The situation with China -- Is-sitwazzjoni maċ-Ċina

 

You know that a subject is a wide preoccupation when friends or family members start mentioning the same thing almost immediately upon meeting with you.

 

That’s what happened this week, when my friends mentioned the fragile relationship between Australia and China, and what might be its implications on our lives.

 

China is the country with the highest population globally, this year estimated at 1.4 billion, or 18.7% of the global population.1  It is the second highest economy in the world in nominal terms, which in 2019 was measured at $14 trillion, a bit more than half that of the United States ($21 trillion).  By another measure, an estimate of how much a country is able to purchase (Purchasing Power Parity - PPP), the Chinese economy ($23.4 trillion) is already larger than that of the United States ($21.3 trillion).2

 

What is extraordinary is how this country has managed to develop in this way and come out of the country status so-called ‘second world’ (a derogatory moniker by western countries), and a so-called ‘developing country’ (self-applied with the World Trade Organisation - WTO), without much fanfare, in a manner that can well be described as peaceful and without involvement in many bloody wars here and there after the Second World War, that the US and its allies entered into with gusto.

 

The mouse became the elephant in the room that everybody pretended did not exist, and all of a sudden everybody is in a panic running around not knowing what to do.  Everything seems to have been brought to a head when China in a blink of an eye build several artificial islands in the South China Sea, and established a military facility on them.3  Against international law?  Yes, that was established by an international tribunal in 2016.  Against what had been promised by China itself?  Without a doubt.

 

A hostile act?  Before answering that, consider that the United States has (or at least had by 2015) 800 military bases in more than 70 countries around the world.4

 

Are the latter necessary, for the United States?  If yes, why are the former not necessary, for China?

 

Are you scared of nuclear armaments under the control of Xi Jinping?  And what about those under the control of Donald Trump?

 

It is known that China has built huge centres of ‘re-education’ in Xinjiang province, where it is thought are being kept around a million Uighurs, a minority Muslim group in this region.  China has for years been accused by several countries with human rights abuses, including the forced sterilisation of women.  China does not like receiving these accusations, initially denying the camps’ very existence, later saying they were necessary because of separatist violence, and continued denying the forced sterilisation.5

 

Closer to us, Australia this week woke up to the news that a military investigation over a period of 4 years found that the Australian special forces were involved in the unnecessary killing of 39 civilians, including throat cutting, and the malicious planting of firearms next to bodies to justify the killings.  It was concluded that these actions had not been done in the heat of battle.6

 

To the country’s credit, the Australian authorities, both military and civil, did not hide the acts and seem to be considering what serious steps can be taken in these circumstances against those that perpetrated and/or failed to act.

 

Then China, uncommonly, made a declaration on Twitter that condemned the alleged acts and, furthermore, retweeted a modified photo showing an Australia soldier cutting the throat of a boy on his knee.

 

Was this photo unnecessary and inflammatory?  Of course, it was better if it didn’t happen.  Nevertheless what was interesting for me was the official Australian reaction, which was quick to come out.  Prime Minister Morrison asked the Chinese government for an apology, that the writing on Twitter be removed and saying that the Chinese government should be ashamed of the text.7

 

It seemed to me that the tone of the Australian official reaction to the Chinese criticism was stronger than the tone of the Australian official reaction to the alleged atrocities by the military special forces.

 

It is not enough to say you are transparently taking action.  From my viewpoint, we have lost an opportunity to show in practice that when ugly cases come about on our side, we are able to have a discussion with our international partners, even when these are critical in our regard.  Isn’t this what we expect from others?

 

We could keep on going.  China these days is considering ordering the limitation of export of advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and cryptography, on the basis of the country’s national security.8  This will naturally affect other countries that would like to use similar technologies in their industries, who will see this as a tough measure.

 

Is it bad that such a step is taken?  The United States has for many years been limiting the export of supercomputer technology to China, and this activity is still under way.9

 

Who will throw the first stone?  Or rather, who has already done so?

 

I’m sorry to say that when the Chinese accuse the West of hypocrisy, I have to say they are right.

 

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Tkun taf li suġġett qiegħed jippreokkupa l-imħuħ meta ħbieb jew familjari jibdew isemmu l-istess ħaġa miegħek kważi mallewwel li jkun ltaqgħu miegħek.

 

Hekk ġrali din il-ġimgħa, meta ħbieb tiegħi semmewli r-relazzjonijiet mwiegħra bejn l-Awstralja u ċ-Ċina, u x’jistgħu jkunu l-implikazzjonijiet fuq ħajjitna.

 

Iċ-Ċina hija l-pajjiż bl-ikbar popolazzjoni fid-dinja, f’din is-sena stmata li hi 1.4 biljun persuna, jew 18.7% tal-popolazzjoni dinjija.1  Hija t-tieni l-ikbar ekonomija fid-dinja f’termini nominali, li  fl-2019 kienet imkejla 14 triljun dollaru, ftit iktar minn nofs dak tal-Istati Uniti (21 triljun dollaru).  B’kejl ieħor, dak li jistma kemm il-pajjiż kapaċi jixtri (Purchasing Power Parity – PPP), l-ekonomija taċ-Ċina (b’$23.4 triljun) diġà hija ikbar minn dik tal-Istati Uniti ($21.3 triljun).2

 

Li huwa straordinarju huwa kemm il-pajjiż irnexxielu jiżviluppa b’dan il-mod u joħroġ mill-istat ta’ pajjiż hekk imsejjaħ (derogattivament mill-pajjiżi tal-punent) tat-tieni dinja (jiġifieri dik kommunista), u stat hekk imsejjaħ (minnu nnifsu mal-WTO – World Trade Organisation) li qiegħed jiżviluppa, bi ftit daqq ta’ trombi, b’mod tista’ tgħid paċifiku u mingħajr involviment f’ħafna gwerer ‘l hawn u ‘l hemm mdemmija sew wara t-tieni gwerra dinjija li l-Istati Uniti u l-allejati tagħha daħlu għalihom bi ħġarhom.

 

Il-ġurdien sar iljunfant li għal ħafna snin kulħadd għamel tabirruħu li ma jeżistix, u f’daqqa waħda kulħadd qiegħed f’paniku ma jafx x’se jaqbad jagħmel.  Kollox qisu beda meta ċ-Ċina f’ħakka t’għajn bniet diversi gżejjer artifiċjali fis-South China Sea, u stabbiliet faċilità militari fuqhom.3  Kontra l-liġi internazzjonali?  Iva, hekk stabbilixxa tribunal internazzjonali fl-2016.  Kontra dak li ġie mwiegħed miċ-Ċiniżi stess?  Iva dażgur.

