The Voice of the Maltese No. 164

Issue 164

The Voice of the Maltese (driven by the voice of its readers )

Fortnightly ora Fort nightly magazine for the Diasp Diaspora

The celebration at St George’s Square included a projection onto the facade of the Palace reminding the guests of what the commemoration was all about

October 10, 2017

Putting into action the siren used to warn the people of an impending air raid during the war years

In the past few days Malta hosted two very important activities of great significance both local and international. It first organised the celebrations marking the 75th Anniversary of the awarding of the George Cross to the Maltese islands, and then, over two days on behalf of the European Union it hosted the fourth high-level Our Ocean Conference that focused on key ocean issues of our time.

A most interesting guest at the George Cross commemoration was 96-year-old Allan Scott, one of the last surviving Spitfire pilots to have fought over Malta in World War II, seen meeting the Prime Minister

On both occasions last week’s activities in Malta were held in the presence of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (seen left) being greeted by the Prime Minister’s family, his wife Michelle and twins Etoile and Soleil. The Our Ocean Conference was also attended by over 40 ministers leaders from more than 100 countries, including Prince Albert of Monaco, representatives from the EU Commission and former US Secretary of State, John Kerry.

(See pages 12 and 13)

2 The Voice of the Maltese

Welfare policy demonises the poor W ith discriminatory policy measures the government in Australia is again taking from those who have little and giving to those who have much, writes St. Vincent de Paul National Council chief executive Malta born, John Falzon.

When social policy is made from above, be it by the moneyed class or by governments that serve its objectives, it is inevitable that it will alight on the notion that social problems lie with the individuals and, by extension, the communities, who bear the brunt of structural and historical inequality.

This is very much the case with the welfare reform bill. This proposed legislation makes nine more cuts, introducing drug testing and extending income management to people who are not only struggling with income inadequacy, but also often with a sense of despair and disempowerment.

These measures are designed to push people further into poverty.

They are discriminatory and demonising. There is no place for them in a nation that prides itself on fairness and opportunity.

Ħarġa pjaċevoli għal Canberra

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Let’s go back a bit though to look for a clearer expression of this paradigm.

In his address at the Westin Hotel in 2006 to mark the 10th anniversary of his prime ministership, the then Prime Minister John Howard set out the five challenges facing the nation.

The fifth challenge, as he saw it, was framed as being the greatest: “We need to find innovative ways to break the vicious cycles of poor parenting, low levels of education, unemployment and health problems that can afflict some individuals and communities.

“And we need to reinforce the virtuous cycles of caring families, strong learning environments, good jobs and healthy lifestyles that allow others to succeed in a competitive world. “We need to find ways of restoring order to zones of chaos in some homes and communities, zones of chaos that can wreck young Australian lives.”

The “zones of chaos” mode of thinking, which saw its most blatant

I

t-tnax-il siegħa li għaddejna fil-kowċ komda lejn Canberra u lura, b’waqfien speċjali fil-War Memorial u lFloriade ingawdu l-fwieħa u l-kuluri tat-tulipani frski taħt xemx tiżreġ kienu pjaċevoli għall-aħħar. Kilna wkoll filHellenic Club.

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John Falzon application in the Northern Territory intervention, using First Nations communities as its dismal testing site, is still very much with us.

It pretends a moralising justification for why ordinary people are not to be trusted with the meagre share of social wealth that they currently have access to; why it is supposedly in their interests, to protect them, or, better still, to protect their children, that degrading restrictions must be placed on their lives and on their incomes.

nkantaw. Ħaqqhom prosit mill-qalb il-membri tal-Maltese Community Council ta’ NSW, ewlieni fosthom il-President, Emanuel għall-inizjattiva li tat gost lil għadd ta’ anzjani li joħorgu mid-djar tagħhom u jerħula għal vjaġġ bħal dan.

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Tuesday October 10, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 3

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Q. We are pensioners and have an account-based pension his is a monthly service offered by The Voice of the Maltese valued at $120,000 and our house. My husband is only 70 in which Marie Louise Muscat from the Fiducian Finanyears old but has dementia. I cannot leave him alone at cial Services helps our readers understand the complexities all or he gets a panic attack. Could I apply for some assis- associated with financial planning. If you need more advice tance from Centrelink or other organisations to help me, send an email to Marie Louise via: maltesevoice@gmail.com. as it is nearly impossible for me to keep living like this?

A. Yes there is help you could apply for. A. Yes you You could contact My Aged Care and they could pay off would organise for your husband to be the amount assessed by an Aged Care Assessment that you have Team (ACAT). They would then either borrowed at arrange a face-to-face assessment of your any time and husband’s needs, or refer you for aged with it you wocare services or provide you with aged uld need to care information. pay the interThe ACAT team would then be able to est that has acassess the extent of his illness and they c u m u l a t e d would then be able to advise whether you since you took qualify for a home care package and if so it up. You cowhat level of support you would need. uld then ask There are four different levels starting the bank to leave this reverse mortgage from a basic level to a low level, a open for you, as you may most probably A. As you are on the age pension and have medium level and a high level. Each level need to start withdrawing again from it in not many other assets you should apply for of home care package provides a different the future. You should ask if any fees are the rental assistance. As your rent is more subsidy amount. This amount is paid to involved to leave this reverse mortgage than $295.93 per fortnight you could qualify for the maximum amount of rental asan approved home care provider that you available for you. sistance that is $133 per fortnight. select.

Q. I am single and 67 years old and have Q. I have a reverse mortgage on my been living with my sister and her hus- Q. I am 58 years old and commenced a home and I have been using this for the band for the last eight years. They have “transition to retirement” pension two last three years. I have already used up just recently sold their home and are years ago. I am on an annual salary of $60,000 of the amount. I have just re- moving into a retirement village. I have $80,000 and salary sacrifice part of my ceived an inheritance from my mother’s found a granny flat in the same area of earnings as I have income coming from estate of $100,000 and was wondering where we have been living and I will be my non-commutable account based whether I could pay off the amount renting it for $180 per week. I am on the pension. I do not need this extra inowing on this reverse mortgage. I also full age pension and have not much other come, but I did this because the earnneed to know whether if I pay the money or income. Is there any help that ings on an account-based pension were amount off, could I in the future make I can get from Centrelink once I move not taxed.

As of the 1st of January this year into this granny flat? use of this reverse mortgage? earnings on non-commutable account based pensions are going to be taxed at 15% per annum and this is because I am still working. I was wondering whether it would be better for me to roll my non-commutable account based pension back into accumulation.

What advice can you give me?

Q&A

A. You are correct in saying that transition to retirement are no longer very attractive now that earnings on “noncommutable account based pensions” are being taxed at the same rate of 15% as those funds still in accumulation.

I therefore agree with you that you should roll this income stream back into accumulation seeing that you do not need this extra income and especially since you are under 60 years of age and you have to add this income onto your other taxable income.

This document contains factual information only and is not intended to provide any recommendation or opinion in relation to the topic/s discussed. Fiducian recommends that you seek advice from a professional to address any issues that may be raised by this article. Fiducian accepts no liability for any loss suffered by anyone who has acted on any information in this document

Iċ-ċittadinanza doppja B 4 The Voice of the Maltese

ħal diversi pa- DrCarmeloMifsud Bonnici MP jjiżi fid-dinja, tagħna ħa ħsieb li jiftaħ il-bieb sabiex ċittadini ta’ dawn il-gżejjer li fil-passat tagħhom, għar-raġunijiet tagħhom emigraw, ikunu jistgħu japplikaw u jingħataw iċ-ċittadinanza. Kien proċess ċar u determinanti li nbeda biċċa biċċa taħt amministrazzjonijiet Nazzjonalisti.

Dak iż-żmien il-Ministru Tonio Borg kien fetaħ il-bieb sabiex Maltin u Għawdxin tat-tieni u tat-tielet ġenerazzjoni setgħu japplikaw u jieħdu bi dritt lura dak li għandhom. Il-liġijiet tagħna jimxu fuq il-prinċipju tal-jus sanguinis, fejn iċ-ċittadinanza tingħata skont id-demm u mhux fl-art fejn wieħed twieled.

Protezzjoni tal-kultura

Niftakar fl-ewwel ħatra tiegħi bħala Membru Parlamentari, u wara bħala Segretarju Parlamentari, fl-2007 insegwi l-emendi li kienu saru proprju sabiex dan ikompli jsir u jinfirex. Il-Maltin ta’ barra ngħataw drittijiet li ma kellhomx u ċ-ċittadinanza doppja saret bi dritt, u mhux b’eċċezzjoni.

Kif ilkoll nafu dik kienet deċiżjoni li kienet ġiet apprezzata ħafna mill-ewwel, għax kull persuna ngħatat il-libertà li qabel ma kellhiex. Iktar u iktar meta biċ-ċittadinanza Maltija, wieħed isir ukoll ċittadin tal-Unjoni Ewropea.

Proprju b’dak il-pass politiku, li kien fortunatament ittieħed, li l-pajjiż beda jħares iktar b’saħħa lejn il-protezzjoni tal-kultura u l-lingwa tagħna fil-pajjiżi fejn diversi emigraw, bħal pereżempju l-Awstralja, il-Kanada u l-Istati Uniti tal-Amerika.

Pajjiż eċċellenti

Dan kien ġie apprezzat sew, kif qal sewwa r-rappreżentant talKummissjoni Għolja Awstraljana tul Konvenzjoni li kienet saret fl-1 ta’ Frar 2000: “The new citizenship law is an excellent step in the right direction, especially in so far as it makes it easier for the children of migrants born abroad, to retain dual citizenship”.

Fil-fatt dan sar proprju għax kienet saret emenda fil-liġi Maltija li fiha ngħad li ċittadin Malti ma jitlifx tali ċittadinanza meta jkun akkwista dik ta’ pajjiż ieħor. Dan fisser li dik ir-rabta li kien hemm qabel ġiet użata fil-liġi u dan wassal, iktar ‘il quddiem, għat-twaqqif tal-Kunsill għall-Maltin li Jgħixu barra minn Malta, permezz tal-Kapitolu 515 tal-liġijiet tagħna.

Artiklu interessanti

Dan sallum kien u jibqa’ pożittiv, però hemm numru ta’ eventi li ġraw fl-Awstralja li jimmeritaw l-attenzjoni serja tagħna. Diġà deher artikolu interessanti ta’ Lawrence Dimech, pijunier f’dan is-suġġett (The Voice of the Maltese tad-29 ta’ Awwissu 2017).

Taħt it-titlu “Kif fiċ-Ċittadinanza Doppja Tista’ Tħawwadna” tqajmu numru ta’ punti marbuta ma’ dak li qiegħed jiġri f’dak ilpajjiż, fejn numru ta’ deputati kellhom iċedu s-siġġu minħabba ċittadinanza doppja.

Kif spjega tajjeb: “L-Awstralja titlob li biex tkun membru talParlament Federali, l-alleanza tiegħek trid tkun biss lejn l-Awstralja, jiġifieri ma jistax ikollok ċittadinanza doppja”.

The best family gathering of the year:

The 30th Annual Dinner Dance Saturday, 14th October 2017

Mandavilla Function Centre 1788, The Horsley Drive Horsley Park NSW from 7.30 pm: Music by Joe Apap Book early. Donation $65 Contact: Marlene on 02 9631 9295 Organised by the Past Pupils & Friends of Don Bosco (NSW) All proceeds to the Don Bosco Missions.

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Artiklu 44

B’dan, il-pożizzjoni aggravat tul fl-aħħar ġimgħat meta d-Deputat Prim Ministru Awstraljan, Barnaby Joyce, ingħad li huwa ineliġibbli li jibqa’ fil-Parlament għax jista’ jkun li huwa ċittadin ta’ New Zealand, fejn twieled.

Skont l-artikolu 44 tal-Kosti- Dr Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, minn tuzzjoni Awstraljana dan Bormla, huwa Deputat tal-Partit Nazzjonalista elett fil-Parlament. m’huwiex permess.

Dan il-membru stqarr hekk: Ġie elett għall-ewwel darba fil-Par“I was born in Australia in lamanet fl-1998. Taħt amminis1967 to an Australian mother trazzjonijiet Nazzjonalista huwa and I think I’m fifth genera- ħaddan għadd ta’ karigi, fosthom, tion. My father was born in l-ewwel bħala Segretarju ParlaNew Zealand, came to Aus- mentari mbagħad Ministru taltralia in 1947 as a British Ġustizzja u Sigurta`Nazzjonali. Hu iben il-President Emeritu Dr Ugo subject. In fact, we were all Mifsud Bonnici.

British subjects at that time”.

Pożizzjoni li taf tapplika għad-diversi Maltin li hemm f’dak ilpajjiż.

Double happiness

Din il-kwestjoni legali qajmet ukoll l-interess tal-midja barranija. The Economist, fil-ħarġa tad-19 ta’ Awwissu ddedika parti mill-editorjal bit-titlu “Double Happiness”. Hemm ingħad tajjeb ħafna li: “Trying to make sure that lawmakers do not owe allegiance to a foreign power is fair enough. But the accident of birth and possession of particular citizenship papers are poor measures of loyalty, all the more so in a tie of global travel, migration and mixed marriages. People of more than one nationality should not be treated with suspicion”.

Verament m’għandux ikun, l-ewwel li wieħed iħares b’suspett jew jaħseb ħażin, jew jakkużahom bi tradiment lil dawn li għandhom, jew huma intitolati għaċ-ċittadinanza doppja. It-tieni, għax il-poplu għandu jkollu d-dritt li jivvota għal min jagħżel, għax il-kwalitajiet, il-karattru u l-imġieba ta’ kull kandidat huma differenti.

Livell diplomatiku

Dan is-suġġett ma tantx ingħata attenzjoni f’pajjiżna; u nifhem, għax fih diffikultajiet u kumplikazzjonijiet. Dawk ta’ natura legali u relazzjonijiet bejn l-istati. Dimech jgħid: “Huwa ta’ importanza li jkun hemm spjegazzjonijiet ċari biex ħadd ma jiġi mqarraq”.

Biss, hemm iktar minn tagħrif. Dan huwa punt legali u kostituzzjonali li qiegħed jaffettwa ħażin. Għalhekk, wieħed m’għandux jaħrab mill-bżonn li l-kwestjoni tiġi konfrontata fuq livelli diplomatiċi għolja. Hemm dawk marbuta mal-pożizzjoni nazzjonali.

