for entering into the kingdom of heaven, and were in a Church institution in a vulnerable situation,2 where there was no ambiguity whatsoever on the direction of decisions that needed to be taken.  At the same time, am I expected to believe that Church leaders, gathered in an Ecumenical Council, or in the person of the Pope, can make a pronouncement of whatever type and under whatever circumstance, that is infallible?

 

I think that the current wave, on a global scale, of obscene revelations and documented evidence of fallibility by Church leaders, is an invitation by God for the Church (not only in Australia) to do some soul searching on whether this dogma of infallibility by these same leaders is tenable.  For me, this dogma is in-credible.

 

My second thought regards new sensibilities in society about groups of people who throughout the centuries have been emarginated, discriminated against and kept from having a role in society fully reflective of their abilities and talents.  I’m referring to people who are gay, lesbian, transsexual or non-binary gender, who for so long were treated with disdain, outcast, shackled and persecuted by authorities in the country and who felt they had no place in the Church, which although teaches that they do not choose their sexual orientation, does not accept that they live according to it.

 

I’m also referring to women, who for so long did not have a place equal to that of men, neither in civil society, nor in the Church, whose main leadership positions are reserved for men.

 

I feel that there are calls by people growing louder and louder in favour of equality and the removal of discrimination, in civil society as well as the Catholic Church, and believe that if we want to discern the signs of the times, we cannot close our eyes and plug our ears.

 

Finally, I cannot not mention assisted procreation, that is IVF and its variations.  The lack of fertility by a not insignificant proportion of the population is but one of mankind’s health problems that are being researched by institutions around the world, and treatment and technology developments are happening at a rapid pace.

 

The Catholic Church rejects any form of assisted procreation3, considering them to be morally unacceptable, although this is not stopping many from looking for a technological solution where there is no other.  After all, if a person is kept alive only by means of a ventilator, or whose heart only functions with a pacemaker, aren’t these also technological solutions?

The Catechism gets into detail about how assisted procreation reduces the perfection of a couple, i.e. those that don’t have fertility problems.  Thank you very much.  This means that the Church prefers that children born using these techniques are neither conceived nor get born.  What place will these children feel they have in the Catholic Church?

The Church has no solution to people having medical fertility problems, except to lump them or get into adoption.  The latter incidentally is a good thing, but is not for everyone, not least as there are far more infertile couples than there are children for adoption.  In Australia, statistics show that one out of every 25 babies born are the result of IVF,4 which shows that people are going down this route in droves, in clear repudiation of the Church’s teachings.

Does the Church have the humility to investigate whether the voice of God may be heard in the anguished cries of his people?

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Bħalissa, il-Knisja Kattolika tal-Awstralja qiegħda tipprepara għal Kunsill Plenarju li se jsir fis-sena 2020.  Kunsill Plenarju huwa meqjus bħala l-iktar laqgħa għolja formali tal-knejjes lokali f’pajjiż.

 

Qiegħed isir wara li l-Papa Franġisku stieden lill-knejjes lokali għal djalogu dwar. il-bidliet sinjifikanti fis-soċjeta Awstraljana u l-fatt li l-Kummissjoni Rjali fuq it-Tweġibiet Istituzzjonali għall-Abbuż Sesswali tat-Tfal kien avveniment sinjifikanti u influenti li jeħtieġ kunsiderazzjoni profonda u tweġiba.1

 

Bħalissa il-Kattoliċi fil-pajjiż qiegħdin jiġu mistiedna jwieġbu għall-mistoqsija ‘X’taħseb li Alla jrid minna lkoll fl-Awstralja bħalissa?’.  Jien kont mistieden nattendi għal sessjoni fil-parroċċa tiegħi, u sfortunatament il-ħin ma kienx tajjeb għalija.  Iddeċidejt li minflok il-ħsibijiet tiegħi nippubblikahom hawnhekk.

 

Għandi tliet ħsibijiet prinċipali.

