Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/257374
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2014 26 Letters Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. There will be many editorials that heap praise on Eddie Fenech Adami. They will be more than justified. The events of last Sunday could have desecrated the image of a man who can be criticised, but not hated. Hopefully he will be respected for his achievements. Throughout these eventful years Edward Fenech Adami, the lawyer from Birkirkara, grew out of that little known politician to one who rallied to confront the immense tyranny of a demagogue by the name of Dom Mintoff. Eddie, as he is affectionately known, took over from the ashes of a broken party led by the ailing Borg Olivier and repositioned his party to rival the excesses of the Mintoff years. When he was finally elected Prime Minis- ter, he launched into a reconciliatory mood that on many occasions failed to suppress the real culprits who had made the life of so many normal citizens a nightmare. Yet, his other achievements outweigh this deficiency. The job creation, economic growth, university education for all, liber- alisation, pluralism and a sense of peace that Fenech Adami helped to bring about are monuments to his era. Unfortunately, the smaller things that matter to people, still failed to see the necessary reforms. The state of roads and public transport, the civil service, the culture at the courts, the protection of the environment, the quality of secondary state schools, electoral reform and many others. However, the basic tenet of the stable, modern, affluent, democratic society can only be attributed to Eddie Fenech Adami and some of his ministers. He was surrounded by many competent ministers, but equally by others who failed to deliver. And yet he moved far too timidly to remove them. His obsession with his personal under- standing of values blurred his vision to the much-needed social changes that were and are badly needed given the present social upheavals of a modern society. And he was on too many occasions ill-advised by the men who were overtly interested in spinning rather than abetting policy. This is the end of the Fenech Adami era, a doctrine born out of confrontational politics. His Opposition, the Labour party, failed miserably to come up with a worthy adversary and leader. Surely Dr Sant is unique, but he lacks the political 'savoir faire' to take on the legacy of Fenech Adami. Dr Fenech Adami was born for politics. He could smell a battle and a weak spot and move in meekly, but dastardly to transform himself into the general who could rally affection, support and commitment. Fenech Adami's replacement will be a pale shadow of the current Prime Minister at least in the short term, and he will have a tough job bringing to the fore the realities of European integration. The new man must not in any way be a clone of Fenech Adami. He must be a con- tinuation of his forward-looking policies, but must be someone who can propel rapid change in the shortest time possible. The changes that are needed for a country to adjust to European accession and be a win- ner in a club of 25. The Fenech Adami legacy EDITORIAL • FEBRUARY 8 2004 Concerns of heterosexual parents This newspaper reported that a group of people identifying them- selves as mothers and friends work- ing in the educational and social field wrote to members of parlia- ment about their concerns relating to same-sex headed families. The Malta Gay Rights Movement welcomes this group's acknowl- edgement of the capabilities that gay people and same-sex couples have to provide a loving environ- ment for children in their care. Their main concerns seem to centre around the impact that a model of family not based on the heterosexual ideal might have on their marriages and children and more remotely, the effect on chil- dren raised by same-sex parents. We concur that equality does not imply the end of sexual difference, as they put it. What we do seem to differ on is the extent to which gender differences and notions of masculinity and femininity are socially constructed as opposed to biologically determined. We be- lieve that all individuals, whether they identify as male or female, encompass both masculine and feminine traits. We also take issue with this group's understanding of the rights the civil union bill entails as one which focuses on the right of the couple as opposed to that of chil- dren. The civil union bill is a piece of legislation about families in the same way that the marriage act is considered to regulate not just heterosexual couples but also any children they might have. The problem is not that same sex couples do not have the best interests of their children at heart; it is that heterosexuals steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that the right to family life goes beyond their traditional notions of fam- ily. Gay people have always been parents and will continue to be so irrespective of this civil union bill however uncomfortable this is to straight people around them. The civil union bill ensures that these legitimate aspirations and life choices are recognised before the law and that children raised by same sex couples are not discrimi- nated against because of prejudice and heterosexist beliefs of what constitutes a suitable environment