Ir-rabta speċjali tagħna mal-Awstralja, b’tant eluf ta’ Maltin hemm, titlob li naraw kif dak li sar bi qbil maż-żewġ naħat ma jeffettwax negattivament deputati b’demm Malti. It-tieni, hemm ukoll lok għall-Unjoni Ewropea li tintervjeni hija. Għax b’dan l-artiklu kostituzzjonali jistgħu jiġu effettwati diversi ċittadini Ewropej oħra.

Konfront intelliġenti

Wieħed għandu jikkonfronta din il-pożizzjoni b’intelliġenza u b’rispett lejn id-diversi persuni li huma intitolati għaċ-ċittadinanza Maltija. L-ewwel, b’diskussjoni miftuħa bejn l-istati u lUnjoni Ewropea. It-tieni, dejjem jekk il-Qorti Kostituzzjonali Awstraljana ma tiddeċidix mod ieħor, li wieħed jistenna li jsiru emendi legali sija fil-Kostituzzjoni Awstraljana kif ukoll, dejjem jekk ikun hemm lok, f’dik ta’ pajjiżna.

M’hemmx dubju li dan huwa suġġett li jimmerita attenzjoni.

Wieħed li hemm bżonn li jiġi diskuss sabiex iċ-ċittadinanza doppja ma teffettwax ħażin.

The Voice of the Maltese 5

Imfakkar Dun Mikiel, pijunier u patri ħabrieki

Tuesday October 10, 2017

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l-Maltin li jgħixu fl-inħawi ta’ Wentorthville, Pendle Hill u Greystanes fil-festa ta’ Maria Bambina ftakru u raddew ħajr lillmibki Dun Mikiel Camilleri O’Carm li ilu mejjet għoxrin sena.

Dakinhar tal-festa, fid-diskors tiegħu waqt il-quddiesa l-President tal-Festa ta’ Greystanes, Joe Spiteri fakkar f’dan il-patri li wasal f’Sydney fis-7 ta’ Ottubru tal-1951 u li hu muqjus bħala l-fundatur tal-parroċċa ta’ Greystanes. Tant hu hekk li s-sala ewlenija ta’ din il-parroċċa giet imsemmija għalih.

Mal-wasla tiegħu f’Sydney, Patri Mikiel kien mar jgħix flimkien ma’ Fr Robert Cassar f’Wahroonga. Magħhom wara mar ukoll Fr Tarcisio Licari. Il-Kardinal Norman Gilroy offrilhom imorru jaħdmu lejn ilpunent u hemm jwaqqfu l-parroċċi f’Wentworthville u Greystanes.

Min-naħa ta’ Dun Mikiel Camilleri dan intefa’ b’ruħu ġismu biex jibni l-parroċċa fi Greystanes tant li rnexxilu jixtri medda art ta’ madwar seba’ acres fl-ogħla post mingħand Frank Merċieca, Malti ieħor prominenti f’dawk l-inħawi ghal $14,000. Dun Mikiel ħabrek ħafna biex jinġabru l-flus. Ilknisja temporanja u skola msemmija għal St Simon Stock ġew inawgurati u mbierka fl-20 ta’ April 1975 mill-Kardinal Gilroy. Il-bennej kien Malti ieħor, Frank Cefai.

Father Charles Sultana Illum din in-naħa

Passaporti u Ċittadinanza ienet laqgħa suċċess. Is-sala San Gorg Preca fi Greystanes kienet mimlija b’aktar minn 70 persuna jisimgħu b’attenzjoni K kbira lil Rita O’Dwyer mill-uffiċċju tal-Konslu Ġenerali ta’ Sydney

(ritratt lemin) tispjega b’mod l-aktar konvinċenti u ċar dwar il-passaporti, ligijiet taċ-ċittadinanza u anke affarijiet oħra li jolqtuna meta wieħed jiddeċiedi li jivvjaġġa.

Deher kemm hawn għatx għal dan it-tagħrif u għaliex The Maltese Welfare (NSW) għazlu dan is-suġġett biex il-Maltin ikunu ferm iktar

L-udjenza li attendiet għal-laqgħa tal-Maltese Welfare attenta tisma’ lil Ms Rita Dwyer (inset)

tal-binja saret ilcommunity meeting rooms. Dun Mikiel kompla jħabrek biex tinbena l-knisja ewlenija li hemm illum u li oriġinarjament kienet ġiet idd e d i k a t a lill-Madonna tal-Vitorja. Iżda wara xi snin, l-isem ġie mibdul għal dak talMadonna tal-Paċi.

Dawk kienu żmienijiet meta dawk l-inħawi kienu mfawrin bil-Maltin Dun Mikiel Camilleri u l-preżenza tassaċerdot Malti kienet important. Biex ilaħħaq man-naħat tant imferxa Dun Mikiel kellu missjoni tassew diffiċli. Huwa miet fl-eta’ ta’ 78 sena fil-31 ta’ Marzu tal-1997 izda warajh ħalla għexiren ta’ proġetti li servew ta’ pediment sod għall-komunita’ Maltija.

Hu tassew wieħed mill-aqwa pinunieri li qatt kellna. Kien hu wkoll li ħajjar lis-sorijiet Dumnikani Maltin biex jibnu l-ewwel kunvent tagħhom fi Greystanes. Illum is-sorijiet jinsabu jmexxu d-dar taxxjuħ fi Blacktown.

Dis-sena iċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-festa tradizzjonali ta’ Maria Bambina kienet mifruxa fuq jumejn. Is-Sibt saru l-festi ta’ ġewwa b’quddiesa konċelebrata, filwaqt li l-Ħadd kien il-qofol fejn wara l-quddies ħarġet trijonfalment l-istatwa mad-dawra tal-knisja.

Waqt il-purċissjoni ħadet sehem ukoll l-unika banda Maltija li hemm fi NSW u li ġġib l-isem tal-istess parroċċa. Fil-għaxija kien hemm s-solitu logħob tan-nar.

Waqt il-quddiesa tal-Ħadd tkellem Father Charles Sultana li jinsab l-Awstralja fuq stedina tax-Xaghra Assoc. ta’ NSW. Huwa twieled fl-inħawi ta’ Gosford NSW iżda l-familja tiegħu marret lura Malta meta kien għad kellu biss disa’ snin. Huwa ħeġġeg lillMaltin biex jissoktaw isaħħu l-valuri tal-familja nisranija quddiem l-istħarriġ tal-Gvern dwar iż-żwieġ tal-persuni tal-istess sess.

infurmati. Saru għadd ta’ mistoqsijiet lil Ms Dwyer waqt u anke kif spiċċat il-laqgħa.

Kelliemi mill-MW qal lil The Voice of the Maltese li jidher ċar li hemm il-ħtieġa li l-Maltin jiġu mgħarrfa dwar dawn il-ħtiġijiet u hu għalhekk li minn żmien għal żmien qed jiġu organizzati laqgħat bħal dawn.

6 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

No Saturday Programme A after 42 years The Voice’s response to SBS Radio Review 2017

fter one year of consultations, meetings with community leaders and stakeholders, along with the publication of data from the 2016 census, SBS released the new SBS Radio Services for the next five years as reported in The Voice of the Maltese issue 163. These new services will apply from November 20. termine which language programmes gain The Maltese Programmes will remain more or fewer hours, but whatever it is, it’s with two broadcasts per week: Friday 12 clearly what management sees fit. As we pm and Tuesday 12 pm. Tuesday’s pro- go to press, so far, The Voice knows that no gramme will replace Saturday’s popular additional hours were allocated on FM/AM programme. to any current language, except those added Despite this, the loss of the Saturday pro- new languages. gramme is a slap in the face for the Maltese Is digital the future? in Australia. The 12 pm Saturday proInstead those languages with increase gramme has a long history dating back to 1975 when Ethnic Radio 2EA/3EA started number on the census and consuming conbroadcasting in Australia, and Maltese was tent via digital platforms, through SBS Radio websites, podcast downloads etc. … one of the six pioneering languages.

This time slot became known as the time were allocated extra hours to employ digiwhen all the Maltese community was lis- tal producers to prepare digital content.

The small groups with one hour on Digital tening. It was for this reason that the Maltese community leaders tried to convince Radio, which initially were to be eliminated SBS management in 2013 when this pro- altogether were transferred on FM/AM. Do gramme discontinued being scheduled at you remember how hard SBS tried to sell us the same time. Although we were not allo- all the idea that Digital Radio is the future cated the same time slot, a 2 pm broadcast when we were allocated 2 hours on Digital Radio? Now language broadcasts on Digital was accommodated.

Now that this broadcast is discontinuing Radio are totally abandoned.

Today SBS is a strong multi-million orand was given back to the original language it was allocated to in 2013 proves the type ganization funded by the taxpayer. It is conof totalitarian management the communi- tinually criticised by the way it wastes funds and how irrelevant it has become. ties are dealing with.

Commercial media leaders are critical Community still shocked about the amounts of money SBS pay to The Maltese community is still shocked compete with them: The ABC and SBS are misusing their and disappointed by the drastic reduction in the number of programmes in 2013. hefty taxpayer subsidy ($1billon plus for Community members were hopeful of ad- the ABC, $280 million for SBS) to compete ditional programme allocation. Others were for programmes against commercial broadconcerned about the possibility of further casters. In doing so, they are straying furreductions due to a slight decrease to ther from their charters that require them to 31,987 speaking Maltese in the 2016 cen- provide content not offered by other media.

(The Australian, July 31 2017) sus from 34,987 in the 2011 census.

On a positive note, now the two programmes are scheduled at the same time. The Tuesday 12 pm programme is also broadcast on the national frequency and therefore can be accessed on radio in other states besides New South Wales and Victoria.

A Maltese listener who tried to get an exaylight Saving Time (DST) is the planation about the criteria and allocation practice of advancing clocks one hour of the Maltese programmes on SBS Radio during the warmer months of the year so explained to The Voice, the complex prothat evening daylight lasts longer, while cedure she had to go through. This individsacrificing normal sunrise times. ual dealt with different levels of Daylight Saving Time began at 2am on management, and a final response was a October 1, the first Sunday in October, reference to the SBS website. when clocks were put forward one hour. It Credit should be given to the Maltese ends at 2am (which is 3am Daylight SavCommunity Council of New South Wales ing Time) on the first Sunday in April, and Victoria for working together to preswhen clocks are put back one hour. ent a comprehensive submission and lobby In Australia, Daylight saving is observed to maintain our hours. If they didn’t take in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmathis process seriously, there was a chance nia, and the Australian Capital Territory. that we would have been more disadvanIt is not observed in Queensland, the taged.

Northern Territory or Western Australia.

There is a complex criterion created to de-

As a community, our input to keep our language alive on SBS Radio continues. We need to be proactive and not wait, hoping for the best outcome. As individuals, members of the Maltese community in Australia and as community leaders, we need to put forward our ideas and needs of the community for more radio programmes.

A 24 hours radio channel, Arabic24 was created two years after the 2013 schedule, just after the Maltese community was informed that the programmes on Digital Radio were discontinued due to the lack of funds. The lobbying continues; that’s why communities with only few thousand people were added as part of these new services.

Take stock of community radio Now, that it seems we’ll never gain the same momentum on SBS Radio with frequent weekly programmes, it’s imperative to take stock of the Maltese programmes on community radio and start to evaluate them and update them to meet the needs of the community, they serve.

These programmes don’t belong to individuals. Those who take the responsibility to occupy these positions should respect the listeners, be trained in broadcasting and radio production, and above all be fluent in the Maltese language. These programmes are accessed across the world and shouldn’t be an embarrassment to the Maltese in Australia.

The Voice of the Maltese is continuing to analyse this complex process of the SBS Radio Services Review 2017 and we will continue to update the readers when necessary.

Time zones and daylight saving (DST) in Australia D

The time adjustment is only practised in a very small number of countries, so that only about a quarter of the world's population live in countries that observe Daylight Saving Time.

In Malta as with all Europe, the change is made on October 29.

Is-surmast Adeodato Gatt

Tuesday October 10, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 7

– direttur kbir tal-banda u kompożitur

I

l-magħruf Surmast tal-banda Adeodato Gatt, jew is-Surmast Datu kif konna nsejħulu, ilu mejjet 51 sena. Personalment ftit niftakru jidderieġi l-Banda San Filep iżda l-ftit li rajtu hu biżżejjed biex nista’ nati stampa ċara tad-direzzjoni tiegħu.

Kien surmast jew aħjar direttur tal-banda smart ħafna. Kien jaf jidderieġi sewwa u bil-bakketta f’idu kellu sens ta’ direzzjoni ċara, soda u ċerta, imħallta ma’ spettaklu mużikali.

Qed ngħid ‘spettaklu mużikali’ għax fuq il-podju ma kienx jidderieġi ċass bħal ħafna minn sħabu s-surmastrijiet tal-baned …. iżda kien iġegħlek iddoqq bil-ħlewwa jew forte skont il-bżonn.

Kellu mossi sbieħ ħafna: kien jaf iħaddem sewwa l-id ix-xellugija u jipponta sebgħu lejn il-mużiċisti għad-dħul tagħhom, filwaqt li f’idu l-oħra, dik il-bakketta twila li kienet titla’ b’ċertezza kbira minn isfel għal fuq skont il-bżonn u l-interpretazzjoni li kien jixtieq.

Il-mużika kien verament jagħtiha lħajja. Illum ngħid li fid-direzzjoni sSurmast Gatt kellu stil uniku bħalma kellu wkoll fil-kitba tal-marċi.

L-aktar li niftakru li fi żmienu l-Banda San Filep kienet tirrikordja għar-Rediffusion. Kont inkun minn tal-ewwel għall-irrekordjar u nitla’ fuq, fis-sala tat-talkies - Mayfair - biex nilħaq post sewwa.

Is-sala kienet tkun imballata u qatt f’dawk iż-żminijiet ma kont nisma’ applawsi kbar u għajjat ta’ ‘Viva San Filep’ daqs dakinhar tar-recording malaħħar battuti tal-innu tal-Banda San Filep, kompożizzjoni immortali u ta’ ħlewwa kbira tiegħu stess.

Niftakar sewwa li darba minnhom, isSurmast Gatt fettillu li ried jgħid il‘Missierna’ qabel jibda jirrekordja biex il-banda jkollha l-għajnuna tal-Mulej.

Iżda ġara li wara li radd is-Salib, minflok beda bil-‘Missierna’ beda jgħid bil‘Qaddisa’. Ħadd ma seta’ jwieġeb u kulħadd infexx jidħak, inkluż Dun Ġużepp Cachia li kien jieħu ħsieb ilKor tal-Ħamrun.

