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Europe chose not to Vodka
Dear Friends, The second semi-final is now over and the final list is known. For the second year in a row Malta will not feature in the final line up for the Eurovision Song Contest. There is no doubt that Morena gave her 100%. She was simply amazing and I really liked the performance, especially the dance routine and her vocals, the crowd seemed to enjoy the show too. I have already said that Vodka was not a powerful song but still I taught that it deserved to pass to the final. This of course was not the opinion of the majority as Europe chose not to Vodka! This result must be accepted and we maltese have to get mature about it. Malta will not be in the final and nothing will change this fact. So now let's be sport and enjoy the fabulous show of saturday's final. Last year my opinion was really different as it was clear that there was a blockvote and it was really scandalous that only Eastern European countries passed. This year is a whole different story, I agree with the overall result of both this year's semi-finals. I managed to guess another 7 out of 10 finalists. I agree that there were countries that did not deserve to pass to the final, but still this is the Eurovision Song Contest and surprises happen all the time. Having said that, all the best songs have passed and the overall result is simply welcoming. You may be wondering why Europe did not like Vodka? There can be several different answers to this question. One thing is sure: there were better and stronger songs. With the hey hey hey,nastrovje and morena's headshake there was a resemblance with a previous winner i.e Ruslana. This portrayed our song as unoriginal. Another major set-back was the lack of good promotion for the song. Another sure thing is that it's about time that the Maltasong Board resigns. I am not saying it is their fault that Malta did not qualify but this is the 3rd consecutive bad result achieved under the same chairmanship. Someone must take responsability and it would be an honourable thing to do if all the board resigns immediately. If they were not capable of achieving a good result in 3 years, the future does not look bright. New blood will certainly bring new ideas, and that is what Malta needs next year. From here I thank Morena for the great performance she gave yesterday. We should be proud of the talent this small country of ours holds. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and I am sure that a day will come when we will again be there in an ESC final...with a good song. Renald Will we Vodka tonight?
Dear Friends, I have to be honest with you, when Vodka was chosen to represent Malta in this year's ESC, I was simply disappointed. I did not feel it was a powerful or an exceptional song. Well here I am 3 months later with the same opinion. This does not in any way reflect a judgement on our singer Morena. I simply admire her for giving so much and for believing in her song. Naturally Vodka, like any other song can't be liked by everyone, but a certain thing is that it was the favourite song with the Maltese. Having said all this, I still believe that Vodka can make it to the final. Altghough its not a wow song, it is one of the 10 best songs that will compete this evening. Unfortunately we all know that Eurovision is at some times impredictable, and I after all that happened in last year's ESC, I stand by what I say. Therefore there is still a 'but'. I feel that this year, there are no great pressures on our singer, like there used to be always. This is so because Malta did not qualify for last year's final, therefore it killed some of the enthusiasm that we all had for ESC. There was also the general election, that took all the agenda in our country. Even the promotion for Vodka was small compared to previous years. All this can be positive to a certain extent. Morena will not feel so pressurized, therefore she will just be expected to give a good performance and come what may, we will accept our fate. I am certain that she will try her best. As I said, I don't like Vodka so madly like our previous entries, nontheless I have done my utmost to support it. Morena deserves our full support as she tried her best. I am certain she will give a great performance this coming evening. From what I have seen in the rehearsals, I believe we have a good overall coreography. Malta's song will be sung soon after 2 ballads, this enhances our chances. So the best of luck to Morena, to Anabelle Debono that will be her backing vocalist, to Philip & Gerard, to the Swedish dancers and to all maltese present in Serbia. The only question is one: WILL WE VODKA TONIGHT? The answer is simple: just wait and see!!! Renald
Fair deal : FirstSemi Final
