Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1254350
12 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 JUNE 2020 OPINION YES, I know I have a habit of starting articles with movie refer- ences – but what do you expect? I've been stuck at home, watch- ing two or three movies a day, for almost three months now. And with so much of reality starting to look every bit as far-fetched as a Hollywood film… like, um, 'World War Z'… I'm afraid it's more or less inevitable. Nonetheless, I am aware that this habit is becoming slightly repetitive; so this time round, I won't be referring to any movies. Instead, I'll refer to a cartoon. 'Lu- pin III', to be precise (and don't pretend you've never of heard of it, or I'll report you to Inspector Zenigata.) Looking back, I think we can all agree that 'L-Incorregibile Lu- pin' taught us all some invaluable life-lessons back in its time: for instance, that crime really does pay in the end; or that the police are generally useless and incom- petent; or that the only way to a woman's heart is to wear a red jacket and yellow tie, and drive around in a convertible 1932 Alfa Romeo 2300 Touring. As all these facts are universal- ly, undeniably and self-evidently TRUE… it follows that re-watch- ing old 'Lupin III' episodes may teach us other things of more di- rect relevance to our present pre- dicament. And if you ask me, Ep- isode 118 – entitled 'Diamonds in the Southern Cross', in English – is a good place to start. The plot takes us to a presum- ably uninhabited island in the South Pacific, to which Lupin and his accomplices – Jigen and Gaemon (note: I won't mention Fujiko, because… well, let's just say I'd get 'distracted'…) - ven- ture in search of 'the lost treasure of Captain Cook'. What they find instead, how- ever, is that the island is home to one Sergeant Hajime Kimihiro: and having been stationed there, incommunicado, since Japan's entry into World War Two in 1941… he has no idea that hos- tilities actually ceased with his country's unconditional surren- der in 1945 (and, more pertinent- ly, does not accept defeat, even after learning the true facts more than 30 years later). I remember watching that ep- isode, back in the 1980s, and thinking that the premise was in- genious… but rather implausible. Well, many years later I discov- ered that it was actually based on a true story; there really were Jap- anese WW2 veterans who either refused to surrender, or persisted for decades in the belief that the war had never ended at all. Kimihiro himself was (very loosely) modelled on Hiroo On- oda: an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who hid out in the jungles of the Philippines for 29 years before being formal- ly relieved of his post in 1974. (Honestly, though: what would we do without Wikipedia?) But in any case: what does this story teach us (both historic and fictional versions) that's so im- portant to know right now? To me, the moral is pretty straight- forward. You can 'declare victory' all you like… but if the enemy re- fuses to lay down arms and sur- render, you cannot really describe the war itself as being 'won'. And last Sunday, we all got a glimpse of precisely why, too. Some of you may be aware of an impromptu party that got a little out of hand at a popular Sliema beach-lido resort that evening: with patrons apparently 'dancing on tables', to the tunes belted out by a DJ at the decks. And yes: it is pretty clear that all the 'social distancing' restrictions were very cavalierly ignored on that occasion… just as they had been with Floriana FC's celebra- tions the week before. What few people seem to have noticed, however, is that those scenes of jubilation occurred only a few hours after the Prime Minister himself, on live TV, an- nounced that – and these were his exact words, please note – 'Statistics show that COVID-19 is behind us.' At the risk of being pedantic: those words have a meaning, you know. To say that something is 'behind us', is to suggest that 'the danger is past'. And if, as Dr Ab- ela announced on Sunday morn- ing, there is no further danger posed to us by the COVID-19 vi- rus… then why the hell shouldn't people throw all caution to the wind, and dance on tables to their hearts' content? Besides: on the same day (Sun- day), the Prime Minister also said: "It is my wish that we intro- duce an immediate mechanism by means of which an amnesty is given for certain fines which peo- ple received over these last few weeks." OK, admittedly the precise meaning here is a little less clear- cut; I tend to agree with those (in- cluding Abela himself) who argue that his words were misinterpret- ed, or blown out of proportion. Still, they do point towards a very widespread, deep-rooted and instantly-recognisable cul- tural phenomenon in this coun- try: i.e., that it doesn't really mat- ter if we disregard the rules a little here and there… because we can always reach a 'cosy little arrange- ment' afterwards, that will sweep everything under the carpet. Put those two statements to- gether – i.e., 'COVID-19 is be- hind us', and 'fines for breaching social distancing rules might be forgiven in future' – not to men- tion the teenie-weenie detail that most people have been denied the chance to socialise (still less party) for almost three whole months… oh, and also that this was the first weekend when there actually were open restaurants and beach-clubs to even party at in the first place… … and, well, what do you all expect? Of course people were going to rush out and celebrate at the earliest opportunity. Of course they were going to dis- regard regulations that the gov- ernment itself had just suggested were 'negotiable'… Ah, but that was just last Sun- day. The following day, the same Prime Minister addressed a live press conference, flanked by Health Minister Chris Fearne and Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci… and this time, it was Fearne (usually the more prudent of the two) who announced that: 'We have won the war on COVID-19'. Let me repeat that a little loud- er, just in case the virus itself didn't hear it the first time: 'WE HAVE WON THE WAR ON COVID-19'. And it doesn't stop there, either. At the same press conference, it was announced that the last re- maining restrictions were all go- ing to be gradually lifted… start- ing with bars and night-clubs next Friday, and continuing with the re-opening of the national airport (to 19 destinations) as of July 1. And let me guess: I suppose nobody out there is expecting a repeat performance of that lit- tle Sunday night disco in Sliema - only on a much larger scale - the moment all Malta's bars and nightclubs suddenly open their doors for business again next Friday, after months of entertain- ment-deprivation… No, I imagine we're going to once again pretend to be 'shocked' and 'outraged', when large crowds inevitably descend onto places like Paceville at the earliest opportunity, to celebrate our nation's historic victory over the global COVID-19 pan- demic… even if it was their own government that fired the start- er-pistol for a street party… At this point, all I can real- ly say is that… I sincerely hope that both Abela and Fearne are indeed correct: that COVID-19 really is 'behind us', and that we really have 'won the war' against this disease. But thanks to that cartoon I watched around 30 years ago, I somehow have my doubts. I can't shake off the sneaking suspicion that – just like Sergeant Kimihi- ro, who carried on fighting WW2 for 35 years after it had ended – there may be a single, solitary COVID-19 virus out there, hid- ing away somewhere in a micro- scopic droplet of water, which hasn't yet been told of its species' sudden, unconditional surrender to the government of Malta last Monday. Or who knows? Maybe it did hear of it, but decided: 'Screw the others, I can always carry on fighting this war on my own'. Because let's face it: even if Mal- ta really has 'won the war on COVID-19'… other countries, in Europe and elsewhere, have been demonstrably less victori- ous. And with our airport soon to open to tourists from 19 coun- tries – most of which are easily accessible overland, to people who come from other, harder-hit destinations – that single, solitary virus might not be 'on its own' for very much longer. But still: let me not ruin every- one's cause for celebration. There is, perhaps, no real rea- son to doubt Fearne and Abela's claims… I just wish that, apart from unilaterally declaring victo- ry, they'd also publish the damn declaration of unconditional sur- render: signed 'COVID-19'. That way, my mind would be at rest… and to be honest, I could do with a little partying myself. Raphael Vassallo Has anyone informed COVID-19 that it lost the war? I sincerely hope that both Abela and Fearne are indeed correct: that COVID-19 really is 'behind us', and that we really have 'won the war' against this disease