Ma reġax għamilha s-sena ta’ wara, għax dakinhar qabbad lil Dun Ġużepp biex jgħidha hu t-talba għall-għajnuna qabel jibdew jirrekordjaw. Iżda xorta kien hemm min tbissem fissala, għax ħafna kienu li ftakru x’kien ġara s-sena ta’ qabel!

Niftakar ukoll ftit lis-Surmast Gatt jidderieġi l-programm il-kbir ta’ lejlet il-festa. Kien programm li hu kien jagħtih importanza kbira u jżejnu sewwa bis-sehem tal-Kor tal-Ħamrun u solisti kantanti. Kien jgħaxxaq pjazza mballata, l-aktar b’dawk l-innijiet u marċi Żebbuġin bi vrus mill-isbaħ u li verament jidħlu fil-qalb.

U la semmejt il-marċi tas-Surmast Gatt, ta’ min li ngħid xi ħaġa dwarhom. Ngħid mill-ewwel li llum il-ġurnata jiddispjaċini ħafna nara fir-raħal Żebbuġi tingħata importanza akbar lil marċi ta’ kompożituri barranin u ftit li xejn jagħtu ċcans lin-nies ingawdu dawk il-marċi sbieħ tas-Surmast Datu (tneħħi l-marċ ‘Lir-Rebbieħ t’Aġġira’).

X’ġara minnhom marċi bħal ‘Silver Mountain’, ‘Joyful Day’, ‘F’Misraħ San Filep’, ‘Arabian Nights’ u tant u tant oħrajn, fosthom il-marċ kontroversjali ‘Semper Verens’? Dawn huma marċi li s-Surmast Gatt kiteb għall-Banda San Filep.

Datu kkompona għadd sabiħ ta’ marċi għal din il-banda li meta tismagħhom, tassew tħossok Żebbuġi u partitarju tal-każin u talfesta San Filep. Dawn il-marċi kienu ta’ għira kbira għal baned oħra.

Niftakar li ħafna mill-marċi ta’ Datu kienu jitkantaw bil-Kor tal-

PeterPaulCiantar

Ħamrun. Kienu marċi li tassew joħolqu ambjent sabiħ festiv marbut ma’ element qawwi Żebbuġi u Filippin. Iż-Żebbuġin partitarji ta’ San Filep, wiċċhom kien jixgħel mal-melodiji sbieħ tagħhom.

Kienu jħossuhom imkabbrin li huma Żebbuġin u ta’ San Filep.

Imma mhux biss iż-Żebbuġin kienu jarawhom sbieħ iżda wkoll l-barranin.

Fil-fatt kienu ħafna dawk il-membri talKor tal-Ħamrun li stqarrew miegħi kemm kienu jitpaxxew ikantaw dawn il-marċi lejlet il-festa ta’ San Filep li ta’ kull sena kienu jieħdu sehem fiha.

Imbagħad xi ngħidu għall-‘Omaggio lill-Banda San Filep’ li kkompona dan is-surmast bravu li ddedikah lill-banda li tant ħabb u hija wkoll ħabbet lilu?

Ninsab persważ li dan l-‘Omaggio lillBanda San Filep’ huwa l-isbaħ omaġġ mużikali, miktub għall-baned lokali … m’hawx isbaħ minnu! Niftakarni sewwa ninsisti ma’ ħija Michael, meta kien Surmast tal-banda, biex ta’ kull sena filprogramm ta’ lejlet il-festa, qabel l-innu tal-banda jdoqq dan l-omaġġ. Kien verament ifawwar il-qlub taż-Żebbuġin.

Ngħid ukoll li dan huwa wieħed millisbaħ innijiet tal-baned tagħna, anzi biex inkun preċiż ngħid li fil-fehma tiegħi l-isbaħ żewġ innijiet tal-baned huma dak tal-Banda La Valette (miktub minn Cardenio Botti) u l-Innu talBanda San Filep (miktub mis-Surmast Gatt). Dawn iż-żewġ innijiet influwenzaw innijiet oħra.

Is-Surmast Gatt kellu ħlewwa speċjali fil-kitba tal-marċi u jien li studjajt xi ftit l-armonija mużikali ngħid ukoll li kellu armonija sabiħa immens, f’postha u mhux komuni. Mhux komuni għallfatt li ħafna drabi, Datu kien juża ‘akkordji’ mhux daqstant popolari, iżda s-sbuħija tagħhom tagħti effett tremend lillkompożizzjoni …. eżempju ċar ta’ dan huma l-akkordji li nsibu fl-innu tal-banda.

Darba xi ħadd kien qalli li s-Surmast Gatt kien jiċċekkja l-akkordji bil-kitarra li kien jaf idoqq sewwa .

Aktar minn ħlewwa fil-kompożizzjonijiet tiegħu, is-Surmast Gatt kellu wkoll element patrijottiku Żebbuġi. Il-marċi tiegħu kienu jinħassu sewwa li huma marċi miktuba għall-festa ta’ San Filep u għall-Banda San Filep li dderieġa għal 40 sena sħaħ, bejn l-1921 u l-1962 Min jaf kemm ikkompona xogħlijiet mużikali u ta’ valur għal din il-banda! Kien jagħmel ukoll arranġamenti mużikali għallbanda, fost dawn niftakar is-sinfonija korali tiegħu ‘Xerri u Caruana’, xogħol li fih jibbrilla sewwa l-element spettakulari mużikali mħallat ma’ element patrijottiku Żebbuġi.

*Ikompli f’paġna 9

Have your say/Xi trid tghid?

8 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Your letters/ L-ittri tagħkom ...

The Voice of the Maltese for fortnightly tnightly magazine magazine

is is a bi-lingual (in English and Maltese) fortnightly magazine that specifically targets all Maltese living abroad with emphasis on the Australian and Maltese scenes. e magazine can also be read in flipbook format online. A pdf copy is also sent via email on request.

If you require a printed copy we can also oblige.

Editors: Malta: Joseph Cutajar Australia: Lawrence Dimech: MOM, OAM, JP email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com

Letters for publication in The Voice magazine, either in Maltese or English should include name and e-mail address of the writer and be e-mailed to: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

Now you can also join us on facebook: https://www.facebook. com/groups/thevoiceofthemaltese

Appeal for funds to help a very honourable cause

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Edward Caruana from Parramatta, NSW writes:

am writing to The Voice of the Maltese with an appeal for sponsorship in support of an important upcoming event that I am participating in to raise funds for an honourable cause.

My name is Edward Caruana. My parents were both born in Malta. Mum (Mary (née Fenech) was from Paola and dad (Tony) from Cospicua.

I have done a few things in my life, including being in St John’s Ambulance for 25 years. I am an avid table tennis player and have been playing since the age of 10 and now am playing competition.

I was a lecturer in the discipline of Medical Radiation Sciences, at the University of Sydney for 20 years taking voluntary redundancy to look after my ageing mum. Both mum and dad have passed away. I am currently an IT Manager, at the Parramatta College.

I am participating in the 2017 Ping PongA-Thon (a 24-hour table tennis marathon

that supports the work of seven amazing organisations committed to protecting and caring for young people impacted by human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Asia.

The event I will be participating in is to be held at Five Dock in Sydney on October 22.

I am hoping that to raise needed funds for this cause. Therefore I would like the readers to donate to support my participation in this event.

Click onto the following link to go to the donation page (this will give a detailed explanation too): http://tinyurl.com/yakyfdvl Donating online is fast and secure, and you and I will both get immediate notification via email of the donation.

Note that this will be tax deductible.

Please don't procrastinate; donate by Wednesday October 18.

I am hoping that the readers would email this page to their friends and families to encourage them to donate.

Sponsorship would be greatly appreciated for such a worthwhile cause. I am hoping to raise at least $500

Liema hi l-festa Nazzjonali ta’ Malta? hu veru xejn li għandna ħames festi M nazzjonali ta’ Malta. Dan minħabba dak li qed nara hawn fl-Awstralja għax jidJoe Vella minn Sunshine Victoria, jikteb:

her li l-Gvern Malti jinsisti li l-festa ewlenija hija dik ta’ Jum l-Indipendenza.

Qed ngħid dan għax anke l-Kummissjoni Għolja f’Canberra, wara ħames snin ta’ Gvern Laburiusta għadha tiċċelebra Jum l-Indipendenza u uffiċjalment tqisu bħala l-Jum Nazzjonali uniku.

Ċertament li sa fejn naf jien, la Canberra, la Sydney u lanqas Melbourne ma jiċċellebraw l-erba’ jiem l-oħra bħala nazzjonali.

Sa anke jisservew b’Jum l-Indipendenza biex jagħtu merħba lir-rappreżentant talGvern Malti.

Barra u ġewwa

rajt b’attenzjoni l-kumment dwar lQ ikel u l-festi Maltin (The Voice of teh Maltese Sept 20). Innutajat li issa qed anke George Buhagiar minn Guildford NSW jikteb:

jingabru bejjiegħa quddiem il-Katidral ta’ St Mary f’Sydney biex ibiegħu l-ħelu eċċ.

Jidher li ftit huma dawk li jilmentaw għax il-bejjiegħa jkollhom konkorrenza tajba ħafna.

Jien niftakar kif skont il-Bibja Gesu` kien keċċa lill-bejjiegħa mit-tempju iżda jidher li illum saret komuni li jsir il-bejgħ minn quddiem il-knejjes, użanza li f’Malta wkoll saret komuni ħafna.

U allura la ħadd ma joggezzjoni mhux se noggezzjona jien, mhux hekk!

Fil-Katidral irridu norganizzaw xi ftit aħjar għax mhux sewwa li wara li jitolbuk xhur minn qabel biex tirriserva siġġu, kif tasal issib li wara kollox m’hemm xejn riservat u trid toqgħod targumenta biex tikseb post.

The Voice of the Maltese 9

New Mayors appointed

Tuesday October 10, 2017

umberland Council has its first CAtMayor and Deputy Mayor! a special Council meeting on Andrew Wilson

Greg Cummings

Is-Surmast Adeodato Gatt:

Kompożizzjoni mnebbħa minn personaġġi importanti Maltin

*Ikompli minn paġna 7

Din il-kompożizzjoni korali hija mnebbħa minn żewġ personaġġi Żebbuġin importanti ħafna fl-istorja ta’ pajjiżna: Dun Mikiel Xerri u l-Isqof Caruana.

Is-Surmast Adeodato Gatt twieled f’Ħaż-Żebbuġ fis-26 ta’ Ġunju tal- 1898. (Qatt ma nista’ ninsiha l-ġurnata tat-twelid tiegħu għax jiena wkoll twelidt fis-26 ta’ Ġunju).

Huwa żżewweġ lis-Sinjorina Camilleri Xerri mill-Furjana u kellu ħames ulied fosthom is-Surmast Philip Gatt li għal ħafna snin kien ukoll Surmast Direttur tal-Banda San Filep.

Wild ieħor, Johnny, kien għalliem fl-Iskola Primarja ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ, u kien ukoll idoqq il-Piccolo in La mal-Banda San Filep (strument li llum il-ġurnata sparixxa mill-baned Maltin).

Iis-Surmast Gatt idderieġa wkoll il-Banda San Mikiel ta’ Ħaż-Żabbar (1950-1961) li fiha kien idoqq ukoll Missieri Karmenu. Kien jiġi lura d-dar wara l-provi talbanda fl-istess taksi mas-Surmast Gatt li s-Soċjetà Banda San Mikiel kienet tipprovdi lis-surmast biex twasslu lura d-dar f’Ħaż-Żebbuġ.

Iż-Żabbarin lil Datu kienu jħobbuh ħafna, l-aktar Karmenu Said, magħruf bħala ‘Ta’ Said’, li kien l-inkarigat tal-banda.

Fil-fehma tiegħi dan l-inkarigat tal-banda San Mikiel, li kien ukoll inkarigat mill-Banda tal-Partit Laburista naħseb li kien hu qabbad lis-Surmast Datu biex jikteb l-Innu tal-Partit Laburista. Fil-fatt, jekk wieħed jifli sewwa dan l-innu jsib xebh kbir mal-melodiji tas-Surmast.

Dan x’naħseb jiena, imma ktibtu biex nieħu lokkażjoni li xi ħadd studjuż jagħmel riċerka dwar dan: għax il-kompożitur tal-Innu tal-Partit Laburista ma jidher qatt.

Fost l-oħrajn, Datu kien ukoll surmast tal-Banda Queen Victoria taż-Żurrieq (1928 - 1937), tal-Banda La Vittoria tal-Mellieħa (1948 - 1962), tal-Banda Vilhena tal-Furjana fejn dam sal-1960 u wkoll għal xi żmien anke dderieġa l-Banda King’s Own tal-Belt.

Xi drabi s-Surmast Gatt kien ikun mistieden jidderieġi baned oħra skont il-bżonn u hawn insemmi l-Banda La Valette, il-Banda Stella Maris ta’ Tas-Sliema, il-Banda San Ġorġ ta’ Bormla u l-Banda Konti Ruġġieru tarRabat. Dann kollu hu xhieda tal-ħila kbira li kellu.

Huwa miet f’raħal twelidu Ħaż-Żebbuġ fit-23 ta’ Mejju 1966 … 50 sena ilu.

Intemm b’xi tagħrif li forsi jista’ jissorprendi. Lewwel isem tas-Surmast Adeodato kif jidher fir-reġistri tal-magħmudija tal-paroċċa, huwa Peter Paul. Fil-fatt għandu żewġ marċi msemmija għalih - Peter u Paul.

Adeodato huwa t-tielet isem tiegħu, iżda ommu bdiet issejjaħlu Datu u din baqgħetlu. Hu għalhekk li ż-Żebbuġin u Malta kollha tafu bit-tielet isem tiegħu Adeodato, jew Datu.

Wednesday September 27, Councillor Greg Cummings (Labor) was elected Mayor with Councillor Eddy Sarkis named as Deputy Mayor. Their election opens an exciting new chapter for the Cumberland area.

In the previous issue of The Voice of the Maltese we indicated that Mayor Greg Cummings had polled the most votes in the election.

Cumberland Council has been formed from a merger of parts of Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta.

The City of Parramatta has elected Cr Andrew Wilson a member of the Local Council Party as the new Lord Mayor.

Michelle Garrad was elected deputy Lord Mayor.

The Labor Party has promised it would bring back “Holroyd” if it wins the State Govt. in the next Elections.

10 The Voice of the Maltese

Perspettiva

L-ewtanasja

M

in jgħix f'Victoria jew New South Wales fl-Awstralja forsi jaf bi proposti tal-gvern statali biex tiġi introdotta u rregolata l-ewtanasja għan-nies.

Il-kelma hija mnissla mill-Grieg euthanatos li tfisser 'mewt faċli', u ġeneralment tintuża biex tiddeskrivi l-proċess ta' terminu intenzjonali tal-ħajja ta' bniedem biex jitnaqqaslu l-uġigħ u s-sofferenza.1 L-ewtanasja tissejjaħ ukoll suwiċidju assistit (assisted suicide) u qtil tal-ħniena (mercy killing).

Minn meta kont żgħir, ġieli kont nisma' b'każijiet fejn xi annimal jiġi maqtul, u dan jiġi ikkunsidrat bħala att ta' ħniena, meta l-annimal ikun f'uġigħ kbir u/jew ma jkunx se jfiq. Eżempju komuni kien żwiemel tat-tiġrija li jiksru saqajhom waqt xi tellieqa (minn dawk li jsiru biex jitpaxxew il-bnedmin), stat li ma jkunx hemm fejqan għalih, u mbagħad jinqatlu, bħala att ta' ħniena.

Dejjem niftakar li kont nistaqsi lili nnifsi, allura għallbnedmin li jispiċċaw f'sitwazzjonijiet simili, m'hemmx ħniena?

F'Victoria, l-ewtanasja qed tiġi proposta li tkun imħollija ssir għal adulti li jkun stmat li baqgħalom inqas minn tnaxil xahar ħajja, bil-kundizzjonijiet li dawn ikunu għadhom b'moħħhom f'sikktu, ikunu wrew ir-rieda għal dan il-pass ripetutament, u jamministraw id-doża letali huma stess sakemm ma jkunux inkapaċi li jagħmlu dan, fost restrizzjonijiet oħra.2 Leġislazzjoni simili qed tiġi proposta fi NSW3, u fiż-żewġ stati huwa mistenni li vot jittieħed sal-aħħar ta' din is-sena, l-2017.

Il-proposti jirrigwardaw l-ewtanasja attiva, fejn tiġi amministrata sustanza li tikkawża l-mewt. Fil-fatt, l-ewtanasja passiva, fejn per eżempju pazjent jirrifjuta kura medika li tista' jsalvalu ħajtu, jew fejn tobba jagħżlu li ma joffrux din il-kura medika li ma tkunx ta' benefiċċju raġjonevoli jew li tkun iebsa wisq għall-pazjent, hija diġa` permessa (għalkemm mhux imsejħa ewtanasja) fl-istati kollha Awstraljani.4 Madwar id-dinja, l-ewtanasja attiva hija legali fl-Olanda, il-Belġju, il-Lussemburgu, l-Isvizzera, il-Kanada u ċerti stati fl-Istati Uniti.

L-argumenti kontra l-ewtanasja attiva jinkludu li jinbidel ir-rwol tat-tabib minn dak li jsalva l-ħajja għal dak li jtemmha; li dan il-pass mhux bżonnjuż minħabba l-użu talkura palljativa (fejn persuni fi tmiem ta' ħajjithom ikollhom l-uġigħ tagħhom imnaqqas kemm jista' jkun); illi pass bħal dan ikun qisu żurżieqa u eventwalment nispiċċaw inwettqu l-ewtanasja attiva fuq persuni li ma jkunux taw il-kunsens tagħhom.

Ngħid għalija, dan hu wieħed mill-iktar suġġetti diffiċli biex naħseb fuq il-moralità tiegħu.

Il-ħames kmandament li niżżel Mosè mill-muntanja 'la toqtolx' huwa tant sempliċi u ċar, imma jekk toqgħod taħseb ftit, tinduna li hu aktar sempliċist milli sempliċi.

Per eżempju, eċċezzjonijiet li jitqiesu 'gwerra ġusta' huma permessi mill-Knisja Kattolika taħt kundizzjonijiet stretti, u dan naturalment jinkludi l-qtil.5 Allura hemm eċċezzjonijiet oħra, taħt kundizzjonijiet stretti, li jistgħu jingħataw

Tuesday October 10, 2017

A version of this series in kitba ta’ English may be found in IVAN the author's blog at: CAUCHI https://ivancauchi. blogspot.com

f'każijiet ta' mard kiefer, terminali u debilitanti tal-bniedem?

Il-Knisja tgħid li moralment, l-ewtanasja attiva (imsejħa 'diretta') ma tistax tiġi aċċettata,6 għalkemm l-ewtanasja passiva (li ma ssejħilhiex hekk, imma tiddeskriviha bħala waqfien ta' proċeduri mediċi għall-istess raġunijiet li ddeskrivejt qabel) hija permessa.7 Li huwa nieqes hija l-vuċi tal-morda gravi u tal-moribondi. Dawn xi jridu? L-opinjoni tagħhom ma tgħodd għal xejn? Uħud ikunu tilfu l-faċilità mentali, imma oħrajn ikollhom moħħhom ċar daqs il-kristall, minkejja l-kundizzjoni tagħhom. Minn dawn, mhux kollha, imma parti sostanzjali minnhom jitolbu l-faċilità tal-ewtanasja attiva.

Hija hawn id-diffikultà tiegħi: jekk jiġi bniedem bħal dan quddiemek, jaf li qed imut bla tama ta' fejqan, qiegħed ibati, għandu kwalità tal-ħajja taħt iż-żero, ma baqagħlux skop fil-ħajja, u jgħidlek li jrid jitlaq illum qabel għada, int x'se tgħidlu? Naturalment, tista' tgħidlu biex iqawwi qalbu, li Alla miegħu, li se taħseb u titlob għalih, anke tgħinu jderri u forsi tassistih fis-siegħa tal-prova tiegħu, u dan kollu tajjeb.

Għal uħud, dan huwa ta' serħan kbir. Oħrajn, ikunu jridu assistenza ferm differenti.

Jien nistaqsi, bniedem fi tmiem ħajtu, lanqas kontroll fuq ħajtu tiegħu nnifsu m'għandu? Jien, jew l-istat, x'jedd għandna biex nindaħlulu, u ngħidulu x'jista' jagħmel u x'ma jistax? Jekk irid itemm ħajtu (u dan irid ikun stabbilit li jkun sar volontarjament 'il fuq minn kwalunkwe suspett), għalfejn għandna nixħtu lil min ħenn għalih, u assistih fixxewqa tiegħu, il-ħabs?

Il-fidi tiegħi tgħidli li l-qtil ħażin. Il-ħarsa ta' moribond bla saħħa, jitlobni bil-ħrara li ngħinu jtemm it-tbatija tiegħu, tikkonvinċini mod ieħor.

Referenzi 1. Euthanasia, human rights and the law; Australian Human Rights Commission; May 2016; p3 2. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-euthanasialaws-plan-to-give-terminally-ill-adult-patients-access-to-lethal-medication/news-story/a67e6fabc2e5d4b6d3d5a766013acc23, retrieved 3/10/2017 3. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-16/draft-legislation-in-nsw-astep-closer-to-assisted-dying/8529082, retrieved 3/10/2017 4. Euthanasia, human rights and the law; Australian Human Rights Commission; May 2016; p5-6 5.Catechism of the Catholic Church; para 2308-2310.

6. Ibid., para 2277 7. Ibid., para 2278

North Korea’s Nukes

Tuesday October 10, 2017

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he last time by GwynneDyer when North Korean nuclear weapons might have been headed off by diplomacy was 15-20 years ago, when there was a deal freezing North Korean work on nuclear weapons, and then one stopping the country’s work on long-range ballistic missiles.

If they had been negotiated with the same attention to detail that was given to the recent deal that has frozen Iran’s nuclear programme for ten years, maybe North Korea’s quest for nuclear-tipped ICBMs could have been stopped for good – or maybe not, because North Korea has always wanted an effective deterrent to the permanent US nuclear threat.

At any rate, both the nuclear and the missile deals with North Korea failed after a couple of years. Pyongyang and Washington were equally to blame for the breakdowns, resorting to titfor-tat retaliation for various perceived breaches of the deal by the other side.

But it was the United States that had more to lose, since it faced no nuclear threat from North Korea UNLESS the deals were abandoned and North Korea’s weapons research went ahead.

What we have seen recently – two ICBM tests in July, another one last month, and now what was almost certainly North Korea’s first test of a thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb) – is the inevitable result of the failure then.

It took a lot of time and effort to get Pyongyang’s bomb and missile programmes to this point, and it seems clear that Kim Jong-un’s regime decided the safest way to test the new weapons and vehicles was all at once.

He’s right.

Stringing the tests out over a couple of years might have given the country’s enemies time to organise a complete trade embargo against North Korea, or maybe even some form of attack.

The safer course was to bunch the tests up, get the outraged reactions over fast, and then hope the whole issue will fade into the background.

That’s what both India and Pakistan did in 1998, and it worked for them. Everybody eventually got used to the idea that they were more or less legitimate nuclear weapons powers.

India and Pakistan didn’t bother doing all their missile tests at once, because they had enough space to carry them out over their own land and maritime territory. North Korea is much smaller and entirely surrounded by Chinese, Russian and Japanese territory, so any long-range tests are bound to pass over one of those countries. Pyongyang chose Japan, because it is a US ally.

But even its ICBM test on 30 August, when the Japanese government ordered its citizens in parts of Hokkaido into the shelters, did not enter Japanese airspace. The missile crossed Japan

The Voice of the Maltese 11

at a sub-orbital altitude, and the Japanese authorities knew that it would as soon as the boost phase ended.

The pictures of allegedly panic-stricken Japanese civilians in shelters were propaganda meant to serve Prime Minister Abe’s project for remilitarising Japan.

There is no good ‘military option’ available to the United States and its allies in the current crisis, even though President Trump says, “We’ll see,” and We will destriy them”.

A direct US attack on North Korea using only conventional weapons would not get all of North Korea’s nukes, which are hidden in hardened underground sites or moved around by night on mobile launchers. It would also call down “fire and fury” on Seoul from ten thousand North Korean artillery pieces and short-range rockets.

A US nuclear attack would probably still not get all of Kim Jong-un’s nukes: North Korea is the hardest intelligence target in the world. Pyongyang may already be able to reach the United States with one or two ICBMs carrying thermonuclear warheads, and it can certainly reach all of South Korea and Japan.

The political options for the United States and its Asian allies are equally constrained.

Trump’s talk of stopping US trade with any country that trades with North Korea is really aimed at China (which already operates selective embargoes on various North Korean exports). But cutting US trade with China would cause immense disruption to the American economy, and it’s unlikely that Trump would actually do it.

Normally, when human beings encounter a problem that they cannot eliminate, they find ways of living with it. It often takes a while for them to get there, however, and we are currently in the dangerous phase where people (or at least some people) are convinced that there must be SOMETHING they can do to make the problem go away.

The only excuse for radical action now would be a conviction that Kim Jong-un is a crazy man who will use his nuclear weapons to launch an unprovoked attack on the United States, even though it would certainly lead to his own death and that of his entire regime. If you truly believe that, then the right course of action is an all-out nuclear attack on North Korea right now.

Otherwise, start dialling back your rhetoric, because you are eventually going to have to accept that North Korea now has a usable nuclear deterrent. You can live with that, because it’s better than fighting a nuclear war. *Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. From time to time he also contributes to The Voice of the Maltese.

12 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Roundup of News About Malta

PM Joseph Muscat, and Prince Charles lead George Cross anniversary commemoration

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ast week Malta proved that there’s never a dull moment on the island with two most important activities of great significance both local and international. The first occurred on October 4 when in the presence of Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, Malta commemorated the 75-year-anniversary of the awarding of the George Cross to the Maltese islands at the height of the Second World War. At an impressive and spectacular celebration at St George’s Square, the same square in Valletta where the people of Malta were awarded the George Cross in recognition for their bravery during the Second World War, 75 years ago, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the George Cross remained as a symbol synonymous with bravery and pride.

The George Cross, whose symbol is still incorporated on Malta’s national flag awarded by King George VI on April 15 1942. In a message to Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, governor or Malta, King George VI had said “To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta, to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history”.

The Siege of Malta lasted from mid-1940 to the end of 1942.

During the George Cross commemoration ceremony Prince Charles lauded the heroism of the Maltese people. He said that the award is a symbol of what the Maltese people had endured during the war years, as well as their strength and fortitude.

Earlier in the day, on his arrival on the island, the heir to the British throne, was welcomed in the Cabinet Room at Castille

by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle and their children. He later visited the Anglican Cathedral dedicated to St Paul, in Valletta.

Among the guests was 96-year-old Allan Scott a former RAF pilot who is one of the last surviving Spitfire pilots to have fought over Malta in World War II. This was his first visit to the Malta since flying over the island during July-December 1942.

Recalling those times he said Malta “was the most bombed place on earth, it was really - they stated it, Malta was the most bombed place on earth”.

He was one of the Second World War veterans who met Prince Charles before he left the commemorations in Valletta.

The George Cross medal on show during the commemoration of the 75th Annivesary of the award in Valletta

By next year 30% of Maltese seas will be protected

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nother important activity the past week was the two-day (October 5-6) important fourth high-level Our Ocean Conference that Malta hosted on behalf of the European Union that focused on key ocean issues of our time, namely marine-protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and marine pollution. During it, over 40 ministers and other leaders from more than 100 countries made pledges to protect the sea.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, the Prince of Wales, European Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries, and Maritime Affairs Karmenu Vella, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-Pres-

ident of the European Commission Federica Mogherini addressed the august gathering In his address at the opening session of Our Ocean, Prime Minister Muscat set the tone of the conference by sharing Malta’s solid commitments to be the first to do so as a country, hopefully paving the way for others to do the same.

He said that Malta is the smallest European Union member state, but it believes that it needs to lead by example. As such, it is embarking on a journey to actively mitigate the impact of marine litter on the ocean. By the end of 2019, Malta commits to recover 70% of the plastic bottles generated on our islands.

He also mentioned another important commitment Malta has undertaken, that of designating an area larger than the country itself as a Marine Protected Area. “Now, Malta commits to designate 30% of its waters as Marine Protected Areas in 2018 to ensure the protection of caves and reefs and to develop management plans for the protected areas by 2020," PM Muscat said.

He added that Malta continues to build on the legacy of “one of our own”, Arvid Pardo, who in 1967 at his speech at the UN General Assembly, led to Malta’s pioneering role in the creation of the UN Convention on the International Law of the Sea. “He would have been pleased to see the world’s ocean community come together in his homeland,” he said.