Dear Friends, Yesterday we witnessed the new ESC format for the first time. Indeed it was a great improvement after the mess of last year's result. I managed to guess 7 out of the 10 qualifiers, so I am really satisfied with the result. It is a big relief for The Eurovision Song Contest that almost no 'jokes' proceeded to the final, thus reducing the possibility of ridiculing the final outcome. On the other hand I was really disappointed by the visual aspect of this first semi-final. The camera-work was a total rubbish, with major shortcomings seen in each performance. Besides the usual enthusiasm associated with this Festival, was totally inexistent! The middle of the hall was empty, with only people on the gallery sides. It was the worst semi-final to be seen on tv ever, with an empty hole in the hall. As regards the opening ceremony, it was one of the worst in these last years. Even the show presenters lacked the natural ability to keep in touch with the audience, they did not even complemented each other. On a positive side, the stage was simply briliant and even the LED screen togheter with the lighting system were simply amazing. The special effects, like the fireworks, wind machines and other props, were really effective. Anyways, the lack of professionality on this first semi final, was balanced by the entertainment offered by the songs, with an amazing overall show. 90% of the songs offered a real show. The result is a welcoming one indeed. The next semi-final that will be held tomorrow, should indeed restore some credibility in the Serbian nation. The lack of professionalism shown so far should be minimized, as Serbia deserves to be remembered for being able to host one of the biggest Eurovision Song Contests ever. Gd luck Serbia!! Renald ESC2008: Triple the fun
Dear Friends, Finally after a whole year of waiting, the Eurovision Song Contest is back again tomorrow. This year we will witness alot of changes to this fabulous event. For the first time in its history, the ESC will take place on 3 nights, 2-semis and 1 final. So prepare yourselves to triple the fun! After the hijack of last year's Eurovision by the Eastern European countries, it was inevitable that action needed to be taken for ESC2008. The fact that there will be 2 semi finals, with only those participating on each of the semi final, with the right to vote in that semi, is the best thing that will happen to this song contest. This is the reason why I will be eager yet again to watch it! Last year I almost promised myself that I won't remain so big of a fan of the ESC, but this year I am looking forward with anticipation. To have 2 semi-finals will indeed help in creating a hype for the actual final, besides it will minimise the risk of having a block vote. For example, this year Cyprus will not be able to give its 'Douze Points' to Greece and viceversa (at least not to help it reach the final). Isn't that fantastic? Another good aspect that came out by having 2 semis is the fact that this year there is an overwhelming amount of great songs from various parts of Europe. With every country aspiring to be in the final, and with an unguaranteed place in the same, has challenged a lot of them to send good songs. Tomorrow the fun, the excitement and the glamour will begin with a simple phrase "Good Evening Europe". Whatever the outcome, whatever the differencies there exist between peoples of the 43 participating countries, tomorrow will be an ode to peace and a confirmation of unity in diversity. So sit back, hold tight and let the 'Confluence of Sound' take control of your senses and most of all enjoy Europe's biggest event. Renald Memories of Past General Elections Dear Firends, More than a month has already passed since the last general election and now it’s time to change my focus on something else. Having said that, I will close the G.E chapter with my memories of past general elections. I have promised you I would write this particular blog a month ago but I was very busy, I know you will excuse me for that J As the saying goes…better late than never. Being a 4 year old, I was too young to remember the 1987 general election but I have memories of all the subsequent.
1992 I remember the general election quite well. The leader of the MLP at the time was Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. Coming from a family full of ‘laburisti’ and ‘mintuffjani’ it isn’t hard for me to remember him. At my auntie’s house one could find different types of memorabilia concerning Karmenu, including the kitchen clock portraying his face.I recall how his face used to scare me. His authoritarian stare together with his white hair, brushed in a ‘xkupilja’ style (as if he was shocked by electricity) helped to reinforce my beliefs. To my innocent eyes he looked like the cruel guy from a cartoon of superheroes!! In those times I was the spoilt child of the whole family but in particular of my grandmother. She used to take me with her almost everyday to Valletta, so the 1st of May was no exception. May 1st is traditionally known as ‘Jum il-Ħaddiem’ and is always celebrated by the MLP in a carnival sort of way. I really enjoyed watching the coloured floats passing trough ‘Pjazza Kastilja’ on the way to ‘Pjazza Ħelsien’ without caring too much to read the message portrayed on each float. I remember that after the float procession, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici used to enter Valletta in a truck, waving triumphantly to a jubilant, almost mad crowd. I still remember myself doing like everyone else…clapping and chanting. For me it was a carnival in May!!!
On the ‘nazzjonalisti’ side of my family at the time, there was my mother, 2 uncles and my granfather. All of them were supporters of Guido De Marco or ‘il-Viċi Kap tal-Partit’. Guido was the number one candidate for the PN on the first district comprising Ħamrun, to me he looked as great as grown-ups portrayed him. I remember we had a cassette at home with songs about him. I can still recall myself singing the following chorus: ‘Il-viċi kap Guido De Marco We also had huge posters depicting him. When we went carcading, my mum had one affixed to the car’s bonnet!!