 

L-ewwel wieħed huwa mnebbaħ mill-Kummissjoni Rjali li semmejt qabel, u investigazzjonijiet simili li saru f’pajjiżi oħra, f’komunitajiet kattoliċissimi, li wasslu għall-istess konklużjoni – l-abbuż sesswali skandaluż tal-minorenni minn qassisis u reliġjużi oħra (mhux kattoliċi biss, imma jien se niffoka fuq il-knisja tiegħi), u l-imġieba bil-wisq iktar skandaluża ta’ xi mexxejja fil-knisja li ħbew, għattew, u mexxew lill-offensuri minn hawn għal hemm u b’hekk ippermettew it-tkomplija ta’ dan l-abbuż għal ħafna snin.

 

Wieħed irid jifhem li mill-mexxejja tal-knisja, wħud iffurmaw parti mill-kunsilli ekumeniċi, u oħrajn saħansitra intagħżlu bħala Papa.  Huwa mistenni minna l-kattoliċi, bħala domma, li definizzjonijiet tal-kunsilli ekumeniċi u tal-Papa dwar fidi u morali naċċettawhom bħala huma infallibbli.

 

Jien naċċetta li dawn id-definizzjonijiet ikunu awtorevoli, imma infallibbli?  Il-Kummissjoni Rjali tal-Awstralja wriet li wħud mill-mexxejja tal-Knisja lanqas kienu kapaċi jieħdu deċiżjonijiet moralment aċċettabbli fir-rigward ta’ dawk li huma xempju għal min jidħol fis-saltna tas-sema u kienu f’istituzzjoni tal-Knisja f’sitwazzjoni vulnerabbli,2 fejn m’hemm l-ebda ambigwità fuq id-direzzjoni tad-deċiżjonijiet li kellhom jittieħdu.  Fl-istess ħin, jien mistenni nemmen li mexxejja tal-Knisja, miġbura f’Kunsill Ekumeniku, jew fil-persuna tal-Papa, jista’ jagħmel pronunzja, ta’ kwalunkwe tip u taħt kwalunkwe cirkostanza, li hija infallibbli?

 

Jien naħseb li din il-mewġa, fuq bażi globali, ta’ rivelazzjonijiet oxxeni u x-xhieda dokumentata ta’ fallibiltà tal-mexxejja tal-Knisja, hija stedina t’Alla biex il-Knisja (mhux biss fl-Awstralja) tistħarreġ kemm din id-domma tal-infallibiltà tal-istess mexxejja hija tenibbli.  Għalija din id-domma hija in-kredibbli.

 

It-tieni ħsieb jirrigwarda sensibbiltajiet ġodda tas-soċjetà għal gruppi ta’ nies li matul is-sekli kienu emarġinati, diskriminati kontra u miżmuma milli jkollhom rwol fis-soċjetà li jirrifletti bis-sħiħ l-abbiltajiet u t-talenti tagħhom.  Qiegħed nirreferi għal dawk li huma omosesswali, lesbjani, transsesswali jew ta’ ġens mhux binarju, li għal tant żmien kienu imżebilħin, imwarrbin, imxettlin u imjassrin mill-awtoritajiet tal-pajjiż u li ma ħassewx li għandhom post fil-Knisja, li għalkemm tgħallem li l-qagħda sesswali tagħhom m’għażluhiex huma, ma taċċettax li jaġixxu b’koerenza magħha.

 

Qiegħed ukoll nirreferi għan-nisa, li għal tant snin ma kellhomx post ugwali mar-raġel, la fis-soċjetà ċivili, u lanqas fil-Knisja, li fiha l-postijiet prinċipali tat-tmexxija huma rriżervati għall-irġiel.

 

Jien inħoss għajta b’volum dejjem jiżdied tal-poplu favur l-ugwaljanza u t-tneħħija ta’ diskriminazzjoni, kemm fis-soċjetà ċivili, u kemm fil-Knisja Kattolika, u nemmen li jekk irridu niddixxernu s-sinjali taż-żminijiet ma nistgħux nagħlqu għajnejna u nsoddu widnejna.