 

Aġir ta’ pajjiż ostili?  Qabel ma twieġeb din, ikkunsidra li l-Istati Uniti għandha (jew talinqas kellha fl-2015) 800 bażi militari f’iktar minn 70 pajjiż madwar id-dinja.4

 

Dawn tal-aħħar neċessarji, għall-Istati Uniti?  Jekk iva, għaliex dawk tal-ewwel mhux neċessarji, għaċ-Ċina?

 

Ibeżżgħuk armi nukleari taħt il-kontroll ta’ Xi Jinping?  U xi tgħidli għal dawk taħt il-kontroll ta’ Donald Trump?

 

Huwa magħruf li ċ-Ċina bniet ċentri kbar ta’ ‘ri-edukazzjoni’ fil-provinċja ta’ Xinjiang, fejn huma maħsubin li jinżammu madwar miljun Ujgur, grupp Musulman ta’ minoranza f’dan ir-reġjun.  Iċ-Ċina ilha snin akkużata minn diversi pajjiżi b’abbuż tad-drittijiet umani, inkluż sterilizzazzjoni sfurzata tan-nisa.  Iċ-Ċina ma tieħux gost tirċievi dawn l-akkużi, fil-bidu caħdet li l-kampijiet jeżistu, imbagħad qalet li huma neċessarji minħabba l-vjolenza separatista, u kompliet tiċħad l-isterilizzazzjoni sfurzata.5

 

Iktar qrib tagħna, l-Awstralja din il-ġimgħa qamet għall-aħbar li investigazzjoni militari fuq medda ta’ erba’ snin sabet li l-forzi speċjali Awstraljani kienu nvoluti fil-qtil bla bżonn ta’ 39 persuna ċivili, inkluż allegatament il-qtugħ tal-gerżuma, u t-tqegħid makakk ta’ armi mal-iġsma biex jiġġustifika l-qtil.  Ġie konkluż li dawn l-azzjonijiet ma kinux saru fil-qilla tal-battalja.6

 

Għall-kreditu tal-pajjiż, l-awtoritajiet Awstraljani, kemm militari kif ukoll ċivili, ma ħbewx l-aġir u jidher li qegħdin jikkunsidraw x’passi serji għandhom jittieħdu f’dawn iċ-ċirkstanzi kontra minn wettaqu u/jew ma qediex dmiru.

 

Imbagħad iċ-Ċina, b’mod mhux komuni, ħarġet stqarrija fuq Twitter fejn ikkundannat dan l-allegat aġir u, iktar minn hekk, reġgħet ippubblikat ritratt modifikat li juri suldat Awstraljan jaqta’ l-gerżuma ta’ tifel fuq irkobbtejh.

 

Kien żejjed u inflammatorju dan ir-ritratt?  Dażgur, aħjar ma sarx.  Madankollu għalija l-interessanti għalija kienet ir-reazzjoni uffiċjali Awstraljana, li ma damitx biex toħroġ.  Il-Prim Ministru Morrison talab apoloġija mill-gvern Ċiniż, li l-kitba li timbuttak fuq Twitter tiġi mneħħija, u qal li l-gvern Ċiniż imissu jistħi bil-kitba.7

 

Jien deherli li t-ton tar-reazzjoni uffiċjali Awstraljana għall-kritika Ċiniża kienet iktar qawwija mit-ton tar-reazzjoni uffiċjali Awstraljana għall-allegat atroċitajiet infushom tal-forzi speċjali militari.  

 

Mhuwiex biżżejjed li tgħid li qed tieħu azzjoni b’trasparenza.  Għalija, tlifna opportunità biex nuru fil-prattika li meta jinqalgħu każijiet koroh min-naħa tagħna, aħna kapaċi jkollna diskussjoni mal-imsieħba internazzjonali tagħna, anke meta jkunu kritiċi fil-konfront tagħna.  Aħna mhux hekk nippretendu mingħand ħaddieħor?

 

Nistgħu nibgħu sejrin hekk.  Iċ-Ċina f’dawn il-ġranet qiegħda tikkunsidra ordni biex tillimita l-esportazzjoni ta’ teknoloġiji avvanzati bħall-intelliġenza artifiċjali u l-kriptografija, abbażi tas-sigurtà nazzjonali tal-pajjiż.8  Dan naturalment jaffettwa pajjiżi oħra li jkunu jridu jużaw teknoloġiji simili fl-oqsma industrijali tagħhom, li se jarawha bħala pass iebes.  

 

Ħażin li jittieħed pass bħal dan?  L-Istati Uniti ilhom għal snin kbar jillimitaw l-esportazzjoni ta’ teknoloġiji ta’ superkompjuters liċ-Ċina, u din l-attività għadha sejra.9

 

Min se jitfa l-ewwel ġebla?  Jew min tefagħha diġà?

 

Jiddispjaċini ngħid li meta ċ-Ċiniżi jgħajru lill-Pununt b’ipokrezija, ikolli nagħtihom raġun.

 

 

1https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/, retrieved 1/12/2020

2https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true, retrieved 1/12/2020

3https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/world/asia/south-china-sea-navy.html, retrieved 1/12/2020

4https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321, retrieved 1/12/2020

5https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037, retrieved 1/12/2020

6https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/19/australian-special-forces-involved-in-of-39-afghan-civilians-war-crimes-report-alleges, retrieved 1/12/2020

7https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/30/australia-china-pm-scott-morrison-demands-apology-fake-chinese-tweet-adf-soldier, retrieved 1/12/2020

8https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-new-export-control-law-restrictions-imposed-23-items-technology/, retrieved 1/12/2020

9https://www.engadget.com/2019-06-21-us-export-restrictions-blocks-china-supercomputer.html, retrieved 1/12/2020

1https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/, retrieved 1/12/2020

2https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true, retrieved 1/12/2020

3https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/world/asia/south-china-sea-navy.html, retrieved 1/12/2020

4https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321, retrieved 1/12/2020

5https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-22278037, retrieved 1/12/2020

6https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/19/australian-special-forces-involved-in-of-39-afghan-civilians-war-crimes-report-alleges, retrieved 1/12/2020

7https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/30/australia-china-pm-scott-morrison-demands-apology-fake-chinese-tweet-adf-soldier, retrieved 1/12/2020

8https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-new-export-control-law-restrictions-imposed-23-items-technology/, retrieved 1/12/2020

9https://www.engadget.com/2019-06-21-us-export-restrictions-blocks-china-supercomputer.html, retrieved 1/12/2020

Between life and death -- Bejn ħajja u mewt

 

Death is primarily a tragic reality - ask anybody who has lost a loved one, probably we have all had this experience of loss that come in suddenly in our lives.

 

Apart from the tragedy, death and what comes after, is also fascinating, if not more, for several reasons.  The first that comes to mind is how man has tried to make sense of it all, and this depends upon on his or her beliefs and social attitudes.