The election of 1992 took place in February. Everyone knows the PN won a large majority of 13,000 votes. I just remember carcading with my mother and Ġanni our neighbour. Ġanni was a fanatic PN supporter; I mean he was the ‘only’ crazy nationalist person that stood up against the other 98% of MLP residents in our alley. His house was full of Eddie’s posters. There was one opposite the main door so that if someone from the MLP camp came to visit, Ġanni without speaking a word would open the door and with his index finger will show them the ‘King’(as he used to say). We carcaded in Ġanni’s brand new car, unfortunately it remained ‘new’ only for a few hours. In fact Ġanni ruined it by jumping on its rooftop with his cowboy shoes. Now you understand why they called him crazy! Anyways I remember I had a great time waving the flag out of the car windows, shouting and making the V sign. It was something extraordinary to an 8 year old like me. We had a cassette full of PN songs, but I remember just one of them. The song went like this: ‘U ħawwadni ħa nifmhek KMB…u ħawwadni ħa nifmhek KMB Obviously it was about Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s lack of direction! I recall it was one of my favourite songs. I remember also an unpleasant episode that happened to me and that affected the way I looked at the MLP supporters. I was playing in the alley as I used to do almost everyday, there were no people outside in that particular moment. Suddenly a neighbour that everyone knows with the nick of ‘Papruwa’ came out from her door and said these words to me ‘mur l’hemm foxx dik il-liba ommok. Int liba bhala għax nazzjonalisti’. I recall I wasn’t scared but I was hurt. These words helped me become what I am today, so in a way I came to be grateful. 1996
The election took place on my mother’s birthday on the 26th October. I think it will remain one of her worst birthday presents ever. That year the Maltese chose Alfred Sant by a majority of 7,000 to be their Prime Minister. Alfred Sant was a breath of fresh air for many people. Besides being MLP’s new leader, he had promised a lot of things such as the removal of VAT and more power to the people. The promise to remove VAT was his best asset to win the election. I remember quite well that the PN’s campaign was to demonise Alfred Sant as much as possible whilst at the same time mentioning the great achievements of its government such as the new airport, the new powerstation and the modernisation of Malta. In fact the PN managed to change Malta in a very drastic way. Malta of 1996 was far better than Malta pre-1987. Obviously the PN’s success was its major loss in that election. The 80’s era was already forgotten by many people who were now prepared for a change. Alfred Sant had proved himself already by changing the Malta Labour Party. He eliminated the violent elements associated with his party, he built new Head Quarters in Ħamrun, he opened ‘Super 1 TV’ the MLP’s TV station and ‘Super 1 radio’. Even during the electoral campaign I recall he introduced innovative things such as the ‘ċittadin mobil’ a bus which he used in order to visit different towns to convey his message of ‘iċ-Ċittadin l-Ewwel’ and a logo of a flower was used instead of the traditional ‘torċa’ associated with the MLP’s violent times. I was still young at the time though I was already interested in the election. I was supporting the PN of course but I was too young to be a fanatic. One of my uncles wanted to take me with him to the the MLP’s mass meeting held in Ħamrun. At first I didn’t want to go but he told me that no one will recognize im not a Labourite lol! Anyways I went with him to make him happy. I remember the euphoria of people as Alfred Sant walked trough St.Joseph High Rd. surrounded by a bunch of bodyguards. I recall I even clapped for the guy when he came out on stage to the tune of Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’. It was to be the first and the last clap of hands Alfred Sant would ever get from me! I recall I went with mum near the ‘stamperija’ to wait for the result. It seemed the PN was expecting another victory. There were many people hanging around, there was a big screen, various singers and the usual kiosks. While all of us were there waiting, Eddie Fenech Adami appeared on the big screen appealing for calm as the result was close to photofinish! The only thing we didn’t know is that while he was saying those words, the streets were witnessing the victory of the MLP. I recall there was an instant when someone out of the HQ came out to announce the PN victory, obviously it was not true and he was silenced by insiders. Unexpectedly something tragic happened soon afterwards; a man in a Ford Escort drove intentionally with rapid accelaration and skipped the police barricades. It was a terrorizing experience, there was a police officer who was hit by the car in his head, and he was full of blood but still conscious. I can still picture all the mothers grabbing their babies and leaving the prams behind, people running (including myself and my mother), people crying and shouting ‘Komunisti komunisti bqajtu l-istess’. From that episode we deducted the PN has lost the election. We headed home with tears in our eyes, faking smiles so as to pass unnoticed. St. Joseph High Rd. was full of: people celebrating, honking cars with attached cash registers; crazy people hammering and destrructing their cars. It was an incredible scene. When we were close to home there was a neighbour of ours, shouting at us ‘dawk nazzjonalisti, ja liba’. My mother was concerned as her friend (who was the sister of that shouting neighbour) was still near the ‘stamperija’ presumably injured! But her family did not care as she was a PN supporter! Such behaviour was unbelievable. 1998