 

Fl-aħħarnett, ma nistax ma nsemmix il-prokreazzjoni assistita, jiġifieri l-IVF u l-varjazzjonijiet tagħha.  In-nuqqas ta’ fertilità ta’ persentaġġ mhux żgħir tal-popolazzjoni hija waħda biss mill-problemi tas-saħħa tal-bniedem li qiegħdin jiġu rriċerkati f’istituzzjonijiet madwar id-dinja, u żviluppi ta’ trattament u ta’ teknoloġija qiegħdin isiru b’rata mgħaġġla.  

 

Il-Knisja Kattolika tirriġetta kull forma ta’ prokreazzjoni assistita3 u tqishom moralment mhux aċċettabbli, għalkemm dan mhux qiegħed iwaqqaf lil ħafna li jfittxu soluzzjoni teknoloġika fejn m’hemm l-ebda soluzzjoni oħra.  Wara kollox, jekk bniedem jinżamm ħaj jieħu nifs biss permezz ta’ ventilatur, jew qalbu tħabbat biss bil-pacemaker, dawn mhux ukoll soluzzjonijiet teknoloġiċi?

 

Il-Katekiżmu jidħol f’ħafna dettall fuq kif il-prokreazzjoni assistita tnaqqas mill-perfezzjoni tal-koppja, ċioe dawk li m’għandhomx problemi ta’ fertilità.  Grazzi ħafna.  Dan ifisser li tippreferi li t-tfal imwielda b’dawn it-tekniċi la jiġu kkunċepiti u lanqas jiġu mwielda.  X’post se jħossu li għandhom dawn it-tfal fil-Knisja Kattolika?

 

Il-Knisja m’għandha l-ebda soluzzjoni għal min għandu problemi mediċi ta’ fertilità, ħlief li jibqa’ bihom jew li jidħol għall-adozzjoni.  Din tal-aħħar inċidentalment hija ħaġa tajba, imma mhix għal kulħadd, mhux l-anqas għax hemm ħafna iktar koppji infertili milli tfal għall-adozzjoni.  Fl-Awstralja, l-istatistika turi li wieħed minn kull 25 tarbija mwielda huwa riżultat tal-IVF,4 li juri li n-nies qiegħdin jagħżlu din it-triq bi ħġarhom, b’repudazzjoni ċara ta’ tagħlima prinċipali tal-Knisja.

 

Għandha l-Knisja l-umiltà li tistħarreġ jekk il-vuċi t’Alla jinstemax fil-karba tal-poplu tiegħu?

 

1http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/frequently-asked-questions/, retrieved 13/11/2018

2Mt 19:14

3Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2376-2377

4https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/australia-ivf-rates-revealed-one-in-every-25-births-an-ivf-baby-20180908-p502ja.html, retrieved 14/11/2018

1http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/frequently-asked-questions/, retrieved 13/11/2018

2Mt 19:14

3Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2376-2377

4https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/australia-ivf-rates-revealed-one-in-every-25-births-an-ivf-baby-20180908-p502ja.html, retrieved 14/11/2018

Bolt in Malta -- Berqa f'Malta

 

The Maltese word for the lightning bolt is berqa, which is also the eponymous name of the newspaper published from 1930 to 1968, preceding The Sunday Times of Malta and The Times of Malta which are still published to this day.1

 

I’m referring however to the bolt out of the blue (excuse the pun) of some days ago when the Maltese football club Valletta FC, winner of the Maltese championship for several years, was offering a 2 year contract to the olympic legend Usain Bolt, currently in Australia trying his luck with the Central Coast Mariners in NSW in the A league, with the aim of becoming a professional player of football (that game with a round ball, to be clear).2  Valletta’s offer was refused by the Jamaican athlete.

 

It seems that the new owners of the Maltese club, the Sanban Group from Dubai, are aiming for Champions League success in Europe, probably the international club championship most well known and followed worldwide.

 

This is a massive ambition for a club from a small country like Malta, which has long been used to its football clubs general, with small exceptions, being eliminated in the first round, or coming last in any elimination group of whatever competition.  The same experience usually also befalls the national team, year in, year out.

