A lion that squeaks like a rat

Both the social and traditional media were agog last week in reaction to what can only be described as a vicious Facebook post by Leone Ganado, a Maltese Church consultant.

This lion of uncompromising conservatism, no doubt padded and pampered by that defeatist cell in the Nationalist Opposition, squeaked like a rat when he said “the only hope for Malta is an economic crash with a large sector of the middle to low class becoming street beggars and street residents”. This, incredibly, written by an accredited auditor who must at least have an idea of what the top international credit agencies are saying.

What is highly disturbing in such malicious-sounding outbursts from people who seem unable to come to grips with reality is that they pin all their bitterness on the fact that the country is doing well, the economy thriving, people have money in their pockets, and there is, as a result, an obvious never-had-it-so-good feeling all around. Elitism unfortunately makes some people generate twisted and surrealistic images in their perverse minds.

The lion with a rat’s squeak was driven to writing what he wrote simply because he feels the party he supports, or used to support, which is definitely his right, is in such a sorry state. He said he has to hope and, assuming he is an avid and devoted Catholic, to pray for an economic and/or financial tragedy that would by elimination re-inject life into it. However, declaring prophetlike that the next elections will once again be won by the Labour Party (PL), the lion has called for a split in the Opposition party and a partnership with the PD, a move that was tried and which bombed mis- erably less than two years ago, “to start building from scratch”.

Even more disturbing, though, is the Maltese Church’s silence on this latest (for there have been other abhorrent posts, likewise left uncondemned) squeak by one of its trusted professionals. We all know we have a trigger-happy Archbishop ready and willing to plod clumsily into controversial issues with his own tweets and posts, but pretending he has not heard the lion squeaking cannot be excused.

No one is begrudging anyone his or her political beliefs, but since even before the 2013 general election, there has been this ugly streak of venomousness creeping into our politics that not only does not help to promote unity in diversity, but is plainly intended to provoke, to instil hatred and to bludgeon different people with different ideas and beliefs. Sadly, much of the resulting pigsty conditions have to be attributed to the late, notorious blogger whose mantle has been and continues to be the coveted target of some.

I have no doubt the lion has not won many new friends from outside his own restricted den with his virulent posts, some of which even bluntly attacked minors. Fortunately for this nation, there are a lot more people who do not want and do not accept the politics of hatred, from whichever side of the political arena they happen to come. It is why electoral results have become so much more clearcut and sharply defined. People just do not want to dance to arrogant, condescending tunes anymore.

A moribund local game?

I grew up playing football with my friends on the concrete surface of our cul-de-sac street in Kalkara and the lunar terrain of an unused field in the immediate neighbourhood. We played from early morning until it was too dark to see the ball. We used stones as goal posts, prayed for someone to bring a ball, divided ourselves up into teams with such bombastic names like Lightnings and Thunderbolts and played.

The rules were harsh, flexible, biased, unfair, argued over, non-existent and often left in shreds somewhere behind the goals as we battled with our friends in games that seemed to last forever. Every goal was practically disputed; tackles that started fights were not easily forgotten, injuries proudly worn on bloodied socks, shirts, shorts and cheap, muddied plimsolls that had to do for football boots.

In blustering winds, torrential rain, blistering sun, freezing cold, grey days and early nights, we played our hearts out, wore ourselves ragged until we fell exhausted on the ground barely able to muster the energy to talk. But talk we did about the wonder goal, the great tackle, the perfect pass and the tactics which we first got from our seniors who used to go to the old stadium and then from TV when we started watching live Italian soccer.

Those were the days that filled our younger years and built a passion for a sport that is now played, by both kids and professionals, in a very different way.

At the time, Maltese football matches were attended by many thousands. Today we have just learned that football attendance has dropped by a staggering 31 per cent. Something must be seriously wrong with the local game, especially since club and training facilities have drastically improved since our urchin games on the street.

South American Libya

Trust the EU to toe the American line and come out supporting regime change in Venezuela, pretty much the same way it did in the case of Gaddafi’s Libya eight years ago. There is every possibility that Venezuela, once a prosperous, economically strong country before the present Maduro administration completely lost its plot, could now slither into civil war, more deaths, more suffering, more bloodshed, as the predictable race for the country’s riches and resources gets under way, precisely as it has done in Libya.

It rankles to see one’s own country supporting the EU stance, however much one understands the inevitable coercion that goes on within such international and regional organisations. It happens at the UN, at the WHO, at the World Bank, at UNESCO, the OAU and what have you, if you do not mind the spontaneous rhyming.

Standing against foreign interference in the affairs of an independent and sovereign country does not mean one supports an incumbent, hideous or not. It merely means the archaic imperialistic methods are never the solution. It is why, throughout history, empires have been built and empires have been lost.