 

The three great Abrahamic religions, that is Christianit, Judaism and Islam, all believe more or less in a spiritual place where the soul of man resides after death, and also in resurrection.  Hindus believe that all living things have a soul, not only man, and that after death, the soul reincarnates into another being, and therefore life and death form a continuous cycle.  Buddhists also have the same idea of a continuous cycle of life and death that however ends when man is in an enlightened state of nirvana, however this cycle relates to an energy, not a soul in which they do not believe.

 

In my life’s formation, as that of so many other Maltese and Christians, the resurrection or rising from the dead was always a subject at the forefront of religious and social life.  The feast of Easter is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus in the third day, with resurrection is considered as a great miracle, that that of Jesus considered to be the crux of faith, as with it he won over death and gave life to the dead.

 

The Jesus story is not the only one of resurrection in the New Testament, there are also those of Lazarus who had been buried for four days1, and that of the twelve year old daughter of Jairus, a synagogue leader, whose length of time dead is not known,2 all with the intervention considered miraculous by Jesus himself.

 

In daily life, it is considered a curious fact when news is heard, not so common but then again not so rare, of someone starting to move again while being taken to burial or cremation, you can imagine the shock felt by those present, one minute becrying their lot in losing a loved one, and the next seeing what for them is a miracle occurring right before their eyes.  Naturally, it would quickly occur to one that perhaps the declaration of death itself hadn’t been made with due care.

 

Traditionally, a person was considered to have died when the pulse could not longer be felt (heartbeat) and no breathing is felt either.  These are not precise methods, especially if the person might have weakened functions, and therefore it is easy for a mistake to be made.  Apart from this, today with procedures of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) - chest compressions followed by forced ventilation of the lungs from the mouth, as well as defibrillation can restart these processes if carried out within a short time (a few minutes) after they would have stopped.

 

Today, death is considered to have occurred when there is no longer any activity in the brain permanently, which is taken to mean that the person is no longer conscious, and therefore it is said that the brain died (brain dead).  The permanence of this state is important, as a person may be in such a state during a coma which can be reversible, when under the temporary influence of some drugs and some other medical conditions.

 

A really interesting state related to this is hypothermia, where the body’s temperature is under 35C.  In severe cases, the heart starts beating more slowly, and can even stop, but this state is reversible, even after several hours.

One example was that of an Englishwoman who was caught in an ice storm in Spain in November 2019.  When they finally got to her, she was found with a temperture of 18C and unconscious.  When taken to hospital, the medical staff managed to resuscitate her even if her heart had stopped beating for six hours.3

 

Another extraordinary case was that of seven Danish kids in 2011 who fell in freezing water at 2C, and whose heart also stopped for around 6 hours, but they were all revived without there seeming to be any long term consequences.4

 

This is the result of a reflex that humans and some other animals have (although somewhat weaker) in common with aquatic mammals, such as dolphins and seals, where the veins narrow, heart rate decreases and oxygen becomes prioritised towards the brain and heart.  This happens when the body feels the cold and nostrils become wet, permitting diving for long durations.

 

Indeed the definition of death still has to evolve!

 

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Il-mewt hija realtà primarjament traġika – staqsi lil kull min tilef xi ħadd għażiż, probabbilment ilkoll kellna din l-esperjenza ta’ dan in-nuqqas li jidħol ħabta u sabta f’ħajjitna.

 

Apparti t-traġedja, il-mewt kif ukoll x’jiġri warajha, hija ukoll affaxxinanti, jekk mhux iktar, għal diversi raġunijiet.  L-ewwel ħaġa li tiġini f’rasi hi kif il-bniedem jipprova jagħmel sens minnha, u dan jiddependi fuq it-twemminijiet u attitudnijiet soċjali tiegħu.  

 

It-tliet reliġjonijiet il-kbar Abramiċi, jiġifieri l-Kristjaneżmu, il-Ġudaiżmu u l-Islam, it-tlieta jemmnu xi ftit jew wisq f’post spirtwali fejn ir-ruħ tal-bniedem tmur tgħammar wara l-mewt, u wkoll fir-resurrezzjoni.  Il-Ħindu jemmnu kull ħlejqa għandha ruħ, mhux biss il-bnedmin, u li wara l-mewt, ir-ruħ terġa’ tiġi rrinkarnata f’xi ħlejqa oħra, u allura l-ħajja u l-mewt jagħmlu parti minn ċiklu kontinwu.  Il-Buddisti wkoll għandhom l-istess idea taċ-ċiklu kontinwu tal-ħajja u l-mewt li tintemm meta l-bniedem ikun fi stat imdawwal ta’ nirvana, imma dan iċ-ċiklu jseħħ permezz ta’ enerġija u mhux ruħ li ma jemmnux fiha.

 

Fil-formazzjoni ta’ ħajti, bħal ta’ tant Maltin u Insara oħra, ir-resurrezzjoni jew il-qawmien mill-imwiet kienet suġġett dejjem fuq quddiem fil-ħajja reliġjuża u soċjali.  Il-festa tal-Għid hija bbażata fuq il-mewt u l-qawmien ta’ Ġesù fit-tielet jum, u r-resurrezzjoni hija kkunsidrata bħala miraklu kbir, u dak ta’ Ġesù kkunsidrat bħala l-qofol tal-fidi għax biha rebaħ il-mewt u ta l-ħajja lill-mejtin.

 

Ta’ Ġesù mhix l-unika storja ta’ resurrezzjoni li teżisti fit-testment il-ġdid, hemm ukoll dak ta’ Lazzru li kien ilu midfun erbat ijiem1, u tat-tifla ta’ tnax-il sena ta’ Jairus, mexxej ta’ sinagoga, li mhux magħruf kemm kienet ilha mejta2, kollha b’intervent meqjus mirakoluż ta’ Ġesù nnifsu.

 

Fil-ħajja ta’ kuljum, huwa meqjus fatt kurjuż meta tinstema aħbar, mhix komuni imma lanqas daqshekk rari, li xi ħadd reġa’ beda jferfer waqt li kien qed jittieħed lejn id-difna jew il-kremazzjoni, tista’ timmaġina x-xokk jinħass minn dawk li jkun preżenti, filli jibku xortihom li ntilef xi ħadd għażiż, u filli jaraw dak li għalihom huwa miraklu jseħħ quddiem għajnejhom.  Naturalment, wieħed malajr jista’ jiġih il-ħsieb li forsi d-dikjarazzjoni tal-mewt innifisha ma kinetx magħmula bil-galbu.