for children and of what gay people may or may not be entitled to. The group chose to refer to an excerpt from the website of the American Academy of Paediatrics in support of their arguments. Yet, this same websites also states the following: 'A growing body of scientific literature reveals that children who grow up with one or two gay and/or lesbian parents will develop emotionally, cognitively, socially, and sexually as well as children whose parents are hetero- sexual. Parents' sexual orientation is much less important than having loving and nurturing parents.' The group of parents also express concern with regards to the civil union bill being a slippery slope to surrogacy. They make reference to the Lunacek report which is a resolution, passed by the European Parliament on the 4th of February asking for an EU Roadmap against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity (2013/2183(INI)). It is worth noting that this resolu- tion was also endorsed by the EPP group, represented by Roberta Metsola and the S&D Group rep- resented by Michael Cashman. It seems that both PN and PL MEP's support the resolution. Gabi Calleja Coordinator Malta Gay Rights Movement Open letter to Saviour Balzan from FKNK For many of those who may not know you, and for others who only know you slightly, your terminol- ogy and adjectives, especially when referring to fellow human beings, may come as somewhat of a surprise. For those who know you better, it is only more of the same. Fighting hard to restrain myself from replying on the same wave- length, to no less than an editorial of a local newspaper, if one could call it that, I will still try my very best. Coming from a background deeply-rooted with anti-hunting stunts, one can never say that any connection of Saviour Balzan with Maltese hunting and trapping could ever be equitable. You state that you did your "little part" on behalf of a Maltese government that was publicly stating that the socio-cultural tradition of hunting and trapping was being safeguard- ed during negotiation stage with the European Commission; some part! What you never stated is how much you earned for doing your "little part". It seems that where money is involved, principles seem to bend, insofar as you are concerned, Mr Balzan. A principle such as spring hunt- ing that you fought for? A principle such as finch trapping that you fought for? Do you really expect anyone to take you seriously, today? Persons like yourself seem to for- get that some of their own public statements, some probably made at high temperature levels, and others just out of pure egocentricity, will come back to haunt them. If you may have forgotten, I will remind you of what you had stated about finch trapping and spring hunting not so long ago: 'Had it not been for me, we would have not reached the stage that hunting and trapping no longer takes place in spring… And anoth- er thing: I had campaigned against hunting and trapping long before Roderick [Galdes] had ever imag- ined that he would be a spokesman on the environment.' Is your problem with the Maltese Mr Balzan? I understand that you have many friends overseas who are hunters and with whom you have hunted and shared many a game dinner. Very little differs over here, except that game is so scarce that we treasure it greatly and only share it amongst friends, even non- hunters. Principles, again, take different facets in the political scenario, where you are involved, Mr Balzan. An activist for Alternattiva Demokratika; an active supporter of Nationalists and their principles; a pseudo-supporter of Labour. Can you please take a decision and one direction so that one could, at least, assimilate you to one structure? I am not sure that you under- stand that persons like yourself are catalysts acting directly against any form of sincere dialogue and constructive restructuring of ties between opposing sides. Taking our issue for one, and while I am positive and was very close at cer- tain points in time throughout the past decades, that there was a lot of common ground between FKNK and Birdlife Malta, extremists like yourself, were on the forefront to ensure that this never occurs. So, Mr Balzan, while I could continue with facts about who you really are, may I also remind you that the legacy we leave behind is what remains after we are gone. There are legacies of conservation and those of destruction and here, please do not only take my word, but just ask around to see where you fit in. Finally, and while I always strive to achieve a positive result and endeavour to understand and ap- preciate the other side's point of view, believe me, it becomes much more difficult with persons like yourself on the other side; where dialogue is not the order of the day but more of dictatorial statements made in such a manner so as to stir opposition and confrontation. I am also sure that Birdlife Malta will start to realise this within the not too distant future, hopefully it will not be too late. Then again, I sadly have to admit, that deep in my heart I fail to see anything else coming from your end apart from more of the same. Joseph Perici Calascione President Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) Saviour Balzan writes: I have never held a gun in my life. And yes I did attend a hunting ses- sion in France as a photojournalist, many many years back.