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| About Gaddafi's death squads? Nah, Maltese University students |
For the last six months, the PL said nothing about the situation in Libya, except for some very vague words, so vague that they were totally meaningless. Not once did they condemn Gaddafi, or even mention his name.
Worse still, not once did the PL offer a word of support to the rebel forces. Joseph Muscat's international secretary, Alex Sciberras Trigona, has been in deeper hiding than Gaddafi himself.
Demonstrating an even more eerie detachment from the historic events unfolding in our backyard, the PL's offical paper KullHadd - edited by none other than Toni Abela, the party's deputy leader - invented a story that the Maltese government was somehow aiding the export of arms used in the conflict. Then the Torca, which is effectively another Labour paper, invented an equally unhinged and untrue story, that Malta was somehow in the line of fire of Gaddafi's missiles.
In other words, while Libya burned and the bodies of martyrs kept piling up, the PL kept treating the matter as if it were just occasion to bash Gonzi's government. While Libyans put their lives on the line for freedom, the PL wrote macbre comic book versions about them. Coming from a party which could be running the country in less than two years, this is scary stuff indeed.
Now that the rebel forces are practically in charge and are in Tripoli making Gaddafi's regime history, the PL's shadow minister, George Vella, finally issued a press release congratulating them. About time you say? Hardly.
Even at this late hour, as the Libyan dictator's ugly face on billboards is burning in Tripoli's former Green Square, our foreign-minister-in-waiting is still not condemning Gaddafi. Indeed George Vella still does not mention the Libyan dictator by name. For Labour, Gaddafi is still the unacknowledged pink elephant in the room, even now that he lies prostrate, barely breathing.
But there's more. George Vella pays his respects to "all those who lost their lives for the cause they believed in". What does he mean by 'all those'? Is he also referring to those who died defending Gaddafi's mafia as well? Is Labour paying its respects to the dictator's hit men who perished in the conflict?
Even if George Vella is only referring to rebels who lost their lives, it is extremely insulting to say that they did so for the cause they believed in? This was not just their cause. It was embraced by everyone who cherishes democracy, liberty and rights.
The rebels did not die for some esoteric political ideology or simply to be in power. They lost their lives so that their families and communities could enjoy basic rights and a decent living, to close down Gaddafi's torture cells, to live in peace rather than fear, to topple a dictator. That is not a cause "they believed in". That is the cause Europeans died for a few centuries ago and the fruits of which we enjoy today.
For the last six months we have all been Libyan rebels. Except Labour.
7 comments:
Be careful on your choice of blogging style, Lou.
You might be accused of plagiarising Daphne Caruana Galizia.
For the sake of fairnes,let us,without going into details,acknowledge the fact that both parties did a lot of pussyfooting in this whole affair.
It was clear that the revolution was going to start on February the 17th, yet Dr Gonzi still visited Libya and smirked while hugging the dictator. Even though it was clear that the Libyan people would stand up against him, he still visited Libya. Even after the Abu Salim episode, our prime minister still decided that Libya can be of benefit for the Maltese economy.
What about Megrahi and the PN's position on his release. Correct me if I am wrong but i don't believe anyone was rushing to condemn the act of his release.
You never questioned Alfred Pisani and his connection with the Gaddafi Regime when he was on your programme.
I don't expect the opposition to issue press releases when the PN itself was sitting on a fence up till late last night. The flag of the embassy was changed only when it was obvious that the rebels had made it to the heart of Libya. Furthermore, the UK expelled all of the diplomats connected with the regime some time ago. Yet through all this ordeal we still had an ambassador who represented the Libyan regime.
Somewhat opportunistic of the opposition, given its reluctance to take a position in favour of the rebels.
Why am I reminded of 1975 when Gaddafi's gunboats threatened Saipem 2, which was drilling for oil in contested waters -forcing an unprecedented low in bilateral relations - and Fenech Adami rushed to Libya in unseemly haste to reassure Gaddafi of the friendshp of the Maltese people?