 

Tradizzjonalment, il-bniedem kien ikkunsidrat li jkun miet meta ma jinħasslux iktar il-polz (it-taħbit tal-qalb) u ma jinħassx in-nifs.  Dawn mhumiex metodi preċiżi, speċjalment jekk il-bniedem ikollu dawn il-funzjonijiet tiegħu dgħajfa, u għalhekk faċli li jsir żball.  Apparti dan, illum proċeduri ta’ CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) – kumpressjoni tas-sider flimkien ma’ ventilazzjoni sfurzata tal-pulmuni mill-ħalq, kif ukoll id-defibrillazzjoni jistgħu jerġgħu jqajmu dawn il-proċessi jekk magħmulin f’qasir żmien (ftit minuti) wara li jkunu waqfu.

 

Illum, il-mewt tkun meqjusa li seħħet meta ma jkunx hemm iktar attività fil-moħħ b’mod permanenti, li jitqies li jfisser li l-bniedem ma jibqax konxju, u allura jingħad li l-moħħ miet (brain dead).  Il-permanenza ta’ dan l-istat huwa importanti, għax bniedem jista’ jkun f’dan l-istat waqt koma li tista’ tkun reversibbli, meta jkun taħt l-influwenza temporanja ta’ xi drogi u xi kundizzjonijiet mediċi oħra.

 

Stat interessanti ħafna relatat ma’ dan huwa l-hypothermia, fejn it-temperatura tal-ġisem tkun taħt 35C.  F’każijiet severi, il-qalb tibda tħabbat iktar bil-mod, u tista’ wkoll tieqaf, imma dan l-istat huwa reversibbli, anke wara ħafna sigħat.

 

Eżempju wieħed kien dak ta’ mara Ingliża li inqabdet f’maltempata tas-silġ fi Spanja f’Novembru 2019.  Meta fl-aħħar waslu sa ħdejha, sabuha b’temperatura ta’ 18C u mitlufa minn sensiha.  Meta wassluha l-isptar, irnexxielhom li jirxuxtawha anke wara li qalbha kienet waqfet għal sitt sighat.3

 

Każ iktar straordinarju kien dak ta’ sebat itfal Daniżi li fl-2011 waqgħu f’ilma inġazzat ta’ 2C, u qalbhom waqfet ukoll għal madwar sitt sigħat, imma ġew kollha rxuxtati mingħajr ma jidher li kien hemm konsegwenzi fit-tul.4

 

Dan huwa r-riżultat ta’ rifless li l-bniedem u xi annimali oħra għandhom (għalkemm iktar dgħajjef) komuni mal-mammali akwatiċi, bħad-delfini u l-foki, fejn il-vini jidjiequ, ir-rata tal-qalb tonqos u l-ossiġenu jiġi pprioritizzat lejn il-moħħ u l-qalb.  Dan iseħħ meta l-ġisem iħoss il-kesħa u l-imnifsejn ikunu mxarrba, u jippermetti l-għadis għal ħinijiet twal.

 

Tassew li d-definizzjoni tal-mewt għad baqagħlha tevolvi!

 

 

1John 11:17

2Mark 5: 35-43

3https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50681489, retrieved 18/11/2020

4https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-50630441, retrieved 18/11/2020

1John 11:17

2Mark 5: 35-43

3https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50681489, retrieved 18/11/2020

4https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-50630441, retrieved 18/11/2020

Thank God! -- Għall-erwieħ!

 

I was thinking about how I might describe what I was feeling while observing the electoral process in the United States.

 

Have you ever been in a situation, perhaps during some long meeting or reception, where your body was soundlessly shouting about a basic urgent need numbered two, but due to excessive politeness or importance of the moment you decide to keep everything inside and just pray that the event terminate forthwith?

 

Has it also happened that after all this, at the end you manage to escape to the loo, and then amazingly the offending object just refuses to make an appearance after all, and feel a frustration like no other?

 

I think this is the most precise metaphor I can find, when looking at the President of the largest world economy, the United States of America, Donald Trump, his actions, words and attitude during this election, which is not only for President, but also for part of the Senate, all Congress and some state governors.

 

He has for years been grumbling against a system whereby American citizens could cast a postal vote, and alleging that this is open to fraud.  In fact, it is known that cases of fraud have occurrred in the past, but the amount of fraud is insignificant, less than 0.01% in the elections of 2016 and 2018.1  How could one understand this person who himself has, earlier this year, himself cast a postal vote?2

 

It is clear that his attacks against postal voting, and his continuous messages about COVID-19 not being so serious, whose fight has been substantially won and there not being a need for precautions, have led Republican voters to overwhelmingly vote on the day of the election.

 

On the other hand, the ex Vice President Joe Biden, who contested the presidency for the Democratic Party, had long been advising voters to cast their vote early to avoid risks to their health.  It does not seem to have been bad advice, seeing the country on 4th November face 107,872 new cases, a new (now superseded) record and 1616 deaths3 (as a comparison Australia on the same day had 13 cases4 and no deaths).  This advice was heeded by Democrat voters who overwhelmingly case postal ballots.

 

What happened was that after the day of the election, in many states the first votes counted were those case on the day of the election, and these gave the impression of a very good situation for Republicans and also for Trump, who in fact went better than was thought and expected.

 

Nevertheless, when counting continued on postal votes, the situation started to change slowly.  The reason why the counting of postal votes was taking more time than other votes is that the votes need to be extracted one by one form the envelope (in one state, the vote is in an envelope which is itself in another envelope), then depending upon the laws in each state, it can be mandatory to authenticate a signature on the envelope and the postmark.

 

Therefore, with time, the difference of votes in states that were known to be crucial to determine the presidency, that is Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, started moving away from Trump and towards Biden, with a few at the time of writing flipping to the other side.

 

Upon seeing this, President Trump started shouting without proof that a fraud was being committed, and demanded that vote counts be stopped or be redone, and is opening court cases in crucial states for him to make this happen.  He said he intends, if his objectives are not met, that this fight keep going up to the American Supreme Court.  It is clear he thinks that since he managed to appoint three conservative judges in this Court, these would vote in a partisan way in his favour.  Such is this man’s justice model, one for all the world.

 

You can see why some members of the Republican party have grown quiet and are hardly seen with him during his donkey brays.  This is nothing more than the actions of an autocrat whose time has come.

 

From my side, now that the result of Trumps thrashing is clear, I can heartily say “thank God”!

 

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

 

Kont qiegħed naħseb kif nista' niddeskrivi x'qed inħoss waqt li nosserva l-proċess elettorali fl-Istati Uniti.

 

Qatt kontu f'sitwazzjoni, forsi waqt xi laqgħa twila, jew riċeviment, fejn tħossu l-ġisem jgħajjat mingħajr kliem li għandu bżonn pjuttost urġenti b'timbru numru tnejn, imma minħabba l-kirjanza jew l-importanza tal-mument tiddeċiedi li żżomm kollox ġewwa u biss titlob li l-avveniment jieqaf kemm jista' jkun malajr?

