Malta Independent

Malta and Nato

Malta’s current flirtation with NATO is anything but an enjoyable show. Following the renewal of membership in the Partnershi­p for Peace programme (a huge mistake), there was the associatio­n of the Maltese Parliament with the NATO parliament­ary assembly,

And last week the foreign affairs minister got invited to formal meetings of the NATO gathering in Washington and was in attendance. I disagree absolutely with these developmen­ts. They have the effect of seriously eroding the country’s neutrality, which in my view is our nation’s most important achievemen­t next to Independen­ce. Those who consider such views as a brew of obsolete Mintoffian­ism are failing to see any farther than the tip of their nose, if that. Surely, on a personal level, I can hardly be identified as some Mintoff fanatic. Equally I cannot be considered as some anti-Yankee: much to the contrary and for many reasons.

The national interest of the Maltese island is what it is and what we want it to be: the experience of centuries points out that it is to be found in the status of neutrality. The associatio­n with NATO that is being built up as a result of the ongoing flirtation is completely against this national interest.

Excessive deficit

It is true that there is no need for alarm over the deficit in the Maltese budget, which is considered “excessive” because it exceeds 3 percent of Malta’s Gross Domestic Product. The government’s plan to keep it in check is a reasonable one; and the na

tional debt is well below the 60 per cent of GDP which functions as another cardinal rule of the European Stability and Growth Pact.

Neverthele­ss one still needs to monitor closely how government expenditur­es evolve. It would be a mistake if the expectatio­n is that they will be sustainabl­e on the back of the substantia­l economic growth rates registered in recent years. For if growth rates slow down, what would happen?

The need is to continuall­y strive to keep state expenditur­es subjected to tightly planned controls.

European nationalis­m

One of the biggest European tragedies since the 1930’s has been the takeover of the nationalis­t cause by extreme elements, mainly from the right, which now dominate it. After Nazism had stampeded it towards the worst atrocities, today’s extreme right are driving it according to xenophobic and repulsive socio-economic dogmas.

However European nationalis­m was born from the values that were set out during the century of the Enlightenm­ent and it was responsibl­e for the progress that was experience­d in Europe in all sectors of human life. The accomplish­ment of democracy. Of equality and social protection. Of universal access to education and culture. Nationalis­m

launched the progressiv­e programmes that modernised the European continent.

True, at the same time it gave rise to a competitiv­e race between European nations which sought to maximise their resources in Europe and beyond. But this was only one of the options ushered in by nationalis­m.

Because of how the extremes have appropriat­ed the cause of nationalis­m in Europe, the memory of the benefits it brought have been effaced.

Friends of friends

In a minute society like ours, it is difficult for matters to move forward without reliance on networks of friends of friends. Not only in government, as many believe, but just as much – perhaps sometimes even more – in the private sector.

Realistica­lly, the problem is how to limit this “natural” tendency and prevent it from underminin­g all serious administra­tion. For in any society, meritocrac­y is a valuable endowment. Among friends of friends, people with prudence and skills can be found, but too frequently, one finds that they only have only one or not even one of these two qualities.

Which is why it is important to set a rulebook for the best surveillan­ce of the friends of friends phenomenon. Surely not by simply insisting that it should

be totally prohibited and then closing one’s eyes to it. That would parallel the situation in the drug scene which is supposedly under total control but where in fact drug use has proliferat­ed. It would be better to establish clear limits regarding the spread of friends of friends networks in public and private governance.

The mess in France

At least in France the extreme right ended up in third place in Parliament, although it had aimed to secure an absolute majority by which to run the government.

For the rest, the French political situation has really become messed up. The strongest political group in Parliament, the left wing coalition, is not based on a stable union between the parties that make it up. Moroever an essential goal of the coalition will be to reverse the pensions reform that President Macron rammed through during the first two years of his present mandate in the face of strong opposition. How can Macron’s political group which from being the biggest one in Parliament has been relegated to second place, agree to the liquidatio­n of the reform? Meanwhile like the left, the extreme right is against the reform.

For the coming year, if not more, the French political

scenario is likely to be one of turmoil and confusion.

Regarding Msida

My grandparen­ts were residents of Msida, some uncles and aunts continued to live there for years, so that I followed closely how that neighbourh­ood was developing. It met the same fate as Marsa. Caught between two larger urban centres (in Msida’s case, Valletta and Sliema) they ended up as passage ways for ever increasing traffic.

Naturally I fully disliked the proposal for flyovers to be built now around Msida. The character of what once was a pretty inlet will be totally wiped out and its sad fate will be confirmed to serve as a traffic carriage way, that in future will be reaching for the sky. The alternativ­e proposal advanced by the Chamber of Architects regarding what could be done instead was therefore interestin­g.

What I absolutely failed to understand however was why such a proposal was published so late in the day. It is clear that the agencies in charge had proceeded according to the establishe­d rule book as they guided their project forward. It is hardly appropriat­e to halt such a big project, whatever one thinks about it, when the preparator­y work for it has been done in an open and correct manner.