 

This is a huge frustration to Maltese fans whose heart beats faster from the first to the ninetieth minute of this world game, and is maybe the main reason why apart from having a favourite team in Malta, they usually also have a favourite foreign team (usually English or Italian, of course) which have a better chance of competing for the honours on the TV screens.

 

This is not to say that Maltese teams are necessarily inferior to their adversaries, but many times they seem to enter the pitch with an inferiority complex, and wouldn’t care to admit but in their hearts are already resigned to the probability that the match will not go their way.

 

Nevertheless a win here and there is not unheard of, but these are isolated and far between, like an oasis in an never-ending desert.  One usually expects to decry the missed chances, the periods of superiority, rather than talk about dominance over the whole match or a mathematically positive result.

 

It seems to me that four components are necessary to have more success than is evident today.  The first is to have club administrators who know what they want to achieve, be ambitious but humble.  Money is important, but isn’t everything, unless you’re Real Madrid or Manchester United.

 

The second is a manager/coach who knows how to read the game, knows his players’ weaknesses and their abilities, and above all knows how to motivate them

 

The third is for players to have confidence in the instructions they are given and in their own abilities, trust in their teammates and above all, belief that they can win.

 

Finally, there would be that player who is the real star of the show, that can create something out of nothing, or seems to be like a car’s dynamo – never stopping and dominating all over the pitch, being an inspiration and dragging his teammates with him.  The best examples are, or were, global stars like Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Charlton and Gianni Rivera, who stood out i their team and inspired their mates to aim for victory.

 

If Bolt had to sign up with Valletta (and this was a big IF from day one), he naturally would have stood out, by a mile, in the team, however although there is no doubt that no one would have caught up with him in a race to the ball, he would still need some time to develop his technical abilities.  Bolt has departed from athletics only last year, and perhaps one might expect too much from the man.  This does not mean that he cannot become a great player, but it’s fair to say he has a fair way to go.

 

The club’s owners may also have had a wider strategy, for example the presence of Bolt apart from increasing the activity at the turnstiles, attract more interest by potential sponsors in the club, which would mean that they’d be able to invest in other players with some calibre.

 

In the meantime, go Valletta City!

 

---------------------------

 

Le m’iniex qiegħed nirreferi għall-gazzetta Il-Berqa li kienet ippubblikata mill-1930 sal-1968, li ppreċediet lil The Sunday Times of Malta u The Times of Malta li għadhom ippubblikati sal-lum.1

 

Qed nirreferi għall-aħbar f’leħħa ta’ berqa (ma stajtx nirreżistiha din, skużawni) li l-klabb Malti tal-futbol Valletta FC, rebbieħ tal-kampjonat Malti għal diversi snin, kien rappurtat li qiegħed joffri kuntratt ta’ sentejn lill-leġġenda olimpika Usain Bolt, li bħalissa jinsab l-Awstralja jittanta xortih mas-Central Coast Mariners f’NSW fl-A League, bl-għan li jsir plejer professjonali tal-futbol (dik il-logħba bil-ballun tond, biex niftiehmu).2  L-offerta tal-Valletta ġiet irrifjutata mill-atleta Ġamajkan.

 

Jidher li s-sidien il-ġodda tal-klabb Malti, l-investituri Sanban Group minn Dubai, għandhom il-mira li l-Valletta jkollhom suċċess fiċ-Champions League tal-Ewropa, probabbilment l-iktar kampjonat internazzjonali għall-klabbs magħruf u segwit fid-dinja.

 

Din hija ambizzjoni kbira ħafna għal klabb ta’ pajjiż żgħir bħal Malta, li ilu imdorri l-klabbs tal-futbol ġeneralment, b’eċċezzjonijiet żgħar, jinqalgħu fl-ewwel rawnd, jew jiġu l-aħħar fil-grupp eleminatorju ta’ kwalunkwe kompetizzjoni.  L-istess esperjenza jkollu wkoll it-tim nazzjonali, sena wara sena.

