Praise where praise is due
Now that the Malta Summit is over, it is only right that the immense work undertaken at all levels which led to the success of the Summit be acknowledged.
From the officers at Air Traffic Control who had to guide and usher in all those planes in a very short span of time, to all those involved in the logistics of the meeting – drivers, minders, and all in between – their role was crucial and essential for the success of the outcome.
The weather, so often changeable in February, collaborated too and came up with a day of balmy weather which must have caused the leaders of the governments of Europe to envy Malta with its weather.
They enjoyed the sun, and the breeze, as they crossed the Grand Harbour amid the bastions on either side.
It was not the Valletta we know on that day. The capital was empty of the daily crowds that throng the streets. The outlet
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owners were livid, and very few people ventured to enter the city, seeing it was overpoliced and had security at every corner. But no one who watched the procession of cars carrying the heads of government process stately through Republic Street will ever forget the scene.
Although the feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck will only be celebrated next Friday, a week after the Summit, the pavaljuni were up (usually they put them up at the last minute because of damage from the rain) and they offered an exotic background to the main street of the capital. Even President Hollande remarked upon them and could be seen asking about them to those who accompanied him.
But praise is also due to those who were mostly unseen, in the background, providing security. We may never get to know all the details, or even just the salient points. It is very difficult to anticipate if a terrorist attack is going to be launched and how to prevent it and after the event is over and nothing happened, everybody is relieved and acts as if security had averted any attack. But only those involved know the risks incurred and the feeling that not enough precautionary security had been done that must grasp many hearts as long as the event is not yet over. Seen on TV, the Summit gave every sign of careful planning, and equally careful implementation in an atmosphere of serene security and the complete absence of stress such as one would find in many other Summits in other countries. Now one hopes that all dues are paid soon to those who worked for long hours without their having to make public complaints after months of waiting as was done after CHOGM. That would not be fair to those who worked so hard to ensure the success of the Summit.