Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519405
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2024 Where are Labour's feminists? Editorial CLINT Axisa's reinstatement at Infrastructure Malta is wrong. The former senior official at Transport Mal- ta was suspended on half pay as per civil service rules when he was charged in 2022 with sexual harassment on the place of work. Evidence also suggests he had done his best to try and convince one of his accusers not to press charges. Axisa is out on bail and is plead- ing not guilty but the case against him is still ongoing. Whoever took the decision to withdraw the suspension and give him a job at IM when the court case is still un- derway has simply ignored the impact such a decision can have on female co-workers. ADPD's Sandra Gauci is right when she says Axisa's reinstatement is a sign of disrespect towards women. It is in instances like these where government must really stand up to be counted on women's rights. The sullen faces of ministers at vigils for femicide vic- tims are rendered meaningless and fake by actions like these. In Gauci's own words: "An alleged perpetrator, under- going criminal proceedings, seems to be able to use his party membership as a 'get out of jail free card'." Can an- yone fault her? We just wonder what Labour's feminists have to say about this; or have they gone mum because Axisa is 'one of them'? The sacred and the profane What the parish priest of Paola's Christ the King par- ish does with the church building is up to him and the town's Catholic community as long as it is within the confines of the law and planning regulations. When this newspaper last Sunday published details of a planning application filed by Fr Marc Andre Camilleri to transform the upper part of the church belfry towers and the outside area above the portico into a restaurant, it passed no judgement whatsoever on the plans. It was simply, like it has been doing almost every Sunday, re- porting on plans it believes could be of public interest. The outrage was not expressed by this newspaper but by many others who felt the conversion of part of the church building into a commercial enterprise was mor- ally objectionable. We will not dwell for long on those few like Jason Azzo- pardi who deliberately targeted the messenger by accus- ing the journalist of lying and being anticlerical. It would seem that for the learned lawyer, freedom of expression starts and ends only with those whom he deems friend- ly. He, of all people, should know better than setting the hounds on a journalist who was only doing his duty to bring to light something of public interest. And no, the title of the report was not misleading be- cause the plans submitted by the parish priest's architect with the application did reference a 'class 4D licensed restaurant'. The journalist was so correct in his reporting that after it saw the backlash from parishioners and be- lievers, the Curia said the application was being amended to make reference to a class 4C licensed establishment - an eatery where no cooking is allowed on site, so no restaurant. Now, it makes absolutely no difference for this newspa- per whether the parish priest chose to have a restaurant, cafeteria or ice cream parlour on his church. The arguments he makes to justify the plans make commercial sense. He could have gone about things better had he discussed this with his community – after all, the church belongs to them as well – prior to forging ahead with the plans. The bigger issue here from a secular standpoint is how do you finance the upkeep of cultural and architectural heritage associated with churches in our communities. The Paola parish priest found an innovative way of us- ing 'abandoned' spaces within and on top of the church building to create a commercial establishment that could render some income. He is not the first to do this. Indeed, a priory in Mdi- na had transformed the ancient refectory space into a restaurant some years back. And the Mosta parish has a museum attached to it. The bigger question is how can the custodians of these magnificent buildings, which also belong to the commu- nity and serve as focal points for our towns and villag- es, physically maintain them. Part-commercialisation of these spaces can provide a stream of income to cover running costs, especially if Malta is serious about tapping the religious and cultural tourism sector. Additionally, the State can also step in by financing spe- cific and defined projects that lift the burden of capital expenditure. This is not about the State propping up a faith but about supporting the historical, cultural and traditional value of religious buildings. As for the moral arguments being made against com- mercialising such spaces, that is for the church author- ities to deal with. Catholics have long been living with the commercialisation of sacred spaces, something that has become more of a necessity in the face of reducing numbers of active celebrants. Nonetheless, it is certainly not the Prime Minister's place to tell the church what to do within its property, as long as what is being proposed is within the limits of the law and does not impinge on the common good. Having said this, we cannot ignore the irony of those pious few, scandalised by Robert Abela's needless com- ments on the Paola parish church, who found no objec- tion when Archbishop Charles Scicluna some years ago chose to hastily judge new lighting that was still being installed on the facade of Castille without knowing what the final product would look like. Today, nobody remarks that Castille's beautifully-lit facade is akin to disco lights. Similarly, in a few years' time nobody will be remarking about the indecency of sipping a cappuccino in an ele- gant setting atop the Paola church. We will probably be ruing the decision not to have a restaurant, instead. Quote of the Week "The inherent rights of women to bodily autonomy and independent decision-making must be acknowledged and respected. When this relates to the complexities surrounding abortion, open and inclusive discussions have to be held within communities, respecting cultural norms while prioritising fundamental rights." Labour MEP Alfred Sant explaining his agreement with legalised abortion but disagreement that this should be imposed by EU institutions. MaltaToday 10 years ago 20 April 2014 Italy's Mare Nostrum taking over Malta's refugee burden THE tragedy off Lampedusa on 3 October 2013 that sparked off the Operation Mare Nostrum has led the Italian government to radically change its rescue policy at sea, and is now taking responsibility for the lives at sea that even fall under the Maltese government's responsibility. Since the tragedy at sea that led to over 400 refugees from Syria and Palestine losing their lives in the Lampedusa shipwreck, the Italian government under prime ministers Enrico Letta and now Matteo Renzi, are no longer en- gaged in bickering with their Maltese counter- parts over who is responsible for saving lives at sea in the Mediterranean. "The Italian coast guard has been ordered by the Italian government to intervene and collect any boat people that even the Maltese authorities are technically obliged to intervene and collect," a high government official told MaltaToday. The new Italian policy has surprised the Maltese government, which was not informed on this change of policy – a far cry from the Italians' criminalisation of merchant vessels found assisting destitute mi- grants in distress at sea. Operation Mare Nostrum includes the use of amphibious ships, unmanned drones and long-range helicopters with infrared equip- ment, with six navy ships, each with crews of between 80 to 250 men, deployed in October. The humanitarian mission has meant that almost 21,000 arrivals landed on Italian coasts in 2014 alone, manifesting in the complete absence of migrant arrivals in Malta this year. Yet, despite any visible incident involving migrant arrivals, to- day's MaltaToday survey surprisingly shows that migration is the top- most concern for Labour voters at 42.4%, and the second most top concern for PN voters who stand at 17.1%. ...