 

Din hija frustrazzjoni kbira għall-partitarji Maltin li għandhom demmhom ibaqbaq għal din il-logħba dinjija, u forsi hija r-raġuni prinċipali għalfejn apparti li jkollhom tim favorit tagħhom Malti, ijkollhom ukoll tim favorit barrani (ġeneralment Ingliż jew Taljan, s’intendi), li għandhom iktar ċans jarawhom jikkompetu għall-unuri fuq l-iskrins tat-televiżjoni.

 

Dan ma jfissirx li t-timijiet Maltin neċessarjament huma inferjuri mill-avversarji tagħhom, imma ħafna drabi jidhirli li jinżlu fil-grawnd tal-futbol b’kumpless ta’ inferjorità, fejn ma jkunux lesti li jammettuha imma f’qalbhom ikunu rassenjati li l-logħba se tispiċċa ħażin.

 

Madankollu xi rebħa ‘l hawn u ‘l hemm ikun hemm ukoll, imma jkunu waħdiet, qishom oażi f’

deżert interminabbli.  Iktar wieħed jistenna u jibki ċ-ċansijiet mitlufa, u perjodi ta’ superjorità, milli dominanza f’partita sħiħa jew riżultat matematikament pożittiv.

Jien jidhirli li hemm bżonn ta’ reba’tliet komponenti biex wieħed ikollu iktar suċċess milli għandu llum.  L-ewwel hu li jkun hemm diriġenti tal-klabb, li jafu xi jridu, li jkunu ambizzjużi imma umli.  Il-flus huma importanti, imma mhumiex kollox, sakemm m’intix xi Real Madrid jew Manchester United.

 

It-tieni huwa maniġer/kowċ li jaf jaqra l-logħba, jaf il-plejers tiegħu minn xiex ibatu u x’abbiltajiet għandhomtagħhom, u fuq kollox jaf jimmotivahom.

 

It-tielet huwa li l-plejers jkollhom il-kunfidenza fl-istruzzjonijiet li jingħataw u fl-abbiltajiet tagħhom, jafdaw fi sħabhom u fuq kollox, jemmnu li jistgħu joħorġu rebbieħa.

 

Fl-aħħarnett, ikun hemm dak il-plejer li jkun stilla ta’ vera, li kapaċi joħloq ċans mix-xejn, jew li qisu dajnamo tal-karrozza u ssibu mal-grawnd kollu jiddominah, li jkun ta’ ispirazzjoni u jkaxkar lil sħabu miegħu.  L-aħjar eżempji huma, jew kienu, stilel mondjali bħal Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Charlton u Franco BaresiGianni Rivera, li jispikkaw fit-tim tagħhom u jispiraw lil sħabhom biex jimmiraw lejn ir-rebħa.

 

JekkLi kellu Bolt jiffirma mal-Belt, (u mill-ewwel dindehret JEKK kbira), dan naturalment kien jispikka, u mhux ftit, fit-tim, imma għalkemm m’hemm l-ebda dubju li mhu se jilħqu ħadd f’ġirja għall-ballun, kien ikollu jirid jgħaddi iktar żmien biex jiżviluppa l-abbiltajiet tekniċi tiegħu.  Bolt Iilu milli telaq mill-atletika biss sena, u forsi wieħed qiegħed jistenna wisq mill-bniedem, u dan ma jfissirx li ma jistax isir plejer mill-kbar, imma kif ngħidu bil-Malti, baqagħlu jiekol ftit bajd u ġobon.

 

Is-sidien tal-klabb jista’ jkun ukoll li għandhom strateġija iktar wiesgħa minn hekk, per eżempju li l-preżenza ta’ Bolt apparti li tista’setgħet iżżid il-partitarji li jixtru biljett għall-grawnd, ikun hemm iktar interess minn sponsors tal-klabb, li jfisser li jkunu jistgħu jinvestu f’plejers oħra ta’ kalibru.

 

Sadattant, forza Valletta City!