I really liked the article, and the very cool blog
Fenech Adami was not in power in 1975. The PM in those days was Gaddafi's good friend Dom Mintoff.
The Labour Party cannot bring itself to condemn Gaddafi by name because it rode on his support for so long when in government. Whether they did so even in opposition, they're not saying.
George Vella's statement was meant to make Labour's position clear. That is exactly what it did, but it told us nothing we didn't already know.
The following comments were posted on this post on facebook:
Clive Bartolo Well said Lou...
Sandra Shields Kontra kif jahsbu xi whud, il-Maltin ghandhom mod fin kif jiccajtaw b'sitwazzjonijiet poltiici. Izda ic-cajt jinxtered baxx baxx u hadd ma jkun jaf min bdieh. Ghax il-Maltin ghadhom jahsbu li jekk jikxfu jdejhom wisq, ipattuielhom.
Fis-sebghinijiet meta Mintoff kien bicca wahda ma Ghadafi, in-Nazzjonalisti hargu bit-taqbila. '' Gesu Nazzarenu , Sultan tal-Lhud, ehlisna min Mintoff, Ghadafi u Jalloud.
Dam ma sema talbhom, izda fl-ahhar semmaghhom. Mintoff illum ghandu 95 sena u ftit jista jaghmlilhom hsara. Ghadafi wasal fi tmiemu u Jalloud se jghix fil-villa ta Berlusconi ma' xi tfajal Marokkina. Imma kemm huma ffurtunati dawn in-Nazzjonalsti.
Bhalissa miexja cajta ohra izda din id-darba fuq il-Prim Ministru Gonzi.
Jinghad li waqt it-tahwid kbir li kellu fuq id-divorzju meta bdew jigu mmirati vlegeg lejk aktar min dawk li gew sparati lejn San Bastjan, cempillu Hosni Mubarak li bhalu, ghaddej min zmien difficli.
'''T'inwetax Lawrence, hdejn dak li ghaddej minnu jien, inti ward u zaghar'', qallu Mubarak
'''Inti min inti siehbi'', qallu l-Prim Ministru Malti.
''Jien Hosni Mubarak''
''U jien inhossni ha niggennen'' qallu Gonzi
Sandra Shields The above is what Reno Calleja commented on the times yesterday. Unbelievable!!!
Christian Gauci A month earlier our gracious prime minister was hugging and kissing Gaddafi in the hope to sell Air Malta to him!
Christian Gauci Don't throw stones at glass houses!
David Farrugia @ christian pn governments tie with libya were always on economic grounds, in case of pl they went much further than that...
Clive Bartolo Indeed they were about funding of the Glass House at the Mile End .....
Christian Gauci @David pn and pl governments were always under of a neighbour who was erratic and let's not turn a victory of the Libyan people into domestic issues because the least said the better.
Christian Gauci @Clive. It could have been the PN because John Dalli owns a glass factory in Libya! See my earlier comment and as I said this is a Libyan's people victory and we should help them to find their way in democracy.
David Farrugia the absence of joseph muscat reaction says it all. How come a budding prime minister in waiting ignores such historical moment is unbelievable. No you are wrong christian, the libyan saga has quite a say in our domestic affairs. They are our closest and nearest significant neighbours.
David Farrugia its not a case of pn and pl but a question of leadership christian...
16 hours ago · Like
Christian Gauci @David Leadership is a big word for Gonzi at the moment in domestic affairs and so let's leave it at!
Clive Bartolo @David... if leadership is a big word for Dr Gonzi, then its surely does not exist in Dr Muscat's vocab... as his present approach to leadership is "the more - the merrier". I just fail to comprehend how he would have reacted in such difficult times.
Clive Bartolo That's it from my end... Good eve to all and prosit Lou for the article.... hit the nail on its head :)
Christian Gauci As I said I do not want to turn a great moment in history for the Libyan people into a domestic affairs but let's say the vocabulary of the prime minister is much shorter!
Victor Fiorini I disagreed with you in the previous blog, but on this one... very well said Lou!
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