One of the guests on the programme was the Prime Minister. In Maltese we say " il-kliem bhac-cirasa", and inevitably, one of the conversational cherries was about national security in the face of any ISIS possible terror threat.. or indeed any possible terror threat.
http://maltarightnow.com/news/2015/02/27/ma-ghandniex-indikazzjoni-li-pajjizna-jinsab-fil-periklu-il-prim-ministru-joseph-muscat/
The PM told us that there was nothing to worry about; Malta is in no danger whatsoever..
Whew! That is a relief, considering that one of our newspapers reported very negatively about the state of our defenses, or lack thereof.. In view of the vast reach of the internet and social media, it is questionable how wise it was to publish such an article, at this particular moment in time, but to each his own, I guess.
Okay, I think, so the PM has some sort of guarantee (does he??) that we are still safe.. you would think that people's minds were immediately set to rest.. no more panicking over stupid messages scrawled inside an old bus-stop, no more freaking out over someone who in the mood of Carnival fun, hoisted the Jolly Roger on his flagpole a few short weeks ago.
And judging from some of the comments beneath the post, if the PM's intention was to calm people down, I daresay he succeeded.
But, that very evening, I'm scrolling through my newsfeed again (I do have a life away from my tablet, you know) and there's another report of panic and worry spreading among some people over another flag, a Palestinian one this time, which was attached to a boundary wall of a local school. Apparently, it was used to signpost a multi-cultural meeting that was being held at the school. I am sure a notice with the name of the said meeting would have been a much better idea.. and in case this wasn't possible, a person posted outside to guide people to the correct place would have also done very nicely, thank you.
thttp://maltarightnow.com/news/2015/02/28/titwahhal-bandiera-tal-palestina-mal-kullegg-san-alwigi/
But this only came out after proper investigation into the case. Because you see, when you see a Palestinian flag, anyone in his right and sane mind thinks "Gharab".. Muslims.. and from there it is but one short leap to ISIS..
While I cannot understand why the organisers of the event thought it neccessary to use a particular flag, rather than a variety of flags; Get a grip, people!
One minute we are calm, lulled into a sense of security by the PM's reassurances. The next we are losing our tiny, little minds over a flag that has absolutely nothing to do with ISIS.
Something is seriously wrong here.. If all it takes is a Palestinian flag to short-circuit our reasoning in this way, we must be a hell of a lot more worried than we are letting on..and reassurances provide a shallow relief at best.
Personally, I feel that Malta's strategic position in the Mediterranean has proved time and time again throughout history to be too attractive a lure for power-hungry madmen to resist. And while it would be ridiculous and irresponsible to bury our heads in the sand, it is equally ridiculous and irresponsible to go into a tizzy over something completely unrelated.
Another slot on the same Xarabank episode was the devoted to our new Archbishop.
http://www.illum.com.mt/ahbarijiet/socjali/40597/jekk_surmast_ta_skola_talknisja_ikun_gay_funjoni_ivili_jkolli_problema_bih__arisqof_
I have great respect for this man, but my reaction here was What the hell??
I too have a question for the PM, (and the leader of the Opposition) and it has nothing to do with ISIS.
Last year we signed the Civil Unions bill with great fanfare and partying. How does the Act come into such a situation? As a firm believer in equality, regardless of race, gender, religion, politics or sexuality, I hope to be told that yes, the law offers protection from this kind of discrimination.
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