 

 

 

1https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/printing-in-malta/, retrieved 16/10/2018

2https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20181015/football/valletta-fc-owners-offer-contract-to-bolt.691696, retrieved 16/10/2018

1https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/printing-in-malta/, retrieved 16/10/2018

2https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20181015/football/valletta-fc-owners-offer-contract-to-bolt.691696, retrieved 16/10/2018

National (unity?) day -- Jum (ta' għaqda?) nazzjonali

 

The new Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has just caused a commotion in the country with his suggestion to create a new national day to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people1, separate from the established Australia Day of the 26th January which commemorates the arrival in Australia by Commander Arthur Philip with his prisoner-laden ships in Sydney on that day in 1788.2

 

It should be remembered that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people consider this day in 1788 as the start of their land’s invasion, a story leading to massacres of their people, generations of kids stolen to be reared by whites, the destruction of ancient cultures and the infliction of inter-generational trauma the effect of which is still being felt.  It’s not without cause that these people, the first ones to walk this continent, feel that if they celebrated today’s Australia Day would feel they would be dancing on the graves of their ancestors.

 

Cynical observers of the Australian political scene might come to the conclusion that the PM’s main  objective is simply to deviate attention from the recent shenanigans within his Liberal Party which led him to become leader, where a deep divide on the party’s direction was very much on show and an anguished cry was heard from several elected Liberal women parliamentarians, who felt discriminated and intimidated by their party, and declared this openly.  Whether this cynicism is justified is not as interesting to me as the subject itself, which I think the country would be prudent to take the PM’s suggestion and debate it thoroughly.

 

My first observation regards the reason given by Prime Minister Morrison for the suggestion of a new day.  He is against the day of Australia Day being changed from the 26th January, as many are asking and also being accepted by some local councils, to the frustration of the federal government.  For the PM, that day represents the moment when Australia changed for ever, and we cannot pretend this did not happen, he continued.

 

I think one might legitimately agree with this statement, without coming to the conclusion that this day is one of celebration.

 

Morrison’s proposal to declare another national day to celebrate the legacy of 60 thousand years of the first peoples of Australia, I see as a defence of Australia Day as defined today, and an acknowledgement that the first peoples of Australia should be celebrated by the whole country.  The proposal is a pragmatic one, and reminds me of similar decisions taken by the Maltese Nationalist government of Eddie Fenech Adami, who when the time came to declare a Maltese National day, ended up declaring five dates of national importance as National Days, and did not choose any one of them as predominant.

 

What is common is that the debate that always arises in these cases is not taken to a point where a decision is taken which has broad agreement (not consensus however, which I think is impossible).  In Malta, debate on a national day generally takes place along party lines, with Nationalist supporters favouring Independence Day, and Labour supporters preferring Freedom Day or Republic Day.

 

Malta’s decision to have 5 national holidays was a pragmatic move, where everyone felt winning something, but actually nothing really was resolved.  Up to today, people from each side of the political divide acknowledges that the situation is just ridiculous that there is no moment in its history that unites the Maltese people.

 

This view is also held by the current Maltese President Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca and her predecesssor George Abela.3

 

If the proposal by the Australian Prime Minister is accepted and a new national day is created to celebrate the heritage of the first peoples, and voices for and against in this respect are being heard, I still think this will not lead to the first peoples of Australia accepting today’s Australia Day.  The objective of unity of the country’s inhabitants will not be reached.  We will end up with a large group of Australians celebrating one day only, and another large group celebrating the other only.

 

Where do I stand?

 

For me, the priority should be to resume the discussion on a treaty between the Australian government and the first peoples.  This discussion was taken to a point where the first peoples in 2017 issued the so-called Uluru Declaration from the Heart4 where they asked for a voice guaranteed by the constitution, a request that the Australian government promptly rejected giving as a reason that the request would not pass in a referendum.

 

No further progress has been achieved since then, a year ago.  If discussions resume so that the form  of this requested voice be clarified and agreed, and put to a referendum where the Australian people has the opportunity of approval, this would be a great step forward to start healing the wounds of the past and the present.

 

That day, when the first indigenous peoples and those descended from immigrants would have made peace with each other and hand-in-hand start building their future and that of their country, would truly deserve to be called Australia Day.