 

Ġieli ġralkom li wara dan kollu, fl-aħħar jirnexxilek taħrab u ssib il-kamra l-baxxa, imbagħad ħaġa tal-iskantament issib li l-balla ma tridx toħroġ wara kollox, u tħoss frustrazzjoni liema bħalha?

 

Naħseb li din hija l-iktar metafora preċiża li nista' nsib, meta nħares lejn il-President tal-ikbar ekonomija tad-dinja, l-Istati Uniti tal-Amerika, Donald Trump, l-aġir, it-taħdit u l-attitudni tiegħu waqt din l-elezzjoni li mhix biss għall-President, imma anke għal parti mis-Senat, il-Kungress kollu u gvernaturi f'xi stati.

 

Ilu snin igerger kontra s-sistema fejn ċittadini Amerikani jistgħu jivvutaw bil-posta, u jallega li dan huwa miftuħ għall-frodi.  Fil-fatt, huwa magħruf li każijiet ta' frodi saru fil-passat, imma l-ammont ta' frodi huwa insinjifikanti, inqas minn 0.01% fl-elezzjonijiet tal-2016 u 2018.1  Kif tista' tifhmu lil dan il-bniedem meta, iktar kmieni din is-sena, huwa stess ivvota bil-posta?2

 

Huwa ċar li l-attakki tiegħu kontra l-ivvutar bil-posta, u l-messaġġi kontinwi li l-problema COVID-19 mhix daqshekk serja, li l-ġlieda kontriha sostanzjalment mirbuħa u li m'hemmx bżonn ta' prekawzjonijiet, wasslu lill-votanti Repubblikani biex jivvutaw bi ħġarhom fil-ġurnata tal-elezzjoni.

 

Mill-banda l-oħra, l-eks Viċi President Joe Biden, li ikkontesta għall-presidenza għall-Partit Demokratiku, ilu javża lill-votanti biex jivvutaw kmieni biex jevitaw riskji għal saħħithom.  Ma jidhirlix li kien parir ħażin, meta tara li l-pajjiż fl'4 ta' Novembru ġarrab 107,872 każijiet ġodda, rekord ġdid, u 1616 mewt3 (bħala tqabbil fl-Awstralja fl-istess jum kellna 13-il każ4 u l-ebda mewt).  Dan il-parir ġie milqugħ mill-votanti Demokratiċi li vvutaw bi ħġarhom bil-posta.

 

Li ġara kien li wara l-ġurnata tal-elezzjoni, f'ħafna stati l-ewwel li ġew magħduda kienu l-voti li ntefgħu fil-ġurnata tal-elezzjoni, u dawn taw impressjoni ta' sitwazzjoni tajba ħafna għar-Repubblikani u wkoll għal Trump, li fil-fatt mar aħjar milli kien maħsub u mbassar.

 

Madankollu, meta l-għadd tkompla fuq il-voti li ntefgħu bil-posta, is-sitwazzjoni bdiet tinbidel bil-mod il-mod.  Ir-raġuni li l-għadd tal-voti bil-posta qiegħed jieħu iktar ħin mill-voti l-oħra hija li l-voti jridu jinħarġu wieħed wieħed mill-envelop (fi stat minnhom, saħansitra l-vot ikun ġo envelop li huwa stess ikun ġo envelop ieħor), imbagħad jiddependi fuq il-liġijiet ta' kull stat, jista' jkun mandatorju li tiġi awtentikata firma li tkun fuq l-envelop u t-timbru tal-posta.

 

Allura, mal-ħin, id-differenza ta' voti fi stati li kienu magħrufin li jistgħu jiddeterminaw il-presidenza, jiġifieri Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina u Georgia, bdew jitbiegħdu minn Trump u jersqu lejn Biden, b'uħud fil-ħin tal-kitba jaqilbu għan-naħa l-oħra.

 

Meta ra dan, il-President Trump ħareġ jgħajjat mingħajr provi li qiegħed isir frodi, talab li jitwaqqaf l-għadd tal-voti jew jerġa’ jsir l-għadd, u qed jiftaħ każijiet fil-qrati tal-istati kruċjali għalih biex isir dan.  Huwa qal li beħsiebu, jekk ma jiħux dak li jrid, li din il-ġlieda tibqa' tiela' sal-Qorti Suprema Amerikana.  Huwa ċar li jaħseb li ladarba rnexxielu jaħtar tliet imħallfin konservattivi f'din il-Qorti, dawn jivvutaw b'mod partiġġjan favurih.  Dak huwa l-mudell ta' ġustizzja ta' dan il-bniedem, mudell għad-dinja kollha.

 

Mhux ta' b'xejn li anke membri tal-Partit Repubblikan saru pjuttost kwieti u bilkemm jidhru miegħu meta jagħmel il-ħanqiet ta' ħmar tiegħu.  Dan mhu xejn ħlief aġir ta' awtokratu li wasal fi żmien il-kontijiet.

 

Min-naħa tiegħi, issa li r-riżultat tat-tkaxkira ta' Trump huwa ċar, nista' nlissen bil-qalb “għall-erwieħ”!

 

 

 

 

 

1https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/minuscule-number-of-potentially-fraudulent-ballots-in-states-with-universal-mail-voting-undercuts-trump-claims-about-election-risks/2020/06/08/1e78aa26-a5c5-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html, retrieved 6/11/2020

2https://www.businessinsider.com.au/donald-trump-early-voting-florida-presidential-election-2020-10?r=US&IR=T, retrieved 7/11/2020

3https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html, retrieved 6/11/2020

4https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers, retrieved 6/11/2020

1https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/minuscule-number-of-potentially-fraudulent-ballots-in-states-with-universal-mail-voting-undercuts-trump-claims-about-election-risks/2020/06/08/1e78aa26-a5c5-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html, retrieved 6/11/2020

2https://www.businessinsider.com.au/donald-trump-early-voting-florida-presidential-election-2020-10?r=US&IR=T, retrieved 7/11/2020

3https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html, retrieved 6/11/2020

4https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-current-situation-and-case-numbers, retrieved 6/11/2020

Prostitution in Malta -- Il-prostituzzjoni f'Malta

 

Currently there is a bit of commotion in Malta about this subject.  Prostitution in the country is just one of a list of social topics that the Maltese Labour government hasn't held back from taking by the horns.

 

This is due to the appointment of a Technical Committee for Prostitution Reform that is considering what recommendations to make the Maltese government after a public consultation made on the subject ended in October 2019.1  The government's aim was to protect sex workers from exploitation while strengthening the fight against people trafficking.2

 

Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar had declared that this committee was building a legal framework that was to decriminalise sex work.  Currently, prostitution in Malta is already technically legal, but street loitering and brothels are not.

