I'm managing to post this having returned from a discussion event I hosted on our University campus. yesterday It was a fantastic feeling returning to the quadrangle and being able to have a one-on-one question and answer session with the many students that attended. The fact that it was held hot on the heels of the launch of Malta’s higher education strategy for 2020 and on the same day that Minister Cristina is signing a new Bologna Process communiqué in Belgium made it even more significant. The Bologna Process started in 1999 as an intergovernmental education reform initiative. It now consists of 46 countries whose Ministers of Education meet every two years to discuss the progress made in higher education reforms and to plot the way ahead in setting up a European Higher Education Area where all national systems are compatible and comparable with one another allowing for increased student mobility, better degree recognition, increased quality in education, a better credit system and more.
The debate was moderated by Peppi Azzopardi and Julia Farrugia who also took the opportunity to ask any pressing questions they thought of – I wanted to keep the event as open and free as possible so I did not limit it to a particular topic and preferred instead to allow students to ask whatever they saw fit to question. It was refreshing to see that interest in these EP elections remains high on campus and questions ranged from whether I faced any particular difficulties as a female candidate, to how I cope as a wife, mother and candidate, to illegal immigration, education and the environment – in particular the need for faster reform of MEPA.
The hour flew by and – too early it seemed - I was forced to rush to another radio programme and continue my house visits…I hope I will have the opportunity to return to campus or perhaps MCAST and ITS to continue where I left off before the end of this campaign.
In the meantime, as always, please continue to send any questions, comments or feedback you may have directly to roberta@roberta2009.eu!
Be in touch.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Meeting on Campus
As part of a series of meetings that I'm having with civil society and different communities, I will be hosting discussion event next Tuesday 28th April at 12pm on University Campus. The dicussion is open to all and will be led by Julia Farrugia and Peppi Azzopardi. As with every campaign activity, it is open to everyone.
So come, get the answers to all your questions and bring your friends! email: campaign@roberta2009.eu or call 79707142 for more information.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
On Animals...
I am not one to comment on legal proceedings currently underway and I won’t except to say that the recent case involving one of Malta’s most visible animal carers has sent shock-waves through the entire community. The allegations (and let's remember that’s all they are at this point) are of huge concern to me and to other like-minded people and they should not be interpreted as a proper reflection of all the people and NGOs who volunteer tirelessly to take care of those animals either forgotten or abandoned.
It further proves the point that Government needs to do more than simply rely on good natured individuals to care for these animals. George Pullicino’s initiative in starting the set up of the Ta Qali Animal After-care Centre is a big leap in the right direction – and it’s good to see that these issues have made it onto the political agenda.
We are by and large a society that cares for our animals and people’s awareness of the issues has hugely increased. When I compare to my election campaign five years ago I now find people I meet not only aware but advocating for this to a remain an important issue.
Should I be entrusted to represent you within the European Parliament, I will lend my voice to animal welfare concerns, not only for domestic animals, but also for the proper and dignified treatment of animals that are in the agricultural food chain. My position is that we, as Europeans, should always strive to treat our own animals better, and I would work for educational programmes and legislative proposals which would help achieve this.
After all I think it was Ghandi who famously said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – wise words indeed
Monday, April 6, 2009
Curtain call
Malta’s new President caught the public’s attention, as Dr. George Abela now takes over this prestigious position, a brief reflection on one of Malta’s most outstanding personalities becomes appropriate, as we approach the final acts of the career of Dr. Edward Fenech Adami better known to us all as “Eddie”.
Fenech Adami’s career epitomises how charisma, vision and courage can contribute to make a leader stand out as a statesman. Commonly considered as having started out as the underdog when he contested the post for PN Leader, Fenech Adami was soon to become the undisputed leader of a nationwide movement which strived to bring about profound democratic changes in our country. In 1981, he had already succeeded in attracting the political consensus of a majority of the electorate; and yet it would take him another six years to be in a position to bring about the freedom aspired to by Maltese people from all walks of life. .
Those six years were hardly a walk in the park. Many people still recall the bold image of Fenech Adami leading crowds in streets of the most politically prohibitive corners of Malta. This was well before he achieved the formal, institutional image which accompanied him from 1987 through the rest of his career. That six-year period was marred by institutionalised violence and corruption which Fenech Adami retaliated with unstinting efforts to spread a message of peace and hope. He avoided the temptation of fighting fire with fire at all times. During this period, he also managed to widen the appeal of the Nationalist Party to new segments of society; people whose expectations previously had not been adequately represented, thus making the PN a party for all irrespective of one’s economic or social background.
