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maltatoday SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER 2017 This Week 43 A Christmas Concert is being held on De- cember 21 at 20:00 at St Gregory's Church, a unique 15th century church on the outskirts of Zejtun. It has now been five years since VIBE was founded and this will be its first Christmas performance. The concert will be directed by Marco Mencoboni, one of the leading in- terpreters of early music and vice president of REMA, Réseau Européen de Musique An- cienne (Early Music Association of Europe). Mro Mencoboni is currently conducting monthly masterclasses in Malta in the inter- pretation of the music of Claudio Monteverdi. The concert programme consists of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata BWV 51 'Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen'(Exult in God in every land), for soprano, trumpet, strings and con- tinuo. This cantata has been described by Bach scholars as one of "overflowing jubila- tion and radiant beauty". This is followed by Arcangelo Corelli's: Concerto Grosso Op 6 no 8 in G Minor 'Fat- to per la notte di Natale', commonly known as the Christmas Concerto which is far and away Corelli's best known work. The concert ends in a performance of the 'Messa Pasto- rale' by Benigno Zerafa, a renowned Maltese priest-composer of sacred music, who served as Maestro di Cappella at St Paul's Cathedral Mdina from 1744 to 1786. Typical of masses composed for the Christmas period, the mu- sic is delightfully lilting with almost dance- like melodic lines which will certainly help celebrate the season of goodwill. Tickets for A Christmas Concert are at €20. Bookings: www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, 2124 6389, bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt HOW can a man who is scared of heights, who lives on an island with not even a sin- gle hill, let alone a mountain, decide one fine day to climb the Everest, the highest mountain in the world? Sal-quċċata tal-Everest is the story of a man who wanted to tread where no Mal- tese man has gone before – even though he had no idea what it takes to climb a moun- tain. This is the story of Marco Cremona's in- credible adventure on the mountains. As an engineer, an environmental activist, a keen promoter of water conservation, an opinion maker and above all a man who is always in search for new challenges in life, he was not about to let the small detail of his acrophobia get in the way of his dream. But his was not a dream that could be fulfilled from one day to the next. It took him long years of exercise and trials on mountains, each one slightly taller and more difficult than the previous one. It's very easy from the comfort of our living rooms to imagine that climbing a mountain is that something romantic you see in the movies. We could not be more wrong: Cremona walks us through the extreme difficulties, in the world of tents where even toilets are non-existent, where food is limited and where everything has to be carried on the backs of the climbers. Sal-quċċata tal-Everest, which Cremona wrote with Glen Calleja, tells the story of all that the challenges faced – from his very first "Hmm. Should I do this?" to his "Here I am now on top of the highest mountain in the world." His is a tale from the heart, and he opens up with the reader and shares stories about his relationships and all the people who have crossed his path in the run up to the main adventure. There's no holds barred, his likes and dislikes are literally, an open book and in Cremona's typical no-non- sense style, diplomacy is thrown out of the window. This includes personal insights on group bonding with the team of climb- ers, to the difficulties of raising enough funds to go on such an expedition. Sal-quċċata tal-Everest, published by Merlin Publishers, is a book for adven- ture lovers, for those who live for extreme sports, and for those who love cliff-hang- ing reading. Sal-quċċata tal-Everest can be found for sale at all leading bookshops or directly on line from merlinpublishers.com THE Rule of Law À La Maltaise is Professor Kevin Aquilina's recent book on quite a topi- cal subject. It consists of several thought pro- voking writings which the author published over the years, both in international and Maltese peer reviewed journals and in the local popular press. The main theme of this book is 'The Rule of Law' which is explained in the Introduction by reference to several authors such as Albert Venn Dicey, Joseph Raz, Tom Bingham and Giorgio del Vecchio. For Prof. Aquilina, the rule of law within the context of Maltese Law obliges the state, in- cluding the public administration, to respect and observe the principles set out in the law. It is the foundation of a civilised community; establishes a transparent process accessible and equal to all; and ensures adherence to principles that both liberate and protect. The key components of the rule of law comprise the following: (a) restraint on state autonomy in inter-state relations; (b) the supremacy of the law; (c) equality be- fore the law; (d) separation of powers; (e) the independence of the judiciary; (f) the international rule of law in relation to the person; (g) respect for human dignity and safeguarding of human rights and funda- mental freedoms; (h) public participation in the decision making process; and (i) due consultation with civil society before major decisions are taken. The rule of law requires that: (a) the state, including the public administration, is sub- ject to the law; (b) the public administration respects the rights of persons under the rule of law and provides effective means for their enforcement; (c) the judiciary is guided by the rule of law, protects and enforces it without fear or favour and resists any en- croachments by Parliament, the public administration or political parties in their independence as members of the judiciary; and (d) all members of the legal profession insist with the state that every accused per- son living under the rule of law is entitled by law to a fair trial. Adherence to the rule of law has acquired heightened importance in Malta in recent times. Considering the rule of law to be paramount to a civilised democratic so- ciety, Professor Kevin Aquilina has made this topic central to his own thoughts and writings for three decades. This publication consists in a collection of (some) previously published works by Prof. Aquilina on the theme of the rule of law. He warns that the rule of law, at the moment, is at the cross- roads and it tends to be taken for granted to such an extent that it ends up breached by those same institutions of the state which are called upon to promote, preserve, de- fend, nourish and safeguard it. He suggests that institutional failure is at the heart of the contemporary crises of the rule of law – failure by the institutions of the state to carry out their lawful duties with full re- spect to the observance of the law. Since Malta gained independence the prevailing two-party system has not done enough to strengthen the rule of law. BOOKS MUSIC The Manoel comes to Zejtun for Christmas concert Scaling the highest heights The context for the 'rule of law' The Valletta International Baroque Ensemble will perform at St Gregory's Church on December 21A THE RULE OF LAW À LA MALTAISE SELECTED WRITINGS OF KEVIN AQUILINA THE RULE OF LAW À LA MALTAISE Adherence to the rule of law has acquired heightened importance in Malta in recent times. Considering the rule of law to be paramount to a civilised democratic society, Professor Kevin Aquilina has made this topic central to his own thoughts and writings for three decades. This publication consists in a collection of (some) previously published works by Professor Aquilina on the theme of the rule of law. He warns that the rule of law, at the moment, is at the crossroads and it tends to be taken for granted to such an extent that it ends up breached by those same institutions of the state which are called upon to promote, preserve, defend, nourish and safeguard it. He suggests that institutional failure is at the heart of the contemporary crises of the rule of law – failure by the institutions of the state to carry out their lawful duties with full respect to the observance of the law. Since Malta gained independence the prevailing two-party system has not done enough to strengthen the rule of law. In fact partitocracy is a constant factor why we are stooping so low in the observance of the rule of law. But even recent calls by some civil society organisations, for the removal from office of certain public officers, embed disrespect for the rule of law. Is there still hope that adherence to the rule of law can be invigorated and strengthened? A lot will depend on the good will of the two political parties represented in the House of Representatives – and a meaningful realisation on their part that the wellbeing of our democracy and that of the Maltese people indeed depend on improving a sense of justice that the adherence to the rule of law serves. ISBN: 978-99957-1-197-9 y(7IJ9J5*RLLTRT( Department of Media, Communications and Technology Law, Faculty of Laws. UNIVERSITY OF MALTA Marco Mencoboni 'Sal-quċċata tal-Everest' recounts Marco Cremona's breathtaking e orts to scale the titular mountain, as told in collaboration with Glen Calleja Prof. Kevin Aquilina publishes 'The Rule of Law À La Maltaise'