Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1192401
17 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 DECEMBER 2019 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Are we really serving our country? AS Dean of the Faculty for Social Well- being, together with my academic col- leagues I am here to serve my country as we are indeed in a manner of speak- ing functionaries of the State. Our role is not to act simply as the intellectual foot-soldiers of the government. The service that we provide is the provision of nuanced critique which is a product of years of training, studies and scholar- ship in our various areas of expertise. Unlike politicians and party apologists, who may be swayed by temptation to tell people what they want to hear, we strive to ensure that the standard of ar- gumentation we put forward is honest, transparent, logical and evidence based. To that end please allow me to call on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to cede his hazardous attachment to the seat of power. His presence in Castille risks preju- dicing the investigation even if I am sure that the broad powers he has at his disposal will not be used illicitly. Once again I reiterate that it is not enough for justice to be done, justice must be seen to be done. How can Prime Minister Muscat guarantee im- partiality and transparency when there are ongoing proceedings which might implicate persons in his office, persons he is politically responsible for, while still being in office? How can he, with procedures cur- rently underway, that might implicate his former right hand man (when still in Office), with civil society protesting practically every day, with an entire na- tion in high levels of distress and with an inter/national press focused on these serious matters, feel that the solution is a series of farewell parties around the country? I condemn this exercise in stardom at this juncture of our nation's history and call on the Prime Minister to use his exceptional political savviness and shrewdness to understand that a more sombre and diminutive approach is needed if he wishes to contribute to this country getting back to its normality. I augur, as always, that this is a mo- ment of self-reflection. It is not the time for elitist confirmations nor is it the time to blindly seek tribal belonging. The divisions sown in our society along the classes serve no one. We need to understand that freedom and emancipation cannot be enjoyed if they become bywords for greed and unrestrained opportunism. These un- fortunate events require more than a change of faces. This situation requires that we take on the full mantle of adult nationhood and think not only about our immediate self-interest but look to the future with optimism. We are the State. Prof. Andrew Azzopardi Dean, Faculty for Social Well-being University of Malta Catholic revision for Malta MAKE no mistake. I would not like anyone to associate my ardent wishes with any political connotations but solely to clear Malta's name, already dubbed by the London Times as the island of corruption, and the local news reaching the four corners of the world, to imprint the island's stamp with a refreshing picture of good morals and ethics. If the stables are to be cleaned, our future MPs are to undertake two tasks: the Egrant report is to be published in full to clear the air of any burning ashes, and a sizeable group of MPs, prefer- ably all of them, to create a revision and reversal plan to amend past legislation which is not in conformity with Chris- tian ethics and morals, reviving Malta's commitment to abide by Catholic in- spirations. I used to be frustrated whenever the Church's advice was simply ignored. Only last month, Roman Catholic lead- ers in the UK warned bluntly their four million followers not to vote Labour. That seems meddling in politics but they were just doing their duty in cher- ishing marriage and defending the child in the womb. The following prayer should be of help to our leaders to show their Bap- tismal and Confirmation mettle. "I left my house, O Lord, and left behind all that happened yesterday because today, for me and all the Church (and MPs) a new era has started. In my heart today the fire of hope was kindled. This helps me look ahead while it hastens my steps that always keep me away from evil." (Mario Guariento). John Azzopardi, Zabbar