I was just eight when Fenech Adami became my Prime Minister. I will never forget the middle-of-the-night celebrations at home. However, the transition from Leader of the Opposition to Prime Minister was probably the greatest test for Fenech Adami’s leadership qualities, since he had to tangibly respond to the aspirations and expectations of the people who elected him. Throughout the late eighties and up until the mid-nineties, he had to introduce reforms necessary to modernise Malta’s economy and infrastructure after years of socialist restrictions. Media pluralism was finally introduced in our country, paving the way for the birth of radio and TV stations – lest not we forget that these are essential ingredients of a proper democracy. Even then, Fenech Adami’s long term vision was already set on making Malta a Member State of the European Union – a vision that was well ahead of its time. Too ahead of its time for some, as Malta’s European ambitions were stalled as Fenech Adami was back in the Opposition from 1996 until 1998.
The question of Malta’s EU membership culminated in a referendum following years of heated debate which involved the whole nation. Fenech Adami’s statesmanship came again to the fore as he managed to rope in the majority of civil society behind the ‘Yes’ campaign, turning it into a movement which transcended party lines - a long and arduous task that required exceptional political stamina. If any further proof of his leadership qualities was needed, the courageous decision Fenech Adami took in immediately calling a general election after the positive referendum result, and which was due a few days before the signing of the Accession Treaty in Athens. His gamble paid off. The image of Fenech Adami signing the Treaty will remain etched in the memories of all of us; the image of a man in his prime who had succeeded in fulfilling a vision for which entire generations will be thankful in the years to come. The ‘European of the Year’ award by the influential European Voice publication in 2003 for his unfaltering efforts to bringing Malta into the European fold in the face of staunch opposition, placed him rightfully in the illustrious company his efforts deserved.
The decision to nominate Fenech Adami as Malta’s President was not spared from the usual controversy that dominates this country. However, at the end of this mandate we can all conclude that he served this role with an admirable dignity and his customary integrity, qualities which again gave the lie to the grumbling of some critics upon his nomination. It will be difficult for this country to give this great statesman of our times a curtain call worthy of the remarkable service he gave it.
Fenech Adami’s career epitomises how charisma, vision and courage can contribute to make a leader stand out as a statesman. Commonly considered as having started out as the underdog when he contested the post for PN Leader, Fenech Adami was soon to become the undisputed leader of a nationwide movement which strived to bring about profound democratic changes in our country. In 1981, he had already succeeded in attracting the political consensus of a majority of the electorate; and yet it would take him another six years to be in a position to bring about the freedom aspired to by Maltese people from all walks of life. .
Those six years were hardly a walk in the park. Many people still recall the bold image of Fenech Adami leading crowds in streets of the most politically prohibitive corners of Malta. This was well before he achieved the formal, institutional image which accompanied him from 1987 through the rest of his career. That six-year period was marred by institutionalised violence and corruption which Fenech Adami retaliated with unstinting efforts to spread a message of peace and hope. He avoided the temptation of fighting fire with fire at all times. During this period, he also managed to widen the appeal of the Nationalist Party to new segments of society; people whose expectations previously had not been adequately represented, thus making the PN a party for all irrespective of one’s economic or social background.
I was just eight when Fenech Adami became my Prime Minister. I will never forget the middle-of-the-night celebrations at home. However, the transition from Leader of the Opposition to Prime Minister was probably the greatest test for Fenech Adami’s leadership qualities, since he had to tangibly respond to the aspirations and expectations of the people who elected him. Throughout the late eighties and up until the mid-nineties, he had to introduce reforms necessary to modernise Malta’s economy and infrastructure after years of socialist restrictions. Media pluralism was finally introduced in our country, paving the way for the birth of radio and TV stations – lest not we forget that these are essential ingredients of a proper democracy. Even then, Fenech Adami’s long term vision was already set on making Malta a Member State of the European Union – a vision that was well ahead of its time. Too ahead of its time for some, as Malta’s European ambitions were stalled as Fenech Adami was back in the Opposition from 1996 until 1998.
The question of Malta’s EU membership culminated in a referendum following years of heated debate which involved the whole nation. Fenech Adami’s statesmanship came again to the fore as he managed to rope in the majority of civil society behind the ‘Yes’ campaign, turning it into a movement which transcended party lines - a long and arduous task that required exceptional political stamina. If any further proof of his leadership qualities was needed, the courageous decision Fenech Adami took in immediately calling a general election after the positive referendum result, and which was due a few days before the signing of the Accession Treaty in Athens. His gamble paid off. The image of Fenech Adami signing the Treaty will remain etched in the memories of all of us; the image of a man in his prime who had succeeded in fulfilling a vision for which entire generations will be thankful in the years to come. The ‘European of the Year’ award by the influential European Voice publication in 2003 for his unfaltering efforts to bringing Malta into the European fold in the face of staunch opposition, placed him rightfully in the illustrious company his efforts deserved.
The decision to nominate Fenech Adami as Malta’s President was not spared from the usual controversy that dominates this country. However, at the end of this mandate we can all conclude that he served this role with an admirable dignity and his customary integrity, qualities which again gave the lie to the grumbling of some critics upon his nomination. It will be difficult for this country to give this great statesman of our times a curtain call worthy of the remarkable service he gave it.
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