He concluded by saying, “Malta has been one of the principle leaders in ensuring that our ocean beds are declared the common heritage of mankind. Today I want to reconPrime Minister Joseph Muscat firm that Malta is at the forefront in ensuring that our (right) and Prince Charles ex- oceans remain the preserve of our shared future”. change views at the Conferfence *Continued on page 13

The Voice of the Maltese 13

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Roundup of News About Malta

Our Ocean Conference/*from page 12

Meanwhile, in his keynote speech on Thursday Prince Charles called on consumers to match the commitment made by some of the world's biggest brands to stop the devastating impact plastics are having on our oceans. He highlighted how the waste material is increasingly found in fish caught for the dinner table - a worsening issue researchers have claimed would lead to the sea containing more plastics than fish, by weight, by 2050.

He said that the growing threat to the world's marine ecology has reached a critical point where plastics are now on the menu.

He went on to say that the irreversible damage to the Great Barrier Reef is a “serious wake- another, so that wherever you swim up call” for nations. “What is needed there are particles of plastic near you is a circular economy that allows and we are very close to reaching the plastics to be recovered, recycled and point when whatever wild-caught fish reused instead of created, used and you eat will contain plastic. Plastic is then thrown away,” he said. indeed now on the menu.”

He added, “As many of you know The conference concluded Friday so well, the eight million tonnes of with speeches delivered by Karmenu plastic that enter the sea every year - Vella, European Commissioner for through our own doing I might add - Environment, Maritime Affairs, and is now almost ubiquitous. For all the Fisheries, Frans Timmermans, First plastic that we have produced since Vice President of the European Comthe 1950s that has ended up in the mission, and John Kerry, former US ocean is still with us in one form or Secretary of State (pictured above).

HSBC Group selects Malta for global launch of new service M alta has been chosen by HSBC to launch globally HSBC Fusion, a new service provided by its Group designed for self employed and small and medium-sized enterprises, combining business banking and personal banking.

At the launch in the Zabbar branch, the bank’s Chief Executive, Andrew Beane, said that Malta has been chosen for the launch because the majority of businesses are small and medium-sized companies, which together provide employment to 34% of the workers in Malta. HSBC Fusion

has been designed for business owners with an annual turnover of up to €1 million and borrowing needs up to €100,000.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who attended the launching of the service, said that in previous meetings with the Bank, he had requested it to make a bigger effort with services close to the community. Therefore with this new service he augurs that more self employed and small and mediumsized enterprises would explore opportunities to strengthen their operations.

Malta gets its first ever S&P upgrade in 20 yrs

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nternational credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, considered to be one of the Big Three credit-rating agencies in the world, has maintained Malta’s sovereign credit rating at A- and raised the outlook from stable to positive on strong growth prospects, reflecting their expectations that Malta’s economy would continue its strong cyclical expansion. This is Malta’s the first upgrade by S&P Malta has received in 20 years Prime Minister Joseph Muscat welcomed the improvement, supported by strong growth performance, with consistent current account surpluses, and by narrowing government deficits, while Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said the decision re-affirms the solid performance of Malta’s economy and prospects for the upcoming years.

Of particular satisfaction is the remark about the Govt’s success in reforming key sectors, mainly the energy sector, and the concrete efforts to diversify the economy.

In its latest report a few days before the government on Monday presented its budget for 2018, S&P noted the strong economic growth performance in 2014 and expressed its view that this momentum is set to continue in the coming years, with Malta’s economic growth outpacing that of the Euro Area. It expects this positive performance to be sustained by a strong inflow of investment.

S&Poor also acknowledges the diversification of Malta’s economy, particularly in medical tourism, which is a confirmation of the Government’s vision to explore new sectors that can give Malta a competitive edge.

Meanwhile, figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) indicate that during the first eight months of this year the Government has registered a surplus in excess of €31 million.

NSO further stated that compared to the same period last year the Government’s financial accounts have improved by more than €110 million.

The improvement is the result of an increase of €261 million in the Government’s income. Expenditure has gone up by €151 million, which means that expenditure on capital projects has gone down by less than €2 million.

The debt burden has gone down by more than €5m.

August ‘17 tourist 929 foreign students arrivals up 12.2% from 102 countries

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nother record has been established in tourist arrivals to Malta in August as figures by the National Statistics Office (NSO) indicate that the amount for the month was 288,033, which is an increase of 12.2 per cent compared to the corresponding month last year.

The NSO said that 259,392 foreigners visited on holiday while 7,839 visited on business. Tourism from the EU member states was 245,390, or 11.5% compared to August 2016.

There has also been an increase of 8.5% in total nights spent in Malta over August last year surpassing 2.5 million nights, and total tourist expenditure has been estimated at €299.1 million, an increase of 10.4% over the corresponding month last year.

Inbound tourism January-August has gone up by 16.6% reaching 1,526,092, while expenditure reached €1.3 billion, 13.1% higher than 2016.

at Malta University

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mong the 11,733 students that attended the official opening of the 2017.18 Academic Year of the University of Malta last week were 929 international students from 102 different countries who would be pursuing studies at the venue.

The amount also includes 3,912 new students who would be benefiting from 942 courses offered by the University.

Of the total of students undergoing courses, 6899 are female and 4834 male. Around 2,696 students of them have registered for undergraduate courses; 1,216 will be reading for postgraduate degrees.

14 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Adrian Delia issa uffiċjalment Membru Parlamentari u Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni

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a fl-aħħar, erba’ xhur Dan kollu seħħ wara li lwara t-telfa diżasEżekuttiv tal-Partit Naztruża fl-aħħar elezzjonalista approva li Delia li zjoni ġenerali li wasslet jiġi co-opted fil-Parlament għar-riżenja tal-Kap Simon minflok it-tabib Peter MiBusuttil, issa uffiċjalment callef li ġie elett fl-elezzjoni il-Partit Nazzjonali għandu każwali wara r-riżenja tadl-kap tiegħu, bħala memDeputat Jean Pierre Debobru Parlamentari. L-istess no. It-tabib Micallef kien ħa l-Oppożizzjoni, wara li Dr l-ġurament fis-seduta tatAdrian Delia, missier ta’ Tlieta u ta r-riżenja tiegħu ħamest itfal, nhar il-Ġimminn deputat seba’ minuti għa ingħata l-ġurament biss wara biex witta t-triq bħala kap tal-Oppożizzjoni għal Dr Delia li jidħol filmill-President tar-RepubbParlament. lika, l-ET Marie-Louise Fl-ewwel diskors tiegħu Coleiro Preca.

Delia radd ħajr liż-żewġ eks Jumejn qabel, wara prodeputati Nazzjonalisti, Deċess kemmxejn twil u li Dr Adrian Delia jingħata l-ġurabono u Micallef għall-ġest ħafna jsostnu li kien ukoll ment bħala Kap tal-Oppożiztagħhom li ċedew posthom kumplikat, fuq mozzjoni zjoni mill-President ta’ Malta biex kif qal, twettqet idmressqa mill-Prim Min- Marie Louise Coleiro Preca demokrazija. istru Joseph Muscat, Delia Fit-tweġiba tiegħu l-Prim ngħata l-ġurament mill-Ispeaker Anġlu Farrugia biex għall- Ministru awgura lill-kap il-ġdid Nazzjonalista u qal li qed iħares ewwel darba seta’ jpoġġi fuq siġġu fil-Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti ‘il quddiem biex jaħdmu b’argumentazzjoni, b’kollaborazzjoni u u jagħmel l-ewwel diskors tiegħu bħala deputat Parlamentari. lealtà għall-ġid tal-pajjiż.

L-Impjiegi jibqgħu jiżdiedu

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ak li beda daqs erba’ snin ilu fil-kamp taxxogħol, u li kien hemm minn bassar li mażżmien se jieqaf, issokta u u mistenni jkompli, infatti ċifri tal-uffiċċju Nazzjonali tal-istatistika juru li matul is-sena li għaddiet dawk f’impjieg ammontaw għal ftit aktar minn 219,000, żieda ta’ ħdax-il elf impjieg jew 5% meta mqabbel mal-istess perjodu s-sena li għaddiet.

Iċ-ċifri juru li l-akbar ammont ta’ ħaddiema kienu fis-settur tal-bejgħ, tal-karozzi, trasport, akkomodazzjoni u amministrazzjoni pubbliku.

L-istatistika turi wkoll li f’Malta l-ħaddiema b’impjieg full-time laħqu l-174,798, żieda ta’ 5.3% mqabbel mal-istess perdjou fl-2015. L-ammont ta’ ħaddiema fis-settur privat kien jammonta għal ftit aktar minn 76% waqt li l-kumplament tal-ħaddiema kienu fis-settur pubbliku.

Is-settur privat ikkontribwixxa għal 91% tażżieda fl-impjiegi mqabbel mal-2015 bl-aktar żidiet kienu rreġistrati fil-qasam tal-bejgħ, tiswija ta’ karozzi, trasport, ħażna u akkomodazzjoni.

F’Għawdex, l-impjiegi full-time ammontaw għal 12,431, jżieda ta’ 5.7%. L-impjiegi fis-settur privat kienu jammontaw għal ftit anqas minn 57%.

Bi ftit aktar minn 62% impjieg, is-settur tal-bejgħ baqa’ l-aktar i jħaddem nies segwit mis-settur talamministrazzjoni pubblika bi ftit aktar minn 51,000 u dak tas-servizzi bi 32,500 impjieg.

L-istatistika turi wkoll li matul is-sena li għaddiet kien hemm żieda fl-għadd ta’ persuni li jaħdmu għal rashom, issa bi ftit anqas minn 20,400.

2,971 Ħaddiema Għawdxin f’Malta Infatti din tal-kera, tolqot ukoll sewwa inkejja li saret żieda sostanzjali flM impiegi f’Għawdex xorta għad lill-istudenti Għawdxin li jistudjaw baqa’ għad ta’ Għawdxin jaħdmu Malta Malta ( il-maġġoranza fl-Universita ta’ għax min iħaddimhom (prinċipalment il-Gvern) diġa` għandu biżżejjed nies fil-kategorja tagħhom f’Għawdex.

Dawn jiġu trasferiti għal Għawdex meta tinqala’ xi vaganza; u oħrajn għax l-impjieg li għandhom mhux qed jiġi offrut f’Għawdex.

Skont l-aħħar figuri madwar 3,000 Għawdxin għandhom ir-residenza tagħhom f’Għawdex (imbagħad hemm għadd kbir ta’ Għawdxin oħra li joqogħdu Malta) li jaħdmu f’Malta. Minnhom, 56% jaħdmu fis-settur pubbliku (mal-Gvern).

Attwalment 14,6999 mir-residenti ta’ Għawdex u Kemmuna għandhom impjieg; 2,971 minnhom jaħdmu f’Malta.

Sintendi dan iffisser sagriffiċju għal dawk li jaqsmu kuljum bejn Għawdex u Malta, kif ukoll għal dawk li matul iljiem tax-xogħol jibqgħu Malta.

Għax għalkemm dawn tal-aħħar ma jkollhomx għalfejn joqogħdu jqumu kmieni biex jaqsmu għal Malta u jaslu d-dar tard figħaxija, xorta jbatu finanzjarjament billi jridu jħallsu l-kera ta’ fejn joqogħdu, u l-kirjiet dan l-aħħar telgħu mas-sema tant li din qed titqies bħala problema nazzjonali kbira.

Malta).

F’Malta l-Ministru tal-Finanzi jippreżenta l-Baġit għall-2018

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ilwaqt li konna qed inħejju biex nagħlqu din il-ħarġa ta’ The Voice, f’Malta kien hawn ħerqa għall-baġit għall-2018 li l-Ministru tal-Finanzi lProfs. Edward Scicluna kellu jipprereżenta t-Tnejn filgħaxija fil-Parlament.

Minn kummenti li saru min-naħa talespnenti tal-Gvern matul l-aħħar jiem, jidher li l-poplu se jgawdi minn miżuri li jirriżultaw mit-titjieb ekonomiku tal-aħħar snin fil-pajjiż.

Fil-Parlamaent, il-jiem li fadal mixxahar ta’ Ottubru, se jittieħdu kollha biex fihom jiġi diskuss il-baġit. Hawn ukoll stennijja biex wieħed jisma’ wkoll l-ewwel reazzjoni għall-baġit mill-Kap il-ġdid tal-Oppożizzjoni.

Rapport dwar kif intlaqat il-poplu b’dawn il-miżuri fil-ħarġa li jmiss

The Voice of the Maltese 15

Tuesday October 10, 2017

It-traffiku problema B

dew l-iskejjel... u kibru l-problemi.

Mhux dawk fil-qasam tat-tagħlim, għalkemm xi ftit skossi hawnhekk ma kienx hemm ukoll, iżda tat-traffiku, anke jekk fis-sajf kellna xi ftit ukoll. Imma mal-ftuħ tal-iskejjel dawn komplew jiżdiedu...u biex il-problema tissokta tikber kellna wkoll ix-xita, għax meta tagħmel ftit xita mhux ħażin ċerti toroq jispiċaw għadajjar u t-traffiku jisslowja jekk ma jieqafx ukoll.

L-Awtoritajiet, li kienu jafu x’se jfisser il-ftuħ tal-iskejjel fil-qasam tat-traffiku, ħadu diversi passi fosthom li jpoġġu aktar membri tal-pulizija u ta’ Transport Malta biex jidderiġu t-traffiku; tpoġġew trakkijiet tal-irmonk f’diversi postijiet biex jekk tieqaf xi vettura din titwarrab malajr, ġie pprojbit it-tagħlim ta’ karozzi fi triqat arterjali waqt ir- rush hours, eċċ. Tħaffef ukoll ix-xogħol fuq it-triq tal-Kappara biex il-pontijiet li nbew f’din it-triq ikunu jistgħu jntużaw mal-ftuħ tal-iskejjel.

Minkejja dawn il-passi kollha, xorta ċerti toroq spiċċaw ibblukkati bit-traffiku u l-ilmenti ta’ nies li ħadu ħin ħafna aktar mis-

soltu biex jaslu fuq il-post tax-xogħol jew id-detinazzjoni tagħhom ma naqsux.

Imma għaliex il ftuħ tal-iskejjel jaffettwa daqshekk it-traffiku?

F’Malta l-Gvern joffri transport b’xejn lil dawk it-tfal kollha li joqogħdu kilometru jew aktar bogħod mill-iskola. L-iskejjel tal-Knisja u dawk privati wkoll jorganizzaw t-trasport għall-iskejjel għalkemm did-darba bi ħlas.. u ħafna minn dawn liskejjel jifħu bejn wieħed u ieħor fl-istess ħin tal-iskejjel tal-Istat.