The summer of 1998 was a really long heated one indeed! According to Sant, it was to be a ‘cool & relaxed’ summer. Of course we all know it wasn’t. Malta was witnessing the collapse of the MLP’s government after only 22 months. Alfred Sant’s problems started soon after his victory in 1996. The removal of VAT and its replacement with CET (a new form of tax which was based on excise) created instability in the country. No one understood the mechanisms of this new tax, neither the MLP itself! The economy slowed down heavily and the deficit reached record heights. A mountanious high rise in water and electricity bills plus an additional 33 new taxes, including a tax on each door and on drainage utilities, coupled with another thousand problems, eradicated the spending power of all. There was also the resignation of 2 ministers, that of Lino Spiteri – Minister for Finance, and that of Charles Mangion – Minister for Justice & Local Government. Another major issue was the removal of the stipend system for students; this led to protests by post-secondary and university students. The MLP and the country were in a total mess. The internal problems of the MLP became Malta’s problems. A whole summer was spent witnessing the confrontation between Duminku Mintoff, ex-leader of the MLP, and Alfred Sant. Mintoff accused Sant of losing the social conscience of the party. Mintoff couldn’t stand the fact that the Labour-led government was creating so many problems to the workers and their families. This confrontation led Duminku Mintoff to vote against his own government in a motion regarding the Cottonera Waterfront Project. He was against the restriction of public land to the people. In fact the proposed project included the privatisation of public land and the restriction thereof to citizen’s access to the waterfront. Obviously the Cottonera Waterfront Project saga was the tip of the iceberg of the real problems in the MLP. Soon after the Cottonera Waterfront Project’s debate in parliament, when the Speaker’s vote saved the government from collapse, a motion of confidence was taken. This time round Duminku Mintoff voted against his same government yet again. Clearly there was no choice left for the government except to call fresh elections 3 years in advance. The election took place on the 5th of September. The MLP lost its 7,000 majority in just 22 months. The Nationalist Party with its motto ‘Ġid. Fiduċja.Direzzjon.’achieved one of its greatest victories by a strong majority of more than 13,000 votes. Eddie Fenech Adami was again Prime Minister after a 2 year holiday break! The voters chose to rewind their lives back to the future. One of the major electoral issues, besides the economic situation was the European Union membership. The 2 year freeze of Malta’s membership application was without any doubt disastrous for the country. 2 whole years without any direction killed almost all new foreign direct investments and eradicated our foreign image.
For me it was a great summer. It was the first time I went to all the PN mass meetings except the Gozo one. Although I was still a ‘kannoll bla krema’ I was now officially a PN supporter. This led to some unpleasant episodes. The same neighbour who in 1996 had shouted at us ‘dawk nazzjonalisti, ja liba’ was back with her insults. This time round she attacked me verbally on many occasions. I was still young at the time and more of a quiet person than I am today, therefore I was afraid. Everytime before I got out of the house I used to check if ‘she’ was around. This situation led to a fight between her and my mother. It was a verbal fight that caught the attention of all the neighbours. Everyone in our alley was watching and of course all stood with the Victim i.e ME!! On a more pleasant note I recall the first time I heard Modern Talking’s song ‘Taka a Chance’. It was the perfect song ‘We’ll take the chance we’ll win again....’ it sent shivers down my spine. It was on Radio 101’s political program hosted by David Agius. I remember him saying he had heard it on a tour in Switzerland and he brought some cds back with him. I also remember the funny political songs by Benny and Tonia. I had their cassette and I simply loved to listen to it everyday during the electoral campaign. A curious episode which I remember well was when at the Fgura mass meeting my mother lost lm10. She realized she lost it when the mass meeting was over. Soon after we went back to search for it and hurray we found the lm10 paper lying on the floor, unseen by thousands of people! P.S – Something worth nothing is that the Nationalist Party now had its own television station i.e. NET TV, therefore 1998 was the first election where both political parties where on equal terms as regards media propaganda. 2003
