Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/413175
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 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. A political tradition has developed in Malta where political leaders of the major parties address their party faithful in their respective Party clubs every Sunday morning. The practice is hailed as a way of keeping contact with the Party grass roots and reaching a wider audience via media coverage. Without fail, the news broadcasts on the Public Broadcasting Service and Party media are dominated by the Sunday gatherings. The reports are generally bland and predictable. Both leaders attack their counterpart, eulogizing their own achievements of the week and rubbishing their opponent and his party. The information given is one sided, partisan and delivered in divisive language. In short a propaganda exercise representing the very epitome of old style politics. The state broadcasting service, true to its long held tradi- tion of being a lap dog to the two large political parties turns a meeting addressed in front of no more than three dozen people into a national event with the political reports domi- nating the news items. All tenets of applying the criterion of newsworthiness in the reporting of news are thrown to the wind. The leaders are reported exclusively because they are the leaders, what they say and whether it is newsworthy or not is irrelevant. This is the word of the leader and as such it must be reported. No attempt is made at all by any public service journalist or party media reporter to probe, scrutinise or indeed question any thing said by the leaders. The function of the journalist is just to report, a scribe reporting the Sunday sermon! Our main objection to this weekly practice is not only that it does not become the stature of the two respective Party leaders Dr Gonzi and Dr Sant but most especially that many of the declarations and or questions should be made in parlia- ment. By making these statements in the comfort of a Party club rather in the House, Parliament is being debased and not being given the full recognition it deserves as the seat of the representatives of the people. The confrontation of ideas should take place in parliament where either leader has the opportunity to make his statement and can be answered or contradicted in real time and not by means of the inevitable press release issued timely every Monday to contradict what the opponent will have announced on Sunday evening. The re-introduction of this parliamentary practice used very rarely as in the recent case of the Prime Ministerial statement on Skanska will reignite the necessary debating and confrontation of ideas atmosphere that parliaments are made of. Both parties should rethink their Sunday morning informa- tion strategies. Just imagine how salutary it would be if a real debate took place inside the Party clubs where the leaders are invited to engage in a political debate in their opponents own club. Would this not send a positive message to viewers? Would they not look at this as a breaking down of the club fortress mentality? Such a debate would encourage all persons of whatever political allegiance to ask questions and to probe the political leaders. It could also attract people alien to visit- ing clubs to attend. The activity should not be dominated by a political monologue but should be an exercise in dialogue and the confrontation of ideas. The media should then report the newsworthy points raised. This would certainly come as a breath of fresh air. When elected leader of the PN. Dr Gonzi promised a new way of doing politics. He needs some remind- ing. Imagine a situation where rather than always inviting politicians, the clubs invited persons well versed in a topical issue to speak and address people in the clubs. Would not this practice give a lease of life to the clubs traditionally attended by a few pensioners? Just imagine an architect explaining his opinion on the rebuilding of the opera house site in Valletta or an economist explaining the true state of public finances or an environmentalist explaining the benefits of sustainable development. Would these developments not give a meaning and purpose to Sunday morning talks? Would this not amount to issue politics at work rather than the current old style poli- tics of playing the Sunday blame game? It certainly would help depoliticise our society. Stop the Sunday sermons Editorial • November 14 2004 Carnage in World War I On 5 August, 1914, the Governor of Malta, Sir Leslie Rundle, made the following announcement: "We hereby announce the outbreak of hostilities in humble trust in the guidance and protection of Divine Providence." At about the same time, a circular was read out in Malta's churches, in which the Bishops assured their congregations: "We believe it with deep faith that there is a God who holds the hearts of kings and all in His hands." During the four years that followed these pious pronounce- ments, there wasn't much evidence of Divine Providence or of "a God who holds the hearts of kings and all in His hands". Those terrible years, in fact, were to go down in history as yet unsurpassed for the carnage and destruction that was inflicted on Europe. If the former Pope Benedict had witnessed the horrors of World War I, he would have asked himself the same question that he asked at Auschwitz – the question that made millions lose their faith after the Holocaust: "Where was God?" John Guillaumier St Julian's Disturbed night At the beginning of the month I called the Sliema police station at least three times (at 12.30am, at 1am, and at 1.45am) on 22943351 to report a neighbour (residing at 109 Flat 2, Ponsomby Street, Gzira) who thinks that it is absolutely perfect to have a very noisy party after midnight in a residential area! Each time I called I got the same excuse – 'Sorry, the sergeant is busy' – and in the mean- time I and my family could not sleep because of the loud music. Looks like everyone gets away with it in Malta. Jonathan Vella Gzira Nature Reserve Il-Ballut Ta' Marsaxlokk in Autumn Last week I had the opportunity to visit Il-Ballut ta' Marsaxlokk, a nature reserve located just metres away from the power station. Now that we are in autumn, the reserve is teeming with life. Thanks to heavy rain, pools are again full of brackish water. May I remind everyone that il-Ballut is a Natura 2000 site but in practice much needs to be done! The reserve supports different types of vegetation, including the Sea Rush, Long-bracted Sedge. This marshland is also a habitat for a number of invertebrates as well. This is especially important for waders which feed on the mud shores. Il-Ballut is also sur- rounded with a good number of tamarisk trees which resist high levels of salinity. In early autumn birds such as robins and chiffchaffs roost inside the reserve. For common sandpipers this is the ideal place. In early autumn some sandpipers visit the reserve to feed on inver- tebrates. The reserve is also ideal for swallows. These species feed on small f lies. It is however disappointing that the reserve is again littered with bottles, plastic trays and other rubbish… most of it washed ashore by sea currents. It is even becoming a habit for people sunbathing on the beach to use the reserve as a rubbish dump. On one occasion I even saw a plastic chair standing between the vegetation and the surrounding fence! Fencing is a crucial issue if Nature Trust genuinely wants to protect this wetland. The fence is literally full of holes and there are even parts blown off. Anyone can easily trespass inside the reserve. The reserve is also used by some irresponsible hunters who use this wetland to kill protected birds. Any human disturbance is defi- nitely not ideal for birds. The environment ministry should also use its human re- sources to clean the reserve on a regular basis. As far as I know Buskett gardens is monitored on a daily basis by P.A.R.K personnel. Why don't we use the same exam- ple at this nature reserve as well? May I appeal to Nature Trust and the government to do their utmost to ensure a better future for this marshland. After all na- ture reserves are protected areas which support biodiversity. James Aquilina Via email YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt