Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/591015
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2015 26 I fetched a dusty old Oxford English Dictionary to look up 'patriotism' and 'racism'. Much to my surprise I could not notice any link between the two. Strange, I thought, especially since lately a number of self-styled 'patri- ots' give the impression that by default the meanings of both words walk hand-in-hand with each other. I looked up the word 'bigot'. Now here one could easily see traits that could also be attrib- uted towards racism but no link whatsoever with 'patriotism'. So technically, if loving my country dearly is the only requirement needed to be considered a patriot, then I believe I fit the criteria well enough. And all without having to rant out racially demeaning and hateful slurs at refugees. My little 'word quest' might all seem a bit comical, but in reality it is the unfortunate truth of how many 'patriots' have butchered what it purely means to be devot- ed to one's country as a means of unleashing their inner prejudice and utter hatred towards those of different ethnicities whom they regard as inferior. As a result, many have stripped away at any shred of humanity and referred to asylum seekers fleeing war-torn countries as 'parasites', 'animals, 'those people' and what-not, while insisting that the ideal solution would be to let them all drown in our seas or else send them back to their deaths in their own countries. I'm not one to generalize and I acknowledge the fact that believ- ing in stronger enforcement of border control and deportation of migrants does not automatically brand one as a 'racist' or a 'bigot'. Engaging in discriminatory acts which attempt to degrade or antagonize a particular group of people is racism. The dehu- manization of children such as Aylan Kurdi, dying on our shores is racism. Dangling an Ethiopian man eight storeys high, all day in the sun to paint a building for a miserly pay is racist. People who believe in compas- sion towards asylum seekers and in the diversity of different cultures should not be labelled 'unpatriotic' or 'haters of our own country'. Disposing of a refrigerator in a protected valley is unpatriotic. The destruction of our own natural environment through irresponsible develop- ment is unpatriotic. Opting for partisanship over the national interest is unpatriotic. Not know- ing the words to your national an- them is not very patriotic either. Generalization hurts all parties involved. Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed this sentiment perfectly recently when he dismissed an Islamopho- bic man who 'accused' President Barack Obama of being a Muslim during a Donald Trump rally. Powell's response was "The cor- rect answer is he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with be- ing a Muslim in this country?". And there you have it. Xeno- phobia, Islamophobia and bigotry scrapped in the garbage where they belong. Last week I was delighted to see our Prime Minister following in the footsteps of Angela Merkel at United Nations and urging the in- ternational community to "share and shoulder the phenomenon of mass migration with both legal channels and instruments to deal with the crisis". It's truly remark- able to see what a long way he's come from his unlawful attempt- ed pushback just two years ago. Amazing what a little something called public opinion can do. Indeed I wish most of his sup- porters who rallied harshly in favour of pushbacks would make the same sort of rapid advance- ment on the topic as he did, but alas After years of seeing the im- migration crisis mounting to the point it has reached now, many citizens in Europe feel discour- aged, because it is discouraging to see the indifference of most European leaders. This probably explains the rise of new far-right parties across different European countries, a chilling echo of the 1930s. The greatest threat to our "way of life" is not migration. It is the lie that some human lives matter less than others. Irrelevant to where one stands on the issue of immigration, the need for unity and co-operation not only between nations, but also indi- viduals has never been greater in recent history. I'm no idealist when I say that a clearer path to stability will not come anytime soon through isolating ourselves, lacking com- passion and manifesting hatred, but more so through looking past one's ideological differences and acknowledging the human being in those seeking a better life. Jamie Vella Via email 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. News • 24 October 2005 Lockerbie returns to haunt 'tricky' Malta witness New doubts have been cast over the testimony of Maltese shopkeeper Tony Gauci, whose testimony was a key factor in the conviction of Lockerbie bomb suspect Abdelbasset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. In comments to the Sunday Times of London, the former Lord Advocate who is- sued the arrest warrant for the Libyan, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, described Gauci as "not quite the full shilling" and "an apple short of a picnic". Gauci was instrumental in securing Megrahi's conviction when he recognised the suspect in a photo shown to him by de- tectives at Mary's House, the clothes shop he runs in Sliema. Gauci claimed he had sold Megrahi clothes that were later found wrapped around the bomb. "Gauci was not quite the full shilling. I think even his family would say he was an apple short of a picnic. He was quite a tricky guy, I don't think he was deliberately lying but if you asked him the same question three times he would just get irritated and refuse to answer," Fraser said. Tony Gauci, contacted by MaltaToday on Friday, had little to say about Fraser's comments: "I am not interested in what this man said. What matters to me is what the Court said and that's it…. He can say what he likes. They know what was said in Court. The case is closed and that's it now." But the admissions have clearly attracted grave reactions from other parties, especial- ly following a former Scottish police chief's claims that key evidence in the bombing trial had been fabricated by the CIA. In a signed statement to Megrahi's law- yers, the retired officer said the CIA planted the tiny fragment of circuit board crucial in convicting the Libyan. The evidence will be crucial for Megrahi who is attempting to get a retrial ordered by the Scottish Crimi- nal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC). William Taylor QC, the man who led Megrahi's defence, told the Sunday Times it was "scandalous" that Fraser had admitted a witness whose credibility he doubted. "A man prosecuting in the criminal courts in Scotland has a duty to put forward evidence based upon people he considers to be reliable. He was prepared to advance Gauci as a witness of truth in terms of the identification and if he had these misgiv- ings about him, they should have surfaced at the time. "The fact he is now coming out many years later after my former client has been in prison for nearly four and a half years is nothing short of disgraceful. Gauci's evi- dence was absolutely central to the convic- tion and for Peter Fraser not to realise that is scandalous." Jim Swire, the spokesman for families of victims who lost his daughter Flora in the atrocity, said: "Lord Fraser had detailed knowledge of events and I think we have to take seriously anything he says now that is relevant to those who gave evidence at Zeist. It is significant that a man who has been as close as he has to the investigation should be making comments like this." During the investigation, clothing fibres with a labeel "Made in Malta" were traced to fragments of a Samsonite suitcase believed to have contained the bomb. The clothes were traced to Tony Gauci, who then became a key prosecution witness. Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, when a plastic explosive was deto- nated in its cargo hold, killing 270 people and 11 people on the ground. Lockerbie became Britain's largest criminal in- quiry, led by the the Scottish Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the FBI. Indictments for murder were issued in 1991 against Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer and the head of security for Libyan Arab Air- lines (LAA), and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, the LAA station manager in Luqa Airport, Malta. Megrahi was convicted of murder on January 31, 2001 and was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment. Fhimah was acquit- ted. Megrahi's case is currently being reviewed by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission. mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Racism and bigotry not patriotic at all CLARIFICATION In the 18 October report 'Over half of Tourism, Arts, University Graduates Overqualified for jobs' by Tim Diacono, certain MCAST data was misinter- preted and erroneously reported that matching employment rate for Applied Science Institute Graduates stands at 52.85%...". The actual data pertaining to the Institute of Applied Sciences is as follows: Total Qualified Match: 78%, showing what percent of students find a job at the level of education they have trained for. Qualified/Match: 64%,showing the complete match, i.e. the stu- dents finding a job that is both at their studied level of education and within the same economic sector. The error is regretted