 

Different countries and regions have different legal frameworks.  In Australia, for example, there are states like South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia that have laws similar to Malta on one side, states and territories like New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory where the industry is decriminalised, as seems to be the intention in Malta.  Somewhere in the middle is Victoria, where only street loitering remains illegal.3

 

This is a difficult subject.  It is said that prostitution is the oldest profession, and in Malta there is evidence of its presence at least since the time of the knights.

 

It is known that those involved in prostitution face stigma, discrimination and lack of rights, lack of health and justice services.  A legal framework of criminalisation means that sex work does not not happen, but happens covertly, due to the fear of criminal consequences and other abuses, which many times means that when the legitimate need for services arises, these are not sought due to this fear.

 

Several persons and organisations, especially those involved in the fight against human trafficking, propose the Nordic model as a legal framework.  The Nordic model is so-called as it was started in Sweden, then arose also in Norway and Iceland and some other countries.  It is intended to reduce the demand for prostitution and reduce the industry, by on the one hand decriminalise the selling of sex but on the other side criminalising its purchase.4

 

The problem I see with this Nordic model is that if the buying of sex remains or becomes a criminal act, the persons offering the sex service still will have the tendency of not turning up when they need some service.  Furthermore, they would have an incentive to offer their sex service covertly, as if their operational location is known, it would be very easy for police to surveil this and catch those going for the service.  In other words, the sex worker/s would have lost their client/s.

 

Proponents of the Nordic model might think this is fine, is this not the intention?  I would ask whether this is what sex workers themselves would like, after all they are in the midst of all this, and many times remain silent due to their fear of consequences.

 

It is a fact that many people enter into sex work for financial reasons; to provide for their kids or families, or to finance their lives.  The Maltese government's consultation document names other factors such as poverty, lack of housing, drug and alcohol abuse and last, but not least, coercion.

 

The law I would like to see would have three principal aspects.  Firstly, that those who wish to exit the industry be given every assistance to do so with specific opportunities being created for them.  Secondly, that those found in the industry against their will find the protection they need, and those responsible for their coercion face consequences.  Thirdly, that those who do want to carry out this work, be given the legal space to offer their services in peace to their clients without fear of persecution to either side, and therefore be legally accepted as full members of society.

 

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Bħalissa hemm daqsxejn ta' għagħa f'Malta fuq dan is-suġġett.  Il-prostituzzjoni fil-pajjiż huwa biss wieħed mil-lista ta' ħwejjeġ soċjali li l-gvern Laburista Malti xejn ma qagħad lura jaqbad minn qrunu.

 

Dan għaliex inħatar Kumitat Tekniku għar-Riforma tal-Prostituzzjoni li qiegħed jikkunsidra x'rakkomandazzjonijiet jagħmel lill-Gvern Malti wara li konsultazzjoni pubblika li għamel fuq is-suġġett temm f'Ottubru 2019.1  L-għan tal-gvern huwa li jipproteġi lill-ħaddiema tas-sess mill-esplojtazzjoni filwaqt li tissaħħaħ il-ġlieda kontra t-traffikar tal-persuni.2

 

Is-Segretarja Parlamentari Rosianne Cutajar kienet stqarret li dan il-kumitat qiegħed jibni qafas legali li għandu jiddekriminalizza x-xogħol tas-sess.  Bħalissa, il-prostituzzjoni f'Malta diġà huwa teknikament legali, imma l-itlajjar fit-toroq u l-briedel mhumiex.  

 

Pajjiżi u reġjuni differenti għandhom oqfsa legali differenti.  Fl-Awstralja, per eżempju, hemm stati bħal South Australia, it-Tasmania u West Australia li għandhom liġijiet simili għal ta' Malta fuq naħa, u stati u territorji bħal New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory u Australian Capital Territory fejn l-industrija hija dekriminalizzata, bħal ma jidher li hija l-intenzjoni ta' Malta.  X'imkien fin-nofs hemm Victoria, fejn l-itlajjar fit-toroq biss baqa' llegali.3

 

Dan huwa suġġett diffiċli.  Jingħad li l-prostituzzjoni hija l-eqdem professjoni, u f'Malta hemm evidenza tal-preżenza tagħha talinqas sa minn żmien il-kavallieri.

 

Huwa magħruf li min huwa nvolut fil-prostituzzjoni jiffaċċja stigma, diskriminazzjoni u nuqqas ta' drittijiet, nuqqas ta' servizzi tas-saħħa u ġustizzja.  Qafas legali ta' kriminalizzazzjoni jfisser li x-xogħol tas-sess, mhux ma jsirx, imma jsir minn taħt, minħabba l-biża' ta' konsegwenzi kriminali u abbużi oħra, li ħafna drabi jfisser li meta jkun hemm il-bżonn leġittimu ta' servizzi, dawn ma jintalbux minħabba din il-biża'.

 

Hemm diversi persuni u organizzazzjonijiet, speċjalment dawk li jiġġieldu kontra t-traffikar tal-persuni, li jipproponu l-mudell Nordiku bħala qafas legali.  Il-mudell Nordiku huwa hekk imsejjaħ għax inbeda fl-Isvezja, imbagħad fin-Norveġja, l-Islandja u xi pajjiżi oħra.  Huwa intenzjonat li jnaqqas id-domanda għall-prostituzzjoni u jċekken l-industrija tagħha, billi fuq naħa waħda jiddekriminalizza l-bejgħ tas-sess imma jikkriminalizza x-xiri tiegħu.4

 

Jien il-problema li għandi b'dan il-mudell Nordiku huwa li jekk ix-xiri tas-sess jibqa' jew isir att kriminali, il-persuni li qegħdin joffru s-servizz tas-sess xorta waħda jkollhom it-tendenza li ma jippreżentawx ruħhom jekk ikollhom bżonn ta' servizz.  Ukoll is-servizz tas-sess ikollhom inċentiv li joffruh bil-moħbi, għax jekk il-post minn fejn joperaw ikun magħruf, ikun faċli ħafna għall-pulizija biex jgħassuh u jaqbdu lil min ikun mar għas-servizz.  Fi kliem ieħor, il-ħaddiem jew ħaddiema tas-sess ikunu tilfu l-klijent jew klijenta tagħhom.

 

Dawk li jipproponu l-mudell Nordiku forsi jaħsbu li dan tajjeb, mhux hekk hi l-intenzjoni?  Jien nistaqsi jekk hux hekk iridu l-ħaddiema tas-sess infushom, wara kollox huma qegħdin fiha, u ħafna drabi huma jkunu li jibgħu siekta minħabba l-biża' tal-konsegwenzi.

 

Huwa fatt li ħafna persuni jidħlu fix-xogħol tas-sess għal raġunijiet finanzjarji; biex imantnu t-tfal jew il-familji tagħhom, jew biex jiffinanzjaw ħajjithom.  Il-dokument ta' konsultazzjoni tal-gvern Malti jsemmi wkoll fatturi oħra bħall-faqar, in-nuqqas ta' saqaf fuq ir-ras, abbuż, vizzji tad-drogi u/jew alkoħol, u flaħħarnett, imma mhux l-inqas, oħrajn jiġu mġegħlin.