 

-----------------------------

 

Il-prim ministru l-ġdid Awstraljan, Scott Morrison, għadu kif qajjem kjass fil-pajjiż bis-suġġeriment tiegħu li jonħolog jum nazzjonali ġdid li jirrikonoxxi n-nies aboriġini u dawk tal-gżejjer ta’ Torres Strait,1 separat minn dak stabbilit tas-26 ta’ Jannar (Jum l-Awstralja) li jikkommemora l-wasla fl-Awstralja tal-kmandant Arthur Philip bil-vapuri mimlija ħabsin f’Sydney f’dik il-ġurnata tal-1788.2

 

Ta’ min ifakkar li n-nies aboriġeni u dawk tal-gżejjer Torres Strait iqisu sal-lum dik il-ġurnata tal-1788 bħala l-bidu tal-invażjoni ta’ arthom, storja li kellha twassal għal massakri sħaħ ta’ nieshom, ġenerazzjonijiet misruqa ta’ tfal meħuda biex jitrabbew mill-bojod, qerda ta’ kulturi antiki u trawma inter-ġenerazzjonali  li l-effetti tagħha għadhom jinħassu bil-kbir.  Mhux ta’ b’xejn li dawn in-nies, l-ewwel popli li mxew fuq dan il-kontinent, kieku kellhom jiċċelebraw Jum l-Awstralja tal-lum għalihom iħossu li jkunu qiegħdin jiżfnu fuq l-oqbra ta’ missirijiethom.

 

Osservaturi ċiniċi tal-politika Awstraljana jistgħu jaslu għall-konklużjoni li l-PM moħħu biss biex jiddevja l-attenzjoni mill-intriċċi riċenti tal-Partit Liberali li wassluh biex isir mexxej, fejn inkixfet firda kbira fuq direzzjoni tal-partit u anke karba minn diversi nisa membri Liberali eletti tal-parlament, li ħassewhom diskriminati u intimidati mill-partit tagħhom, u stqarrew dan apertament.  Jekk dan iċ-ċiniċiżmu hux ġustifikat ma jinteressanix daqs is-suġġett innifsu, li naħseb li l-pajjiż ikun għaqli li jilqa’ s-suġġeriment tal-PM biex jiddibattih bis-sħiħ.

 

L-ewwel osservazzjoni tiegħi hu r-raġuni li ta l-prim ministru Morrison għalfejn issuġġerixxa jum ġdid.  Huwa kontra li l-ġurnata ta’ Jum l-Awstralja tinbidel mis-26 ta’ Jannar, bħal ma qiegħdin jitolbu ħafna u anke bħal ma beda jiġi aċċettat minn xi kunsilli lokali, għall-frustrazzjoni tal-gvern federali.  Għalih, dik il-ġurnata tirrappreżenta l-mument meta l-Awstralna nbidlet għal dejjem, u ma nistgħux nippretendu li dan mhux minnu, kompla.

 

Jien naħseb li wieħed jista’ leġittimament jaqbel ma’ din l-istqarrija, mingħajr ma jasal għall-konklużjoni li din il-ġurnata hija waħda ta’ ċelebrazzjoni.

 

Il-proposta ta’ Morrison li jtiġi dtikjarata ġurnata oħra nazzjonali biex jiġi ċċelebrat il-wirt tas-60 elf sena tal-ewwel popli Awstraljani, naraha bħala difiża ta’ Jum l-Awstralja kif inhu definit illum, u rikonoxximent li l-ewwel popli Awstraljani għandhom ikunu ċelebrati wkoll mill-pajjiż kollu.  Il-proposta hija waħda pragmatika, u tfakkarni fid-deċiżjonijiet mittieħda mill-gvern Malti Nazzjonalista ta’ Eddie Fenech Adami, li meta ġie biex jiddikjara l-Jum Nazzjonali Malti, spiċċa biex iddikjara ħames dati ta’ importanza nazzjonali bħala Jiem Nazzjonali, u m’għażel l-ebda wieħed minnhom bħala predominanti.