2003 was an exciting year for everybody. We had the longest electoral campaign ever. First there was the E.U referendum campaign and soon after the General Election campaign. This year was the first time I voted, it had to be the EU referendum on the 8th of March and I was really excited. I remember feeling proud in choosing to vote YES believing it was the best option for Malta. I felt responsible that with my vote I was shaping my destiny and my country’s. I couldn’t believe that young people like me could have been so out of mind to vote NO for EU membership. Still such people existed, though in a minority!! The referendum campaign was a hard fought campaign. On one front you had the PN together with all Civil Society, represented by the major Unions and Organizations all united for a YES, and on the other hand there was the MLP and the General Workers Union together with euro-sceptic groups all against membership. Summed up you had an almost lonely voice against membership coming from the MLP camp. Their alternative was a Partnership with the EU that existed only in their minds! Anyways I will not go in the merits of the actual campaign cause this is now history and the result was an astonishing victory for the YES movement with a 54% majority. Soon after the result, Alfred Sant, the Opposition Leader announced, against all sanity, a victory for the NO camp. He said the 54% of YES votes was not enough as there were more people who abstained, voted no and did nor vote at all! There’s no need for me to explain that such insane behaviour led to a major havoc on the island! Supporters of both political parties were out celebrating! This will be remembered in history as one of the major crazy acts done by a politician! He even said that the referendum will not bind a future Labour Government. Therefore the result had to be reconfirmed in a General Election A day after the result, Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami announced the 12th of April as the date for the General Election. He said that the country needed to re-confirm the YES vote in a General Election due to the MLP’s behavoiur vis a vis the referendum result. He described Alfred Sant’s behaviour as irresponsible and that it was creating uncertainty in the country. The result of the Election was another victory for the Nationalist Party and for all of those who voted YES in the preceding referendum by 12,000 votes. The Maltese paved the way for EU membership and on the 16th of April, 4 days after the General Election, Prime Minister Fenech Adami together with Foreign Minister Joe Borg signed the Accession Treaty. There are a lot of thing which I remember but it will take a whole book to write them down. I will simply mention the important stuff. I recall I attended every single meeting organized by the PN for the referendum as well for the General Election. It was the first time I was no more a ‘kannol bla krema’ and I simply loved it! I was a University Student at the time, and fanatic as I was, I used to go to the lectures wearing a shirt with the PN slogan ‘Iva PN. Għalina. Għal Uliedna. Għal Pajjiżna’. I loved to watch the expression on people’s faces when I passed by! I remember I was sick the moment preceding the referendum result, but soon afterwards all the sickness went away and of course I went to celebrate! Since the MLP were celebrating too, I couldn’t celebrate to the full; therefore I celebrated to the full the GE victory. I was certain that the PN would win that election. In the previous articles regarding the other General Elections, I wrote about the usual clash with MLP supporters, well this year was no exception. The same neighbour who I mentioned in the 96 and 98 articles was back again even in 2003. Such people never learn to grow up! This time round I was no more a child and therefore the clash was a bit harsher and thank God I wasn’t her neighbour anymore, as I went to live somewhere else. On that day I was visiting my grandmother. I won’t go in the merits of the case but I remember I reciprocated her insults in an aggressive way as I really was fed up of people like her. I recall the other ‘good’ neighbours calming me down as they had never witnessed an aggressive Renald! I will never be ashamed of all the bad swearing words I said that day, she simply deserved it! Renald
We won again
Dear Friends, Against all odds we made it again! The Nationalist Party has won the General Election 2008. What an awesome experience it was for all of us. Its that overwhelming feeling of winning unexpectedly...and its gorgeous!! The sweet taste of Victory is incredible. To be honest I was sure the MLP would win by default but something in my head kept telling me we could do it. I just prepared myself for the worst result..that of having Alfred Sant as Prime Minister!! I was already imagining how my future would be under the MLP. Thank God the Maltese people have chosen wisely. As we say..there's no price on peace of mind! The country had to choose between the possibility of having Lawrence Gonzi and Alfred Sant as its Prime Minister. Between continuity and prosperity under the PN's vision or the half-baked proposals and misprints of the MLP's manifesto! And they call it choice! The MLP kept telling us "Agħzel Labour" for a "Bidu Ġdid" on its vertical containers turned billboards, whilst brainwashing us with the 'Korruzzjoni Lampanti' that supposedly exists everywhere in this country..but alas not in its own "serra tal-ħġieġ". The slogan "Xogħol, Ħarsien,Dinjita" is still echoing in my mind...actually it's haunting my brains like an 80's song, speaking of which.."The only way is up..labour" indeed it is for a party which is now rock bottom! On the other side, the Gonzipn campaign was succesful in bringing out the most positive aspects of the maltese people. With the main slogan "Iva, flimkien kollox possibbli" the PN showed us it believes in the capabilities of all maltese. The PN succeeded in portraying Lawrence Gonzi as a safe pair of hands "b'Gonzi moħħok mistrieħ" while reminding us that Alfred Sant as Prime Minister means "inkwiet" for the country. It's not because Alfred Sant is a bad person, but it's because he is incapable as a leader. Malta voted for what it needs; a safe pair of hands to give a future to its people, a capable Prime Minister with a Vision and great ambitions for all, and a party with a proven track record to bring the desired change. Malta voted for Lawrence Gonzi, Malta voted for the Nationalist Party. That's why we won again.