 

Il-liġi li nixtieq nara jkollha tliet aspetti prinċipali.  L-ewwel tkun li min jixtieq joħroġ mill-industrija jingħata l-għajnuna kollha li jagħmel dan u jinħolqu opportunitajiet apposta għalihom.  It-tieni tkun li dawk li jinsabu f'din l-industrija kontra r-rieda tagħhom isibu l-protezzjoni li għandhom bżonn u min sfurzahom jeħel konsegwenzi.  It-tielet, li dawk li jridu jagħmlu dan ix-xogħol, jingħataw l-ispazju legali li joffru s-servizzi tagħhom bil-kwiet lill-klijenti tagħhom mingħajr biża' ta' persekuzzjoni lil ebda naħa, u għalhekk jiġu legalment aċċettati bħala membri sħaħ tas-soċjetà.

 

 

1https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/OPM/Documents/Human%20trafficking%20reform%20-%20Consultation%20document%20ENG.pdf, retrieved 21/10/2020

2https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/OPM/Pages/Consultations/Reformonhumantraffickingandprostitution.aspx, retrieved 21/10/2020

3https://www.catwa.org.au/prostitution-laws-in-each-state/, retrieved 21/10/2020

4https://www.catwa.org.au/prostitution-laws-in-each-state/, retrieved 21/10/2020

1https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/OPM/Documents/Human%20trafficking%20reform%20-%20Consultation%20document%20ENG.pdf, retrieved 21/10/2020

2https://meae.gov.mt/en/Public_Consultations/OPM/Pages/Consultations/Reformonhumantraffickingandprostitution.aspx, retrieved 21/10/2020

3https://www.catwa.org.au/prostitution-laws-in-each-state/, retrieved 21/10/2020

4https://nordicmodelnow.org/what-is-the-nordic-model/, retrieved 21/10/2020

SOFA

 

It's curious and sometime also funny, how a word in one language can be understood completely differently in another.  This was surely felt by many Maltese emigrants in majority English-speaking lands, when commenting the first time about some rainstorm, with those around them probably thinking they were swearing (a play on the sound of the Maltese word for rain, xita, pronounced 'shee-ta').

 

Recently, the acronym SOFA was mentioned several times in the Maltese media, and certainly not in the context of a comfortable place to sit.

 

The letters SOFA refer to the Status Of Forces Agreement, an agreement between one country that wants to station or take its military forces to another, that establishes rights and privileges of foreign military people in the host country.  This type of agreement is made by many countries including Australia, foremost amongst which is the United States of America which has around a hundred such agreements.

 

In fact, the US is reported to have been seeking a SOFA with Malta for the past 20 years, and its latest attempt has also failed, as the agreement it appears the Maltese government was ready to offer wasn't enough for the American side.1

 

Why is a SOFA such a hot topic?  There are several reasons for this.

 

Firstly, there are matters related to the nature of the agreement itself.  a SOFA agreement generally covers legal matters tied to the people forming part of the military contingent and the property they use, whether when based at a place or when visiting.  Civil matters include the employment of soldiers and other people in the contingent, whether they are subject to local taxes etc and also for example if there are any damages how these will be compensated.  Criminal matters include what happens when someone commits an act such as stealing, physical or sexual violence and even a killing.

 

Controversy immediately arises as a SOFA generally specifies that foreign courts, not local ones, have jurisdiction on at least some criminal acts that are committed by the people in uniform.  This goes straight to the heart of the principle of sovereignty of the country hosting the foreign military forces, and is politically controversial.

 

For Malta, there is also the fact that having a military force in the country by agreement can be seen as going against the constitutional principle of neutrality, especially when the country sending its military is the United States which can be said to be involved in a substantial part of major conflicts around the world.

 

Regarding neutrality, it was interesting, and quite intelligent in my view, the attempt by the Maltese government (from what I can understand, as details are not very forthcoming) to offer an agreement under the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) program called Partnership for Peach (PfP).  Malta had joined the PfP in 1995 under the Nationalist government, which membership was suspended by the Labour government of Alfred Sant a year later, who then saw this membership being against the neutrality principle.

 

In 2008, Malta under the Nationalist government of Gonzi asked again to reactivate its membership in the PfP, and this was accepted by NATO a little later.2  The subsequent Labour government accepted to keep this membership, and therefore seems no longer to see PfP membership as against Malta's neutrality.

 

Therefore, probably the government calculated that the neutrality objection for a SOFA as part of the PfP would be limited.

 

There is another hot topic nevertheless.  All this activity around a SOFA with the US happened around the same time that a committee of experts at the Council of Europe, called MONEYVAL, were expected to assess what was being done against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and should evaluate Malta again in these days, and there is a risk that the country be the first in the European Union to be considered to have failed to implement recommendations made to it in its latest report of 2019.3

 

There was some speculation that the inking of a SOFA agreement could be one way of encouraging the US to influence MONEYVAL not to be so critical of Malta.  I scratch yours, and you scratch mine, more or less.

 

I find it difficult to believe that a committee of experts whose financial analysis expertise is technically at this level, would be persuaded to change their judgement due to corrupt pressure made to them by the US, which is just an observer at MONEYVAL.   I have to say that both the Prime Minister, Robert Abela as well as a spokesperson for the American embassy have denied there is any link between MONEYVAL and the attempted SOFA agreement.4

 

God forbid that the country is as desperate as needing to prostitute its principle to get a favourable report by a foreign committee, instead of implementing necessary changes to be considered a good citizen in the fight against money laundering.  If this was the truth, I would feel it worse and far more insulting than a SOFA agreement that could go against the letter or spirit of Malta's constitutional neutrality.

 

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Huwa fatt kurjuż u kultant umoruż, kif kelma f'lingwa waħda tinftiehem kompletament differenti f'oħra.  Żgur li nħasset minn ħafna emigranti Maltin f'pajjiżi b'lingwa tal-maġġoranza Ingliża, meta kkummentaw għall-ewwel darba fuq xi maltempata bix-xita, b'dawk ta' madwarhom jaħsbu li qegħdin jitkellmu ħażin.

 

Dan l-aħħar, l-akronimu SOFA ssemma kemm il-darba fuq il-midja Maltija, u ċertament mhux f'kuntest ta' mod komdu fejn issorġi.