 

Li hemm komuni hu li d-dibattitu li dejjem jitqajjem f’dawn il-każijiet ma tiġix żviluppata sal-punt li tittieħed deċiżjoni li jkun hemm qbil wiesgħa fuqha (mhux kunsens, li dan narah impossibbli).  F’Malta, d-dibattitu fuq il-jum nazzjonali ġeneralment huwa purament partiġġjan, fejn in-Nazzjonalisti jiffavorixxu Jum l-Indipendenza, u l-Laburisti Jum il-Ħelsien jew Jum ir-Repubblika.  

 

Id-deċiżjoni li Malta jkollha ħames festi nazzjonali kien pass pragmatiku, fejn kulħadd ħass li rebaħ xi ħaġa, imma proprjament ma solva xejn.  Sal-lum nies ta’ kull naħa politika jirrikonoxxu li s-sitwazzjoni hija redikola li m’hemmx mument fl-istorja tiegħu li tgħaqqad lill-poplu Malti kollu.  Dawn jinkludu anke l-President ta’ Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca u dak ta’ qabilha George Abela.3

 

Jekk il-proposta tal-Prim Ministru Awstraljan jiġi aċċettat u jkun hemm jum nazzjonali li jiċċelebra l-wirt tal-ewwel popli, u qed jinstemgħu vuċijiet favur u kontra, dan xorta nħoss li mhux se jwassal biex l-ewwel popli Awstraljani jaċċettaw lil Jum l-Awstralja tal-lum.  L-għan tal-għaqda tal-poplu ma jkunx milħuq.  Nispiċċaw ikun hemm grupp kbir ta’ Awstraljani li jiċċelebraw jum wieħed biss, u grupp kbir ieħor jiċċelebraw l-ieħor biss.

 

U jien xi ngħid?

 

Jien għalija l-prijorità għandha tkun li tissokta d-diskussjoni fuq trattat bejn il-gvern Awstraljan u l-ewwel popli.  Din id-diskussjoni waslet sal-punt fejn l-eEwwel popli fl-2017 ħarġu l-hekk imsejħa Stqarrija ta’ Uluru mill-Qalb4 fejn talbu vuċi garantit mill-kostituzzjoni, talba li l-gvern Awstraljan fil-pront ma’ aċċettax bl-għajta li din it-talba ma jkollix l-appoġġ tal-poplu Awstraljan f’referendum.  

 

Ma sar l-ebda progress minn dakinhar, madwar sena ilu.  Jekk it-taħdidiet jissuktaw biex il-forma ta’ din il-vuċi tiġi ċċarata u maqbula, u jsir referendum fejn il-poplu Awstraljan ikollu l-opportunità li japprovah, dan ikun pass kbir ‘il quddiem biex jibdew ifiequ l-ġerħat tal-passat u tal-preżent.

 

Dik il-ġurnata, fejn l-ewwel popli indiġeni u dawk imnissla mill-immigranti jagħmlu paċi ma’ xulxin u id f’id flimkien jibdew jibnu l-futur tagħhom u tal-pajjiż, tassew ikun jistħoqqilha tissejjaħ Jum l-Awstralja.

 

 

1https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/25/scott-morrison-calls-for-new-national-day-to-recognise-indigenous-people, retrieved 25/9/2018

2https://www.australiaday.org.au/about-australia-day/history/, retrieved 25/9/2018

3https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180909/local/president-calls-for-sole-national-day.688668, retrieved 25/9/2018

4https://www.referendumcouncil.org.au/sites/default/files/2017-05/Uluru_Statement_From_The_Heart_0.PDF, retrieved 25/9/2018

1https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/25/scott-morrison-calls-for-new-national-day-to-recognise-indigenous-people, retrieved 25/9/2018

2https://www.australiaday.org.au/about-australia-day/history/, retrieved 25/9/2018

3https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180909/local/president-calls-for-sole-national-day.688668, retrieved 25/9/2018

4https://www.referendumcouncil.org.au/sites/default/files/2017-05/Uluru_Statement_From_The_Heart_0.PDF, retrieved 25/9/2018