Renald
Just another week and...!!!
Dear Friends, We are entering the last week of this electoral campaign. The last 3 weeks have been so intesive for everybody. We’ve been witnessing a whole series of events as if watching some kind of TV fiction like Prisonbreak or Lost!!! Everyday brought us new twists, new stories (which turn more on the incredible) and an eventful of unexpected surprises to suit everybody’s taste!!! Just another week and all this will be over. Speaking for myself, I simply love being in election mode. Since I was a child I remember I took much interest in the electoral campaigns. Obviously I was not a die hard nationalist neither a labour supporter at that time; I simply just enjoyed being taken to politcal activities. My memory can remember all the general elections from 1992 onwards. This week I shall write about my memories in another blog entry. You will definetely love it…J. My typical day in an electoral campaign starts with news analysis, I just go trough all the major newspapers and websites so that Im always informed! 90% of all the conversations I have during the day concern election stuff, counting also the smses, phonecalls and the chats! In the evening I just watch an electoral programe or debate on TV and so on. Then in the weekend, I realese that last bit of energy in the Mass Meeting by jumping and shouting all the way. Just another week and back to normal! On election day besides going to vote, I usually go and check that everybody I know goes to vote!!By everybody I mean PN supporters lol! This year it will be a different story as I will be working all day as an Assistant Electoral Commissioner. It will be a first for me; I think It’s worth the try. I just hope it will be a nice experience. So that’s all for today. The countdown has begun. I think the majority have already chosen which party they will vote for, but there are few who are undecided. Prepare yourselves for the final act of Malta’s General Election 2008. The most intensifying week of them all starts here. The choice which we’re going to make will shape our future for the next 5 years. For me the choice is clear as ever …hope it’s the same for you. Just another week and ….??? Renald
Foreign News
Dear Friends, 2008 has begun and here I am again with my first article of the year. January was a really busy month for me. I had a lot of things on my mind which prevented me from having the time and concentration to update my website. I’ve been searching for an inspiration to write my first blog entry and until yesterday I could not find it. Today I woke up determined to write something. I had to just look around; my inspiration was lying there in front of me altough miles away from home. How many times we choose to ignore what is happening outside Malta, outside our little island? How many times we choose to skip the newspapers’ Foreign News’ section? How many times do we change the channel when the local news on TV is over and its time for Foreign News? Do we really care about whats happening out there? I’ll leave the answers for your thinking. 2008 started 4 days after Pakistan’s Opposition Leader Benazir Bhutto was killed, just 2 weeks ahead of general elections. This episode in Pakistan’s history, together with previuos ones, continues to undermine the country’s democracy. While Im writing this article, the death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to rise. Innocent people are dying by hunger, by bomb attacks, by landmines and by other thousand means. The devastation of populations by war is the order of the day in the Middle East and Persian regions. A daily genocide in Israel and Palestine continues to take place. For such people war is the rule and not the exception. Another country, another continent; Kenya, Africa. As the situation in this continent was not enough problematic, now there is also a civil war in Kenya. Chaos reigns in the country after the Opposition Party refused to accept the result of the electoral elections. Half of the people want new elections, half of the people don’t. The result; a country divided. The above mentioned episodes are just a sample of whats happening outside Malta. While you are seeping coffee, watching your favourite program on TV, walking by the sea, shopping or eating from posh places, millions of people are dying a premature death caused by war, hunger etc..But don’t worry cause this is just Foreign News!!! Renald
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