Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1411841
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 SEPTEMBER 2021 OPINION Committed to a cause THERE was a time, not so long ago, when the parents, guardians and families of per- sons with a disability could not bear to think about the future. They were ready to make whichever sacrifice was needed to en- sure that their loved ones would be happy, secure and looked after when, as life would have it, they passed away. It was a person- al and psychological dilemma that ensued from the prevalent situation at the time, when persons with a disability on these islands were accorded pity and individual generosity when they really sought recogni- tion as equal citizens in their own country, stability, and the environment of the villag- es and towns they were born in. Labour typically took this as a cause when still on the Opposition benches. Many of us can vouch for the numerous meetings held with parents, families and volunteers caught in the predicament of not being able to see a proper future for their loved ones. They knew it was no longer an issue of con- viction, but more of sheer necessity. No one lives forever, as the cliche' goes, but having one's mind at rest those you have loved and assisted with devotion will eventually have the backing, protection and 24-hour atten- tion of the State and its various agencies and institutions, was sacrosanct. Labour sprung into action immediately it got into power in 2013, making it clear those meetings were not meant for guttur- al electoral consumption. A pre-prepared package of initiatives, based mostly on in- formation and proposals received directly during those meetings, were undertaken to bring to fruition all that had been agreed and recognised as essential if Malta was to make a paradigm shift in its treatment of persons with a disability in accordance with international and European conventions it is signatory to. This was no "all's right with the world" moment or a "who's next" signal to a seg- ment of the population, but a serius com- mitment to a cause. What followed suit were reforms in legislation, investment in the refurbishment of existing homes and residences and the building of new ones, particularly in towns and villages where persons with a disability could be among, and a participating part of, the community they have known since birth, and a readi- ness to build on this positive platform. It was a process started with enthusiasm and belief, reignited by the result of the 2017 general election that put the Labour Government in a position where it could seek to cement its new concepts and tar- gets, all of which were, and continue to be, the fruit of those meetings several years ago. It has been our onus to make sure the achievements thus far are not mere records, but the catalysts for more work and more dedication, both certainly needed to make of our commitment an on-going process rather than just a promise kept. Only last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of announcing another investment of €1.3 million for the building in Ħal Kirkop of a new residence for persons with a disability. It will offer space to just eight persons, thus giving them the intended village ambience, as is the case with a similar residence, with space for three persons, in the same vil- lage. Aġenzija Sapport will be running the new residence as part of the "A Just Soci- ety" project, as well as two other projected residences in Qrendi and Żurrieq. That will bring the total number of residences run by the agency to eleven – Imtarfa, Bormla, Siġġiewi, Birżebbuġa, Ħal Kirkop x2, Fgura, Ħaż-Żabbar, Marsa, Pembroke and Rabat in Gozo with about 70 residents in them. The experience gained and the results achieved at these residencies, both those run by Aġenzija Sapport and others by no less dedicated NGOs, continue to stimu- late our determination to put into practice the principle of inclusion for persons with a disability within their communities and a better quality of life through participa- tion and social exchange within a familiar environment. That way only can they lead an independent and normal life in the safe knowledge the State is still there, ready, willing and able to provide assistance when- ever needed. Like various other progressive-minded countries and EU member states, Malta has been shifting the focus from mere so- cial protection to resolute social invest- ment, activation and work-related welfare reforms. It is a righteous circle of growth, employment, poverty reduction, inclusion and equality, not without their new chal- lenges, as still is the current pandemic dur- ing which Aġenzija Sapport has, incredibly, increased its services. "A Just Society" is not a project that has a reserved point of conclusion. It will con- tinue to need to be embellished, dusted and updated according to the country's chang- ing social objectives as they grow and met- amorphose into new ambitions and better achievements. This is a sector which cannot separate the State from other stakeholders, including the families of persons with a dis- ability and the hard-working NGOs, all of whom will continue to provide and share ideas, proposals and constructive criticism. It is what a commitment to a cause re- ally is. And yes, granted: it must have looked suspicious, to say the least. Even so, however: on one level, it merely raises the question of what the Europe- an Commission could actually have done, even if it was con- cerned. What did Robert Aqui- lina expect? That it would bring down a democratically-elect- ed government in a member state… because it 'didn't agree' with how it handled what was ultimately a domestic, internal matter? And secondly: even if the Eu- ropean Commission did take some form of 'timely' action, over that one issue… what, are we seriously expected to believe that that sort of intervention - on its own - would have some- how helped to prevent Daph- ne's murder from taking place? That is the precisely sort of absurd reasoning that makes even Antonin Artaud look like a beacon of sanity and rationality. And that's before we get to the part about the curious timing of this (let's face it) childish out- burst. The date on the letter is Sep- tember 16 – the day of Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Malta, and one day after her 'State of the Union' address last Wednes- day – but the inquiry conclu- sions that Aquilina quotes have actually been in the public do- main since July 29. So… why did Repubblika wait until last Thursday, precisely, to draw the Commission's atten- tion to its own failures? Why not at any other point over the past six weeks…? Well… again, the question practically answers itself. Be- cause it was only last Wednes- day that Ursula von der Ley- en evidently pissed off Robert Aquilina so much, by failing to stick to the approved 'Repub- blika script'. It was only last Wednesday, that the European Commission president commit- ted the unpardonable crime of referring to the present Maltese government as anything other than 'the scum of the earth'. So how did Repubblika re- spond? Why, exactly the same way as it has always done to anyone who voices an opinion different from their own. By lashing out in anger – making all sorts of embarrassing mis- takes in the process – and by shooting off wild accusations of being somehow 'responsible for Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder' They did to me (in which case, the specific charge was 'help- ing the mafia to get away with its crimes, thereby being part of it'). More recently, they did it to Shift contributor Blanche Gatt… this time, accusing her of being 'paid by Yorgen Fenech to undermine Jason Azzopardi' (I mean, for f***'s sake…) And now, they've even gone and done it to the President of the European Commission. So… um… who's it going to be next, Robert? Pope Francis…? Julia Farrugia Portelli Julia Farrugia Portelli is Minister for Inclusion and Social Wellbeing