Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/762759
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2016 4 Republic Day 'We should not condemn those build our prosperity by sending MATTHEW VELLA AT 3,000 words, it was a brief address. But between saluting Malta's presidency of the Euro- pean Council, and proclaiming a long life to the Republic, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca was ada- mant in sending Joseph Muscat's government, the Nationalist op- position, and the rest of Maltese society, a strong admonition against racism and hatred. Immediately in the opening lines to her speech celebrating Malta's 42nd year as a republic, Coleiro Preca was placing her hands on the pulse of a nation ill at ease with itself: politics about to reach fever pitch, angry pal- pitations inside the social media swamp, and xenophobic nation- alism rearing its head. Her diagnosis was a stark one: "Material shortcomings, so- cial exclusion; the threat to the quality of life resulting in de- velopment which is not always sustainable; the overcrowding of residential areas; the limita- tion of public spaces; noise and traffic delays; and the scarcity of honesty and truth in political life, are amongst the issues that are of concern to the Maltese of goodwill in our country, who would like to see a future Re- public which is better than what we have today." Without pausing for breath, her opening lines were an in- dictment of the Muscat admin- istration's joint-European de- portation of some 33 long-term migrants from Malta who had long been slated for removal, who had built employment and social bonds in Malta. "As a guardian of the Constitu- tion, I believe that Malta should continue to host all those who live among us, or those who come to visit us, with the utmost love and respect. I am morally convinced that we should ap- preciate, and not condemn, per- sons who are helping to build our prosperity, and who form part of our society, by sending them back." She was clear about giving no quarter to those who sought to join a democratic debate with- out the right credentials to up- hold that same democracy. "During the past 12 months, the tension amongst us, as well as between those who consider themselves Maltese and those who are regarded as alien, con- tinued to f lourish. Those who present demographic and eco- nomic reasons normally make provision for a calm, mature and reasoned debate. But the same cannot be said for those who embrace racist views." In a prognosis for a healthy democratic rebirth, Coleiro Pre- ca extolled the need to achieve maturity and civility. "If we are going to take to the streets, we must continue in our path of reconciliation, hope, solidarity and collectivity. If we are going to protest, we will protest against xenophobia, rac- ism, social exclusion and the ex- ploitation of workers for profit. If we are going to celebrate, we will applaud the increase of civil rights, laws which are less dis- criminatory, laws which protect 'Children disappointed at politicians' bad CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "Freedom of expression does not give the right to threaten anyone's human rights, including respect for fam- ily life, and to privacy. As a nation, we cannot accept such obscenity. It is disgraceful for any person do- ing it." The authors of that psychologi- cal violence, from "bloggers and individuals", is hardly a secret: from the Archbishop's personal dislike of the Prime Minister's mandarin Glenn Bedingfield, to the Nationalist Party's unofficial poison-pen muckraker Daphne Caruana Galizia, these two vul- tures were singling out critics of either party in search for carrion. "I reiterate my appeal to all po- litical parties, public entities and all people of goodwill, to disas- sociate themselves publicly from these individuals," Coleiro Preca told Joseph Muscat and Simon Bu- suttil – but of their tweets in the ensuing hour, the Prime Minister simply said "objective and fair", while the Opposition leader may have withheld judgement for later. Coleiro Preca showed even more intuition in calling on the general public to be critical of what the mainstream media publishes. "I also wish that everyone would think about and reflect before be- lieving every word that is reported on the media. We need to invest much more in media education, not only for children and young people, but also for adults." She was clear about the way pol- iticians and party candidates were milking the hatred machine to de- liver soundbites and foment alle- gations aimed at undermining the civility of the democratic process. "This year, the political scene has witnessed many undermining tactics. Whatever achievements politicians managed to attain, through long hours of commit- tee meetings, whatever laws they strove to enact for the benefit of all and sundry, were soon shot down through a smear campaign of accusations and counter-accu- sations, calling of names, insinu- ations, digging into personal lives and mudslinging. "As a result of this, people are now overlooking the fact that politics are there to enhance the quality of personal and collective lives and to ensure a better future for all of us." She also warned that unre- strained partisanship and pop- ulism had lowered the esteem that should be shown towards politics. "Unrestrained partisanship and populism cause rifts among peo- ple, instead of being an instru- ment of unity and respect towards diversity. "I must say that I am sincerely concerned about the behaviour of President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca inspecting an AFM guard of honour yesterday Scenes from yesterday's Republic Day parade. Photos by Jeremy Wonnacottt/DOI