Tistgħu taħsbu kemm ikunu meħtieġa kowċis u mini-vans biex iġorru lit-tfal

Għażliet tal-istudenti

B

jiet offruti mill-Fakultà tal-Edukazzjoni żdiedu sewwa.

Dan minħabba li bħalissa l-għadd tal-għalliema huwa anqas minn dak meħtieġ u saħansitra kellhom jiġi mpjegati nies mingħajr il-kwalifiki kollha biex isiru għalliema regolari u allura jitqiesu bħala supply teachers.

Għalkemm ħafna jsostnu li għandna aktar avukati milli meħtieġ, meta wieħed tqis li għadd minnhom qatt ma jersqu lejn il-qrati imma jagħmlu ħidma oħra, ħafna fil-qasam tal-kummerċ u negozju, xorta l-għadd ta’ dawk li daħlu għall-korsijiet fil-Fakulta’ tal-liġi żdied ukoll.

Qasam li għandu nuqqas ta’ ħaddiema, speċjalment f’ċerti setturi, hu tas-saħħa. Ilħtieġa mistennija tkompli tikber bliżvillupp fil-qasam mediku u ftuħ ta’ sptarijiet ġodda.Dan wassal lillL-Universita`ta’ Malta Ministeru tas-Saħħa jikkollabora mal-Universita’ biex ikun hemm spazji kliniċi addizzjonali ħalli ikunu jistgħu jiġu aċċettati aktar studenti f’ċerti korsijiet tal-Fakulta’ tal-mediċina.

Ta’ min jgħid li dis-sena mistenni tibda tiffunzjoni wkoll parti millUniversita’ Amerikana ta’ Malta, u f’Għawdex ġew aċċettati l-ewwel studenti mill-Universita magħrufa fil-qasam tal-medicina ta’ Barths.

iex inkompli dwar l-edukazjoni, ngħid il-verita’ bqajt impressjonat naqra li lUniversita`ta’ Malta toffri 992 kors fid-diversi fakultajiet tagħha. Anke l-għadd ta’ studenti huwa notevoli (ara paġna 13), anke fost il-barranin, li juri kemm l-Universita ta’ Malta għandha fama tajba f’xi pajjiżi barranin.

Il-maġġuranza tal-istudenti għażlu lFakultà tal-FEMA, fakulta` li toffri korsijiet dwar l-ekonomija, il-management u l-accounts. Għadd konsiderevoli għażlu korsijiet offruti mill-Fakultà tal-Arti, li hija waħda mill-akbar fakultajiet fi ħdan l-Università ta’ Malta, b’total ta’ sittax-il dipartiment.

Il-Ministeru tal-Edukazzjoni ħa nifs qawwi u żgur li hu kuntent bil-fatt li lgħadd ta’ studenti li ġew aċċetati fil-korsi-

kollha. Tant huma meħtieġa l-vetturi li attwalment ħafna minnhom ikollhom jagħmlu aktar minn vjaġġ wieħed biex iwasslu t-tfal kollha fl-iskejjell. Sfortunatament xi drabi jkun hemm xufiera li jabbużaw u mhux darba u tnejn kien hemm rapporti ta’ sewqan qawwi minn sidien tal-mini buses.

Biex taqgħad il-ġenituri tat-tfal lij morru fl-iskejjel tal-Knisja u Privati jsostnu li qed jiġu ċċarġjati ħlasijiet għoljin għat-traport (Dan l-aħħar issemma każ fejn fi skola privata, studenti jħallsu €600 kull term għat-tagħlim u €400 għat-trasport).

Għalhekk għadd kbir ta’ ġenituri jippreferu jwasslu lil uliedhom huma li jkompli jżid l-għadd ta’ karozzi fit-triq f’ċerti ħinijiet, li ġieli huma qrib sew ma’ dawk tal-ħaddiema li jkunu sejrin għax-xogħol.

Issa jidher li ġiet aċċetata l-proposta biex il-Gvern jipprovdi trasport b’xejn għal dawk it-tfal li jmorru fl-skejjel tal-Knisja u Privati wkoll għax kien hemm minn sostna li b’hekk jonqos it-traffiku mittoroq billi l-ġenituri ma jibqgħux jieħdu lil uliedhom l-iskola bil-karozzi tagħhom.

Veru li dan jista’jnaqqas it-traffiku, għalkemm wieħed irid jara kemm ġenituri se jużaw dan is-servizz. Imma xorta se jkunu ħafna l-ġenituri li, għal xi raġuni se jibqgħu jwasslu lil uliedhom huma.

Barra hekk se tqum il-problema biex jinstabu vetturi biżżejjed biex jingħata ttrasport b’xejn lill-istudenti kollha.

Insomma l-problema tat-traffiku f’Malta hija għadma iebsa għal kull min ikun filGvern u minkejja l-isforzi kollha li qed isiru, hu diffiċli li l-problema tiġi solvuta meta tqis li l-għadd ta’ vetturi fi triq jiżdiedu kull ġurnata.

Nemmen li l-unika soluzzjoni hija li lvetturi fit-toroq jonqsu, imma min se jkun lesti iħalli l-karozza d-dar u juża is-servizz pubblika, ir-roti, il-muturi u riġlejh meta hawn nies nies li anke biex jagħmlu qadja f’post ftit passi l-bogħod mid-dar juzaw ilkarozza?

Ta’ min jgħid li l-problema tat-traffiku hi wkoll fost l-istudenti tal-Universita`. Ġafna minnhom jppreferu jużaw ilkarozza tagħhom milli t-trasport pubbliku.

16 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Immigration system is The end of car manufacturing run fairly in Australia

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he Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton (pictured right) speaking at the Policy Exchange Westminster UK said Australia was a proud migrant nation, but trust in the system had deteriorated when the Rudd and Gillard Labor governments wound back the Pacific Solution, sparking a surge in boat arrivals.

During that time, he said, people smugglers had been able to charge $20,000 for a journey to Australia but that fell to $1000 when the Coalition began turning back boats following its election victory in 2013.

The government was using analytics to try to weed out potential terrorists travelling to Australia, he said, and structural changes to the visa system would be on the horizon. Complementing this, the Minister said, the government intended to introduce biometric scanning of passengers at airports, instead of passports.

Mr Dutton said immigration concerns had been at the heart of the Coalition's victory in 2013, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump and the surge of support for the far-right AfD in Germany. UKIP, and – for a short time – the Leave campaign, advocated an “Australian-style points-based” immigration system as a way of “taking back control” of Britain's borders. However, the policy was not adopted

by Prime Minister Theresa May. Arguing that people would embrace immigration if it were done “fairly”, Mr Dutton cited the 2016 Scanlon report, which found the lowest recorded number of Australians – 34 percent – considered Australia's immigration intake was “too high”.

T

he Camry rolled off the Melbourne Altona North mass facility last week. Toyota’s departure marks the end of more than 90 years of Victorian car manufacturing that began with Ford at Geelong in 1925. When Holden rolls out of Adelaide in late October, the nation’s car manufacturing industry will reach the end of the road.

Toyota announced its departure from Australian car manufacturing in 2014 and said it had since put more than 2200 workers through a job skills programme, which will continue for another six months.

The automaker began assembling cars in a Melbourne suburb in 1963, and production at the Altona factory, employing thousands of Maltese workers started in 1994.

Toyota’s peak annual output in the country reached close to 150,000 in 2007.

The Altona plant will be converted into a facility for training and product development, it said, while Toyota’s local unit will focus on sales, and its workforce in Australia will be cut to around 1,300 from 3,900.

The closure of Toyota is the latest in a long succession of auto manufacturing, shutdowns across Australia, including Ford’s factories in Geelong and Broadmeadows, Holden in Port Melbourne and Mitsubishi in Adelaide.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the loss of the car industry “did not have to happen” but the move was forced when the government stopped financially supporting car markers. However, Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull said car manufacturers were leaving in response to changing markets, not a lack of subsidies, valued at about $7bn since 2001.

ACCC boss warns over soaring electricity prices A

ccording to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims, Australians are having to choose between paying their medical bills and paying their power bills and rent.

Mr Sims has also warned of widespread job losses in manufacturing, along with small business closures if Australia’s soaring electricity and gas prices aren’t reined

in.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Mr Rod Sims ACCC chairman said industry players who blamed investment uncertainty were ignoring a “hell of a lot” of other factors.

More than 40 per cent of power price hikes in the past decade were due to costs associated with network infrastructure, such as power poles.

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Other causes were higher retail costs, which contributed 24 percent to prices hikes, generation costs (19 percent) and green scheme costs (16 percent).

He said state government moratoriums on gas exportation had contributed to gas supply shortages and price hikes. But privatisation was not the cause.

“Those poles and wires that run down your street are the main reason you are paying too much for electricity,” Mr Sims said.

“I have to say, when those rules were loosened, the two states that took most advantage, or the two network businesses, were the government-owned ones in New South Wales and Queensland. “The privatised ones in Victoria, the increases were much, much less. “Many households, and particularly the poorest, have been hit by the price hikes.

“As we have moved around the country, our retail pricing team heard stories of Australians rationing electricity through choosing between paying medical bills and paying electricity bills and having only a small amount to spend on food after meeting electricity bills and rent,” he said.

Tuesday October 10, 2017

The Voice of the Maltese 17

A plea for assisted dying laws I

n the NSW Legislative Council, Nationals MP Trevor Khan delivered a passionate plea for introduction of voluntary assisted dying laws in NSW, declaring that terminally ill people dying violent deaths at their own hands is “an appalling situation”.

Mr Khan was introducing a private members bill that would give terminally ill NSW residents aged 25 or over the legal right to end their own lives with medical assistance.

The patient would have to be, in “reasonable medical judgment”, expected to die from their illness within 12 months and be experiencing “extreme pain, suffering or physical incapacity”. ope Francis has been issued with a formal Two medical “filial correction” from 62 priests and lay practitioners, scholars from 20 countries, including Australia, including a accusing him of spreading heresy regarding marriage and morals, The Weekend Australian specialist, must sign off the dereports.

The 25-page letter, released in London in six cision and the aslanguages – English, French, Spanish, Italian, patient German and Portuguese – states that Pope sessed by an Francis has, by his controversial 2016 apostolic i n d e p e n d e n t exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), psychiatrist or and “by other, related, words, deeds and omis- psychologist to sions’’ caused “these heretical opinions to guarantee they are of sound spread in the Catholic Church” The letter, received by the Pope at his residence mind and the at Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican a decision made month ago, says the group’s intention is also “to of their own protect our fellow Catholics – and those outside the Church…hoping to prevent the further spread of doctrines…profaning of all the sacraments and the subversion of the Law of God” The Australian signatories of the filial (from sons and daughters) are Fr Glen Tattersall (right) parish priest of Melbourne’s traditional Latin Mass parish, and University of New England adjunct research fellow Dr Anna Silvas.

The last pope to receive such admonition was John XXII who was taken to task by a Franciscan priest, a Dominican priest and scholars at the University of Paris over an arcane debate about what happens to souls immediately after death.

John XXII appointed a commission to study the issue and he recanted his former position before his death in 1334.

Many other popes throughout history have also created controversies and drawn criticism, but not formal corrections.

Fr Tattersall said the letter, written with heavy hearts by all concerned, had nothing to do with disliking the Pope personally or his style: “All involved were compelled by the nature of truth to act out of loyalty to Christ, concern for the Church and for the good of souls. It was a burden and quite distressing to undertake.”

62 Priests accuse Pope Francis of “spreading heresy”

P

Nationals MP Trevor Khan

free will.

Other safeguards include a 48-hour cooling-off period, the patient's ability to rescind the decision at any time and the right for close relatives to challenge patient eligibility in the Supreme Court.

MPs from the major parties will be granted a conscience vote when the bill is debated, which is likely to occur in November.

Mr Khan said the bill was “the most safeguarded process of any voluntary assisted dying scheme presently available in the world”.

Addressing concerns from opponents of the capacity for “elder abuse”, Mr Khan said the safeguards meant it is “impossible to see how patients can be taken advantage of”.

The Catholic Church has been vocal in its opposition to the bill, as has an anti-euthanasia organisation HOPE, which warns the laws would “radically abandon our deep human commitment not to deliberately take someone's life”.

But Mr Khan said: “The fear campaign being mounted by many opponents of the bill is not just unfounded; frankly, it's misleading”.

(See also Ivan Cauchi’s comments in Maltese on page 10)

18 The Voice of the Maltese

Programm Mużiko-Letterarju 2017 organizzat f’Victoria I

l-Grupp Letteratura Maltija ta’ Victoria dan laħħar organizza Programm Mużiko-Letterarju, fis-sala taċ-Ċentru Malti ta’ Parkville, li għalih kien hemm attendenza tajba mill-membri fost il-Komunita` Maltija.

Bħas-soltu l-attivita`bdiet bil-kant tal-Innu Malti u dak Awstraljan minn Amanda Steidle, it-tifla tal-president, Dr Vicotr Sammut li wkoll daqqet l-innijiet fuq il-kitarra.

Wara li l-PRO Paul Vella ta merħba lillpreżenti, il-president, Dr Victor Sammut ta rendikont ta’ dak li wettaq il-grupp matul issena u fisser l-għan li għalih ġie mwaqqaf.

Fl-istess waqt stieden lil dawk li jixtiequ jidħlu membri biex jagħmlu dan. Semma wkoll il-folju tal-grupp organizzat minn Paul Vella bil-għajnuna ta’ Rose Lofaro li jiġi mibgħut bl-Internet lil madwar 500 membru.

Wara, in-neputijiet tal-president u ta’ martu Doris ippreżentaw reċta qasira magħrufa u li ntlaqgħet tajjeb, ħafna, Jack and the Beanstalk li fiha ħadu sehem Ronin, Coen, Zoe, Leo, Amanda, Cecilia, Janette u Doris.

Imbagħad beda l-qari b’Victor Sammut jaqra, Il-Papa u l-Lhud u Sabiħa l-Ħajja?.

Segwa Manwel Cassar b’għadd ta’ epigrammi, filwaqt li Rosemary Attard qrat ilpoeżiji tal-mibki Joe Saliba, Barbecue u Għasfur tal-Bejt, u Charles Attard qara lpoeżiji ta’ Manwel Nicholas-Borg (illum mejjet), Ħmura u Tfulija fl-Irġulija”, filwaqt li wara intervent mużikali minn Amanda, Cecilia u Victor, Rose Lofaro qrat proża ta’ Dr Clemente Zammit. Suspetti Bla Vestru.

Sar interval biex kulħadd seta’ jitrejjaq imRażan.