 

L-ittri ta' SOFA jirreferu għal Status Of Forces Agreement, ftehim bejn pajjiż wieħed li jrid jistazzjona jew jieħu l-forzi militari tiegħu f'pajjiż ieħor, li jistabbilixxi d-drittijiet u privileġġi tan-nies militari barranin fl-art li qed tilqagħhom.  Dan it-tip ta' ftehim isir minn ħafna pajjiżi inkluża l-Awstralja, u l-iprem fosthom hija l-Istati Uniti tal-Amerika li għandha xi mitt ftehim ta' dan it-tip.

 

Fil-fatt, l-Istati Uniti hija rrappurtata li ilha tipprova tilħaq ftehim SOFA ma' Malta għal dawn l-aħħar għoxrin sena, u dan l-aħħar tentattiv ukoll falla, għaliex il-ftehim li jidher kien lest li joffri l-Gvern Malti ma kienx biżżejjed għan-naħa Amerikana.1

 

Għaliex ftehim SOFA huwa daqshekk jaħraq?  Hemm diversi raġunijiet għal dan.

 

L-ewwel ħaġa, hemm affarijiet marbutin man-natura tal-ftehim innifsu.  Ftehim SOFA ġeneralment ikopri kwestjonijiet legali marbutin mal-persuni li jiffurmaw parti mill-kontinġent militari u l-proprjetà li jużaw, kemm jekk ibbażati f'post u kemm jekk waqt żjara.  Affarijiet ċivili jinkludu l-impjieg tas-sultati u nies oħra tal-kontinġent, jekk ikunux suġġetti għat-taxxa lokali eċċ u jekk ikun hemm xi ħsarat kif dawn jiġu kkumpensati.  Affarijiet kriminali jinkludu x'jiġri meta xi ħadd jagħmel xi att bħal serq, vjolenza fiżika jew sesswali u anke qtil.

 

Il-kontroversja tqum mallewwel għax is-SOFA ġeneralment jispeċifika li l-qrati barranin, u mhux dawk lokali, jkollhom il-ġurisdizzjoni fuq tal-inqas xi atti kriminali li jkunu twettqu min-nies tas-servizzi.  Dan jolqot fil-laħam il-ħaj il-prinċipju tas-sovranità tal-pajjiż li jkun qiegħed jilqa' għandu l-forzi militari tal-barrani, u huwa politikament kontroversjali.

 

Għal Malta, hemm ukoll il-fatt li jkollok forzi militari f'pajjiżek bi ftehim jista' jiġi mħares bħala kuntrarju għall-prinċipju kostituzzjonali tiegħu ta' newtralità, speċjalment meta l-pajjiż li qed jibgħat il-militar tiegħu huwa l-Istati Uniti li tista' tgħid li hija involuta f'parti sostanzjali tal-kunflitti l-kbar madwar id-dinja.

 

Fuq in-newtralità, kien interessanti, u pjuttost intelliġenti, l-attentat tal-Gvern Malti (milli nista' nifhem, għax id-dettalji huma mistura) li joffru ftehim taħt il-programm tan-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) jismu Partnership for Peace (PfP).  Malta kienet issieħbet fil-PfP fl-1995 taħt Gvern Nazzjonalista, u din is-sħubija kienet sospiża mill-Gvern Laburista ta' Alfred Sant sena wara, li dakinhar kien jara din is-sħubija li tmur kontra l-prinċipju ta' newtralità.

 

Fl-2008, Malta taħt il-Gvern Nazzjonalista ta' Gonzi reġa' talab li jerġa jqajjem is-sħubija tiegħu fil-PfP, u dan kien milqugħ min-NATO ftit wara.2  Gvern Laburista ta' warajh aċċetta li jkompli b'din l-isħubija, u għalhekk jidher li m'għadux jara sħubija fil-PfP bħala li tmur kontra n-newtralità tagħha.  Għaldaqstant, aktarx il-gvern ikkalkula li l-oġġezzjoni tan-newtralità għas-SOFA bħala parti mill-PfP tkun limitata.

 

Hemm kwestjoni oħra taħraq madankollu.  Din l-attività kollha madwar is-SOFA mal-Istati Uniti saret fl-istess żmien li kumitat ta' esperti tal-Kunsill tal-Ewropa, imsejjah MONEYVAL, li jqis x'qed isir fil-ġlieda kontra l-ħasil tal-flus u l-iffinanzjar tat-terroriżmu, għandu jerġa' jevalwa lil Malta f'dawn il-ġranet, u hemm ir-riskju li l-pajjiż ikun l-ewwel wieħed tal-Unjoni Ewropea li jkun meqjus li falla milli jimplimenta r-rakkomandazzjonijiet li sarulu fl-aħħar rapport tal-2019.3

 

Kien hemm min spekula li l-iffirmar ta' ftehim SOFA ikun mod biex jinkoraġġixxi lill-Istati Uniti tinfluenza lill-MONEYVAL biex ma tkunx daqshekk ħarxa ma' Malta.  Inti tħokkli tiegħi, u jien inħokklok tiegħek, xi ftit jew wisq.

 

Jien insibha diffiċli nemmen li kumitat ta' esperti li x-xogħol ta' analiżi finanzjarju tagħhom huwa tekniku ta' dan il-livell, jistgħu jkunu persważi jibdlu l-ġudizzju tagħhom minħabba pressjoni korrotta li ssirilhom mill-Istati Uniti, li hija biss osservatur tal-MONEYVAL.  Irrid ngħid li kemm il-Prim Ministru Malti Robert Abela kif ukoll kelliem għall-ambaxxata Amerikana ċaħdu li teżisti ħolqa bejn il-MONEYVAL u l-attentat ta' ftehim dwar SOFA.4

 

Allaħares il-pajjiż huwa daqshekk iddisprat li jkun lest iqaħħab il-prinċipji tiegħu biex ikollu rapport favorevoli minn kumitat barrani, minflok li jimplimenta t-tibdiliet neċessarji biex ikun ikkunsidrat ċittadin tajjeb fil-ġlieda kontra l-ħasil tal-flus.  Kieku din kienet l-verità, kont inħossha insolenti u iktar gravi milli ftehim SOFA li seta' mar kontra l-kelma jew l-ispirtu tan-newtralità kostituzzjonali ta' Malta.

 

 

1https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/us-says-no-to-maltas-diet-sofa-proposal.822133

2https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_7192.htm, retrieved 7/10/2020

3https://www.coe.int/en/web/moneyval/jurisdictions/malta, retrieved 7/10/2020

4https://newsbook.com.mt/en/abela-defends-sofa-dismisses-links-with-moneyval-test/, retrieved 7/10/2020

1https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/us-says-no-to-maltas-diet-sofa-proposal.822133

2https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_7192.htm, retrieved 7/10/2020

3https://www.coe.int/en/web/moneyval/jurisdictions/malta, retrieved 7/10/2020

4https://newsbook.com.mt/en/abela-defends-sofa-dismisses-links-with-moneyval-test/, retrieved 7/10/2020