Qari ieħor sar minn Ġużi Camilleri bi bagħad issokta aktar qari, minn Rose Loproża minn tiegħu, Il-Ħajja tar-Ragħaj u faro b’poeżiji ta’ membru li jgħix fi Martu u Franġiska, u wara intervent mużi- Queensland, Nazzarene Zerafa, Metamorkali ieħor ta’ Amanda li did-darba kantant fosi u Mument Ikrah, Mudlan, Sewdieni.

Marie Louise Anastasi qrat il-poeżiji kompożizzjoni tagħha Thirty Years in Australia li tfakkar l-avveniment tal-familja tagħha, Mejju f’Malta u F’Inżul ix-Xemx, u George Portelli qara l-poeżija tal-Professur fid-9 ta’ Mejju li għadda.

Wara sar aktar qari, minn John Muscat bil- Oliver Friggieri, Hekk Biss Ikun Poeta’.

Oħrajn li qraw xogħlijiet kienu, Michel poeżiji tiegħu, Ix-Xita u Lid-Dinja, u Paul Vella b’poeżiji ta’ Manwel Casha, Lill- Xuereb bil-poeżiji tiegħu, Il-Mara blPoeta, Lil Karmnu, Lil M.M. u Fid-Dell ta’ Għonella u Is-Skiet, Paul Vella qara l-proża

Ritratt tal-okkażjoni ta’ dawk li ħadu sehem fil-programm Mużiko-Letterarju

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Il-grupp li ħa sehem fil-preżentazzjoni tarreċta waqt l-attivita`

kitba tiegħu, Pietru u Sant’ Antnin, u flaħħarnett Fredu Cachia ippreżenta l-poeżiji tiegħu, Barumbara, Għidtilha Nħobbok, Imnarja 2017 u Mill-Vrus Maltin.

L-aħħar intervent mużikali kien ta’ Simone Cremona. Għalkemm mhux segħetx tattendi, b’danakollu xorta bagħtet materjal fuq il-laptop.

Il-lejla tal-attivita` ntemmet b’riċeviment, u bir-ringrazzjamenti li dawk li għinu biex l-attivita`tkun suċċess.

PaulVella

The Voice of the Maltese 19

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Fuq: Il-mistednin waqt iċ-ċelebrazzjoni organizzata mill-MCCV; lemin: Joanna Pisani (xellug) tippreżenta award lil Marlene Scicluna

L-MCCV ifakkar l-Indipendenza; jagħti merħba lill-Konslu Ġenerali l-ġdida ta’ Victoria

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l-Kunsill Malti ta’ Victoria (MCCV) fil21 ta’ Settembru ċċelebra t-53 Anniversarju tal-Indipendenza ta’ Malta fiċ-Ċentru Malti ta’ Parkville u fl-istess waqt ta wkoll merħba lil Ms Joanna Pisani, il-Konslu Ġenerali l-ġdid tar-Repubblika ta’ Malta.

Għal din l-okkażjoni minbarra l-membri li jiffurmaw l-MCCV attendew ukoll Dr Edwin Borg Manché, Konslu Onorarju ta’ Malta fil-Victoria, is-Sue Eddie Micallef, Chairman tal-Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, is-Sur Mario Sammut, Konslu Onorarju ta’ Malta f’Latrobe Valley, Fr Edwin Agius, Rettur f’Parkville u Fr Lonnie Borg, Sr. Doris Falzon OP, Amministratur ta’ Rosary Home Residential Aged Care Facility f’Keilor Downs u membri tal-komunita` Maltija.

Saru għadd ta’ diskorsi għall-okkażjoni mis-Sur Victor Borg, il-president tal-Kunsill Malti tal-Victoria li wkoll introduċa

lill-Konslu l-ġdid Ms Joanna Pisani li minnaħa tagħha tkellmet dwar Malta u l-Indipendenza. Fr Edwin Agius, ukoll tkellem dwar l-okkażjoni mill-għadd reliġjuż.

Għal Ms Pisani din hi t-tieni darba li qed isservi fl-Awstralja għax diġa`kienet Konslu Ġenerali darb’oħra. Bejn l-2003 u l2008 serviet bħala Konslu Ġenerali f’Sydney.

Qabel inħatret Konslu Ġenerali f’Melbourne fl-14 ta’ Awwissu li għadda, hija serviet ukoll bħala Chargé d’Affaires flAmbaxxata Maltija ta’ Dublin, fl-Irlanda.

Ms Pisani ġiet ippreżentata b’rigal millMCCV, u min-naħa tagħha ppreżentat award lil Ms Marlene Scicluna li ngħatat mill-Kunsill bħala għarfien għas-servizz lill-komunita`Maltija fil-qasam kulturali.

PaulVella

Kappillan ta’ parroċċa Għawdxija fl-MCC NSW

I

l-kappillan tal-paroċċa ta’ San Lawrenz f’Għawdex, Dun Charles Sultana kien l-Awstralja bħala l-mistieden tal-Għaqda tax-Xaghra (NSW) fejn ħa sehem f’għadd ta’ attivitajiet. Dun Charles fil-fatt twieled u għix sal-eta` ta’ disa`f’Gosford NSW sakemm imbagħad il-ġenituri tiegħu irritornaw lejn Malta Fl-istampa Dun Charles Sultana jidher jidher waqt żjara ta’ kortesija li għamel fiċĊentru tal-Kunsill tal-Komunita ta’ NSW f’West Parramatta. Fuq wara (mix-xellug): Joe Borg, Emanuel Camilleri, Fr Sultana, Alfred Pace, Lawrence Dimech, Fred Carabott, Charles Mifsud, Mark Caruana u Reggie Bonnici. Quddiem: Marlene Dimech, Monica Ledger, Miriam Friggieri u Josephine Bigeni.

Tagħrif dwar il-kitba Maltija

20 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

ktar regoli u tagħrif uffiċjali dwar kif wieħed għandu jikteb il-Malti. Dan skont Akif maħruġ mill-Kummissjoni fi ħdan l-Akkademja tal-ilsien Malti f’Malta.

Ismijiet ta’ tliet konsonanti b’aċċent sħiħ (1) Fuq il-għamla ta’ bard, mard, talb, daħq, ħalq, ħaqq, ħall, xaqq, serq, melħ, sebħ, mess, xedd, ħell imnisslin minn verbi bħal márad, tálab, dáħaq, eċċ. niktbu wkoll għalf, għawm, għawġ, għadd, għant, għatx, għerq, għens, kif ukoll fuq roħs, qorq, moxt niktbu għors, għonq.

(2) Fuq il-għamla ta’ sakra, qatra, saħta, sabta, ħabta, dakra, qabda, ħajja, tewba, xeħta, xewqa, żoqma, toqba, sokra, ħofra, nibnu u niktbu għażla, għarqa, għalqa, għaxwa, għatja, għassa, sahra, xagħra, waqgħa, nagħġa, nagħla, naħla, bagħla, qatgħa, laqgħa, lagħqa, żargħa, qargħa, żebgħa, wegħda, regħba, redgħa, telgħa, tebgħa, belha, żergħa, mergħa, dehra, fehma, togħma, sogħla, sogħba, rogħda, roqgħa, sogħda, għoqda, għoqla.

Ismijiet ta’ tliet konsonanti b’aċċent ħafif (3) Fuq il-għamla ta’ naħal, faħam, faħal, safar, tafal, seħer, ġebel, ħażen nibnu u niktbu xahar, xagħar, żahar, nagħal, bagħal, bagħar, għasar, sehem, deheb, għaġeb.

(4) Fuq il-għamla ta’ rimi, kiri, mixi mnisslin mill-verbi neqsin rema(j), kera(j), mexa(j) nibnu wkoll għóli, għáma, ħála, qári, ħábi kollha bil-vokali ta’ aċċent maħtuf u mhux għôli, għâma kif mhux ħâla, qâri, ħâbi. Għalhekk ukoll il-femminil tan-nom għòlja u mhux għôlja, bħal mixja, kirja bil-vokali maħtufa. Għalhekk nagħrfu nagħżlu bejn l- aġgė ttivi għôli, għôni, għâni u n-nomi għóli, għána.

Ismijiet ta’ tliet konsonanti b’aċċent imkarkar (5) Fuq il-għamla ta’ (i) ħlas, fdal, qtar, (ii) ħsieb, ħmieġ, nxief, fsied, (iii) sħana, ndafa, (iv) ħniena, qbiela, (v) ġbîd, qtîl, żfîn, (vi) ħrûġ, nżûl, ftûħ, (vii) bruda, ksuħa, mluħa, (viii) ħasira, ħarifa, (ix) ħasil, qabil, (x) qadima, ħarufa, (xi) ħaruf, ħanut, (xii) qawmien, mawrien għandna wkoll nibnu u niktbu (i) ngħas, nwar, dlam, qgħad, żgħar, (ii) swied, fwied, xwiek, (iii) ħjata, fsada, (iv) xhieda, ħlieqa, ġlieda, ndiema.

[Fuq li għedna fit-T.ċ. (2) taħt il-Wieħed u Tletin Regola – l-Ewwel Taqsima – flok (iv) għnieqa u (v) għtis, għfis, għżiq, għmil, għżil u (vi) għluq, għnuq, għruq niktbu għanieqa, agħtis jew għatis, agħfis jew għafis, agħdis jew għadis, agħżiq jew għażiq, egħmil jew għemil, agħżil jew għażil, egħluq jew għeluq, egħnuq jew għenuq, egħruq jew għeruq.] Imbagħad (v) nbiħ, qtigħ, ġmigħ, smigħ, rfigħ, qtigħ, rdigħ (minn nebaħ, qatagħ, ġamagħ, eċċ.), (vi) dmugħ, qlugħ, tlugħ, (vii) frugħa, bluha, għuda, (viii) għadira, għaġina, (ix) għaġin, għarix, għarib, (x) għabura, għarusa, (xi) għarus, għabur, (xii) dawrien, għajxien.

Ismijiet ta’ erba’ konsonanti b’aċċent sħiħ wara l-ewwel konsonanti (6) Fuq il-għamla ta’ qastan, ġewnaħ, ġewlaq, minġel nibnu u niktbu bajtar, sagħtar.

Sessjoni straordinarja tal-Parlament bin-nanniet L

-Ispeaker tal-Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti f’Malta, Anġlu Farrugia ippresieda seduta straordinarja tal-Parlament tan-Nanniet.

Kienet ir-raba’ edizzjoni tal-okkażjoni li ssir fuq inizjattiva tal-Fondazzjoni Nanniet Malta ftit jiem qabel fit-tieni Ħadd ta’ Ottubru tfakkar ‘Jum in-Nanniet’ f’Malta.

F’diskors tal-okkażjoni l-Ispeaker sellem ix-xogħol siewi tal-Fondazzjoni fl-interess tan-nanniet Maltin u Għawdxin u awgura li filġejjieni dan il-jum ikun rikonoxxut bħala ‘Jum in-Nanniet’ fl-Ewropa.

Fis-seduta ġie emfasizzat ix-xogħol siewi li sar fis-seduti ta’ qabel u dwar kif il-qagħda tan-nanniet tista’ tkompli titjieb għallbenefiċċju tas-soċjetà. L-Ispeaker tkellem dwar il-ferħ li ġġib magħha tarbija fil-familja u li r-rabta naturali bejn il-ġenituri u l-

Is-sessjoni tal-Parlament tan-Nanniet. Inset l-Ispeaker Anġlu Farrugia

Aktar regoli u tifsir fil-ħarġa li jmiss

ulied issir aktar speċjali u intima meta l-ulied isiru ġenituri. Bittwelid ta’ tarbija tiġġedded il-ħajja umana u l-familja.

L-Ispeaker tenna l-appoġġ tal-Parlament għall-inizjattivi tal-Fondazzjoni u sellem lin-nanniet kollha għall-ħidma fit-trobbija ta’ uliedhom u dik tal-lum meta qed jikkollaboraw fl-għajnuna, kif u fejn jistgħu, fit-trobbija ta’ ulied uliedhom.

“Fl-armonija u b’imħabba sinċiera nistgħu nagħtu u nibnu ġejjieni aħjar lil uliedna u meta nagħmlu dan inkunu qed nilħqu l-qofol ta’ ħajjitna bħala ġenituri u nanniet”, qal l-Ispeaker Anġlu Farrugia.

Valletta 2018 to involve over 140 projects and 400 events T Tuesday October 10, 2017

he Valletta 2018 Foundation has launched its Cultural Programme for 2018 that opens on January 20.

It contains a collection of over 140 projects and 400 events taking place throughout the European Capital of Culture year.

For the benefit of those among our readers who would be visiting Malta particularly during this important year, The Voice of the Maltese will be updating them on the various events, especially the special ones.

The year opens with a series of spectacular events in and around Malta’s capital inviting audiences to take part in an islandwide festa. The Cultural Programme would be inclusive and varied, engaging various communities and consisting of projects from different disciplines, including music, visual arts, dance and performance, to mention a few.

According to Artistic Director for Special Events, Mario Philip Azzopardi, on January 20 the city would be turned into a venue for spectacular international performances and street entertainment featuring local artists, musicians, singers and dancers, all contributing to a festa for all.

The whole programme celebrating Valletta 2018 is based on a direct investment of €10 million in the cultural sector. It would involve around 1000 local and international artists, curators, artist collectives, performers, workshop leaders, writers, designers, choirs and filmmakers.

While a number of international artists are collaborating with locals throughout the 2018 programme, Maltese artists are travelling to Malta’s twin European Capital of Culture Leeuwarden in the Netherlands as well as other cities in Cyprus, Japan, Poland and Greece.

At the centre of the programme are several infrastructure projects designed to evolve and expand well beyond 2018, among them MUŻA, the Valletta Design Cluster, Is-Suq tal-Belt and Strait Street.

The Minister for Justice, Culture and The cover of the Valletta 2018 Cultural programme

Local Government Owen Bonnici explained that over the past years, together with the Valletta 2018 Foundation and other entities, Government, has strived towards strengthening culture and bringing it closer to everyone. With reference to the prestigious title of the European Capital of Culture 2018, he said that he wholeheartedly believes that this event provides everyone with the opportunity to taste the diverse aspects of culture and gives it an important place in the Maltese people’s daily lives.

Deo Debattista, the Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Protection and Valletta 2018 said that this is the most significant international event that has ever been organised in Malta. “It’s a unique event that promises wide audienceship – both local and international, so much so that an estimated one million people will share this experience with us.”

The Valletta 2018 chairman Jason Micallef said that over the months, a group of people, that from a group of five people has grown to a solid team of 45 individuals

F

The Voice of the Maltese 21

working on a full-time, part-time or freelance basis, have worked tirelessly to design a programme providing equal opportunities for everyone; ensuring that culture is not elitist and that inclusivity becomes not only a priority, but a necessity.

According to him, Malta would see the most cultural activity and related celebrations since Independence.

Valletta 2018 Programme Coordinator Joanne Attard Mallia said that 2018 would be a unique year as they are looking at a 12-month strong programme “focused on exploring and pushing our understanding of culture and art: combining traditions, art forms and concepts in innovative, even unusual, ways”.

She added that the programme invites everyone to participate, to experiment, to contribute and to be part of it.

Belt il-Bniedem

urther to the information published in the last issue of The Voice, about the educational/artistic venture titled Belt il-Bniedem (City of Humanity), it is worth noting that the cycle, spanning two years will consist of three operas, two of which will be premiered in November 2018 while the third one will be premiered in 2019.

The project started on September 1 and would span until November 31, 2019. It intends to widen the Maltese opera audience through the integration of local artists, through the use of the Maltese language and through the fact that the operas’ subject matter is closely intertwined with Maltese history.

The cycle will consist of three operas, two of which will be premiered in November 2018. The third one will be premiered in 2019.

Thus, Belt il-Bniedem 1 – Swar (City of Humanity 1 – Behind the Fortifications) takes place during the Great Siege of 1565, the second opera Belt il-Bniedem 2 – IlBlata Mġarrba (City of Humanity 2 – The Island Fortress) takes place during World War 2 and Belt il-Bniedem 3 – L-Era tal-Wieħed jew Xejn (City of Humanity 3 – The Age of One or Nil) takes place in modern day Malta and focuses more on conceptual rather than physical sieges.

The project fosters the participation of citizens living in Malta in a unique way.

Whilst the music is being composed by Dr. Reuben Pace, most of the rest of the production (libretto, stage design, photography, videography, logistics) is being done by students from secondary schools till University.

Their lecturers/ teachers as well as professionals in the field are assisting these students.

The production combines different media together, traditional and innovative. The music is made up of a carefully concocted mixture of traditional (folk), renaissance, baroque, romantic, twenties and thirties pop music and contemporary art music techniques. The stage set itself shall be a mixture of the traditional stage construction materials with video elements integrated seamlessly in it.

The choreography shall be a careful blend of traditional and folk dance with contemporary dance. The costume design will have elements of old and new, established traditional concepts alongside contemporary design.

Whilst the main event shall be the performances themselves, these are being preceded by a multitude of activities.

22 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday October 10, 2017

C Co om mm mu un ni it ty y N Ne ew ws s

MALTESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL OF NSW A Division of the Maltese Community Council of NSW Inc.

Learn Maltese!

Classes are available for students from six years to adults at all levels of ability in the Maltese language. We have trained and experienced teachers qualified in language teaching and with Maltese study credentials.

Learn the Maltese language, the culture, lifestyle, cuisine, traditions and about the amazing history of the island.

Teachers urgently needed - Paid positions

For more information and enquiries Phone 9601 2189 or Email: malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com

Supported by the Minister of Education and Training and the NSW Community Languages Schools Programme.

Member of the NSW Federation of Community Language Schools of NSW; Member of the Federation of Maltese Language Schools of Australia; Supported by 16 Maltese associations affiliated with the MCC of NSW. The Maltese Language School of NSW is a Not-For-Profit organisation.

Up coming events at the Hamrun Club

IL-ĦADD 15 ta’ Ottubru: Għana fill-klabb mill-aħjar għannejja u daqqaqa (kitarristi) ta’ Sydney Flimkien ma’ Joe Bonello minn Malta u ibnu prim kitterrista u s-soltu divertiment tal-Ħadd ma` Charles Muscat IS-SIBT 21 ta’ Ottubru: ROCK ‘n ROLL NIGHT Divertiment ma’ Zarb’s DISCO. $5 dollars biex tidħlu. Żommu l-biljett għax se jkun hemm lucky door price.

IS-SIBT 28 ta’ Ottubru: KIDS DISCO NIGHT Għall-familji tat-tieni ġenerazzjoni u t-tfal tagħhom.

Dawn id-DISCOs saru popolari ħafna ejjew u ġibu t-tfal magħkom IL-ĦADD 29 ta’ Ottubru: THE ANNUAL CAR SHOW Se jibda fit-8.30a.m. Ikun hemm l-ikel bħal Hotdogs; bacon and eggs Rolls for breakfast u ikel Malti.

Il-car show jispicca fl-4.00pm. Wara jkun hemm divertiment

MELBOURNE CUP LUNCHEON 2017 Join in the celebrations with the Horsley Park Community Social Group Mandavilla Events Centre Tuesday 7th November, from 10am

$55 pp. – inclusions: •Morning tea •Full buffet lunch •Soft drinks, tea and coffee •Chocolates and a glass of wine •Glass of champagne before race Get ready to showcase your creations in the hat parade!

-Fashion presentation; Variety of stalls.

Entertainment: Sweeps, raffle and lucky-door prizes.

The race to be televised broadcast on the big screen All are welcome (including pre-schoolers) for what is set to be spectacular day of festivities!

For bookings Theresa: 9620 1570 or 0402 178 78; Josephine: 9620 1680 or 0402 040 954

La Valette Social Centre Melbour ne Cup lunch

La Valette Social Centre 175 Walters Road, Blacktown Tel. 96225847

Melbourne Cup Lunch at the La Valette Social Centre. on Tuesday November 7 Centre opens at 10.30 am; Includes morning tea 2-course Lunch.

Cost is $25 members; non-members $30 There will be sweeps. The race could be watched on the big screen; hat parade, and prizes to be won Entertainment by MIFSUD BROTHER’S For booking and more information see the Committee members. Book early! Contact: 96225847

Saint Nicholas Festa Committee Main events for 2017

Sunday October 15: Fete Saturday Nov. 11: Dinner Dance Sunday December 3:

St Nicholas Feast For more information: Joe Fenech 0412 009 957 or PRO Emm. Vella 045 677 064

ST HELENA MALTESE AUSTRALIAN S.C.

Events: October - December 2017

Oct. 14 – Sat.: GM meeting at Albion (2.p.m).

Oct. 22 – Sun.: BYO Function at Errington Hall, St Albans.

Nov. 12 – Sun.: BYO Function at Errington Hall, St Albans.

Dec. 16 – Sat.: Xmas Function at Melrose Tullamarene.

State Member for Prospect For issues concerning:

Ageing and disability - community services education - environment - health - housing planning - Police - transport - water

P: (02) 9756 4766 E: prospect@parliament.nsw.gov.au 2/679 The Horsley Dr, Smithfield NSW 2164

The Voice of the Maltese 23

Tuesday October 10, 2017

C Co om mm mu un ni it ty y N Ne ew ws s Tune In to Radio and Television

The SBS MALTESE NEWS: L-A˙barijiet on SBS TV twice a week nationwide Sunday at 8.00 am on SBS2 (Chan. 32); Thursdays at 8.00 am on SBS2

Maltese Radio Programmes

MELBOURNE, on 3ZZZ 92.3FM or on www.3zzz.com.au. Mondays 56 pm, Fridays 5-6 pm and Saturdays 10-11am.

MELBOURNE on 98.9 North West FM, every Friday 6.00 - 7.00p.m. and Mondays 7.00 to 8.00pm. Presenter: Emmanuel Brincat.

MELBOURNE: STEREO 974 (93180930): 97.4FM Wed (Maltese Magazine) & Thursday (Mer˙ba): 6.00pm to 8.00 pm Co-ordinator – Ray Anastasi On SBS Radio Day Time Analogue and Digital Friday: 12:00-13:00 97.7fm SBS 2 Saturday: 14:00-15:00: 97.7fm SBS 2 To tune into digital radio you need a receiver or device with a DAB+ chip. Tuning in is by station name not frequency.

Digital radio can also be heard via digital TV. In SYDNEY, listen to the MCC radio programmes on 2GLF FM 89.3.

Isma’ l-programm tar-radju bil-Malti mill-Kunsill Malti ta’ NSW minn fuq l-istazzjon 2GLF 89.3FM.

Jista’ wkoll jinstema’ On Demand minn fuq l-Internet www.893fm.com.au

(On Demand >Ethnic >Maltese Council 11am)

Il-Ħadd 11.00 am: l-aħħar aħbarijiet minn Malta, mużika, tagħrif, kultura, avviżi u suġġetti ta’ interess.

UNCLE SAM DJ (Maltese Radio) tune in to link: www.unclesamdj.com SBS Radio 2 on Channel 38.

Programmes can be accessed online (live or catch up) at sbs.com.au/maltese and via mobile phone, using the SBS Radio app. For television news from Malta - SBS 2 TV on Thursdays and Sundays at 8am.

VIVA MALTA on COAST FM 96.3 Community Radio in Gosford Central NSW. Aired on Thursdays every fortnight from 6 pm -7 pm.

Presenter: Nathalie Gatt.

Web streaming on: www.coastfm.org.au.

In BRISBANE listen to the Maltese Programme on 4EB on Tuesdays 6.00 -8.15am; Sundays 4.15pm to 5.15pm

L-aħbarijiet tal-PBS (Malta)

ħalkemm il-PBS ta’ Malta tforni lill-SBS fl-Awstralja bis-servizz tagħha, G il-qarrejja huma mħeġġa biex x’ħin iridu jistgħu jidħlu fil-website tal-istazzjon Malti: www.tvm.com.mt. Din bil-Malti u bl-Ingliż.

Il-website hija aġġornata tul il-jum kollu għalhekk wieħed jista’ jieħu stampa ċara tal-ġrajjiet li anke jkunu qed iseħħu dak il-ħin stess.

Maltese Seniors Social Welfare Day Groups

Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors

Meets on the last Tuesday of the Month.

Group meets in Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights at 10 am.

Maltese Seniors Central Coast

Have to contact our Welfare Officer for an appointment. For all information and referral matters call Cen-sina Cefai: 02 439 000 12 or 0414 267 652

Daceyville Maltese Seniors

Meets the last Wednesday of the month in the Meeting Room One, No. 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville.

Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips

Join us and make new friends.

Present

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors Meets every second Friday of the month: Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10.30am to 12.30 am Llandilo Maltese Seniors

Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandilo Community Hall, Seventh Avenue, from 11am to 1 pm.

Maltese of Bankstown

Group meets 3rd Wednesday of month at New BCRG offices 15 Kitchner Parade, Bankstown NSW (opposite RSL Club). Every other 3rd Thursday an outing. Enquiries call: Sam 9534 2357

29 ta’ Ottubru

Wentworthville Leagues Sunday 2pm

For tickets phone: Monica: 98960712 or 0414 859386 Joe Borg: 96242280; Julie: 96367679 DONATION of $12.00 Kids: $6.00

Australian High Commission on facebook; HC on twitter

he Australian High CommisT sion’s in Malta now has a new Facebook page, and the High

Commissioner a Twitter account that could both be accessed by the readers.

The High Commission’s Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/A usHCMalta/ The Commissioner’s Twitter handle is: https://twitter.com/AusHCMalta Greystanes Maltese Seniors

Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Centre of OLQP Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Greystanes from 10 am to 12 noon

The Sutherland & St George Maltese Group

Meets every First Wednesday of the Month from 10:00am-1:00pm. Meetings/Get Togethers are interesting, informative & entertaining, so come Join us and make new Friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud J.P.Phone (02) 9501 5525 – mobile 0421 662 298.

*(All Groups are co-ordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Please contact the MCC Welfare Officer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (corner with Young St) Parramatta West NSW (next to West Parramatta Primary School).

24 The Voice of the Maltese

Sports

Tuesday October 10, 2017

Coach Pietro Ghedin (left); Centre: a happy Andre Agius acknowledging the applause for his splendid goal; (Right) mobbed by his teammates

Malta ends up with a point

J

ust before leaving the island after six years and 72 matches in charge, Italian national team coach Pietro Ghedin had the satisfaction of seeing Malta get its first point (1-1) in its final home match in Group F of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania, but then Malta ended its commitments in the competition with another 3-0 defeat away to Slovakia.

At the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali Malta earned a well-deserved draw against Lithua-

Gżira drop first points - but still retain top spot

B

efore the recess for the two World Cup qualifiers, Gżira United dented their record in Malta’s the Premier League by dropping their first point from the first six outings in a 1-1 draw with Floriana but retained top position now three points ahead of Valletta who inflicted the season’s third defeat on Birkirkara.

Hibernians also dropped points by drawing with Naxxar, while Balzan came from behind to beat neighbours Lija 4-3.

nia. It drew first blood with a goal on 23 minutes from Andre Agius whose low shot from almost 35 metres caught the Lithuania goalkeeper unawares. The visitors levelled the score with a 53rd minute goal by Vykintas Slivka.

Three days later however, Ghedin failed to end his tenure on a positive note as Malta lost 3-0 in Slovakia - a goal in the first half and two more in the second - to wrap up its DAY 6 RESULTS 1-1 Floriana v Gżira U 3-0 Valletta v Birkirkara Hibernians v Naxxar L 1-1 4-3 Balzan v Lija Ath 5-2 Ħamrun S. v Mosta Tarxien R v Sliema W. 2-0 St Andrews v Senglea 1-0 Standings (from six games): Gżira 16 points; Valletta 14; Floriana 12; Hibernians and Balzan 11; Ħamrun 10; Sliema and Senglea 8; Birkirkara 7; Mosta and St Andrews 6; Tarxien 4; Naxxar 3; Lija 1.

commitments with just one point from 10 matches in bottom place.

Pietro Ghedin’s contract expired with Sunday’s match. He has decided not to renew it his contract and will return to Italy.

Malta welcomes highly anticipated GoldCoast2018Queen’sBaton Relay

A

dam Pest (left) shows the Gold Coast 2018 Queen’s Baton to HE Ms. Julienne Hince, the Australian HC to Malta, and Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Youths, Sports and Voluntary Organisations during a reception to welcome the Baton to Malta recently.

Adam Pest is accompanying the Baton on its 388day journey to 71 Commonwealth countries before its final destination to the Gold Coast for the official opening of the Commonwealth Games on April 4 next year.

Malta’s National Olympic Committee that is making preparations to participate in the Games and a number of Local Council’s and sports organisations welcomed the Baton that also visited Gozo. MOC president Julian Pace said this was a great occasion to raise awareness about the VIst edition of Games and also Malta’s role in the event. Malta is the 41st country to be visited