I am sometimes amused by the fact that the same generation of people, who lived through the same era, under the same leadership, can have a completely opposite view of the same days. It can be seen in the current turmoil between supporters and opponents of the regimist dictatorships in North Africa, but it can also be seen in the way supporters of the two main parties in Malta describe the seventies and eighties.
Nationalists describe them as days from hell which they hope are never repeated, Labourites describe them as the glory days, which Muscat told us yesterday, they want to go back to. I guess there's nothing contradictory in the opposite ways they describe them, because probably that's what they were: glory days for the red-supporting 49% of the population, but hell days for the blue-supporting 51%.
They were:
- Glory days for the red worker who was given land for free, but hell days for the blue worker whose land was stolen from his children without any compensation;
- Glory days for a party who was given a quasi-free rent of government buildings in every village to turn into a party club, but hell days for a party who had to buy propery under-cover to open a club;
- Glory days for a party who had the national TV station transmitting its hymn and emblem, with the mission statement: "to build a socialist generation", but hell days for a party who was not allowed to open a radio channel but had to exile people to transmit from Sicily;
- Glory days for a party who in government had given itself power over the judiciary to transfer judges at its will, but hell days for the people who had no Constitutional Court to refer to because it was left suspended;
- Glory days for people who could win a job in the public service during their candidates' party raffles, and employed with the public sector in their thousands, but hell days for people living in a country where unemployment was on its highest ever level;
- Glory days for the red-eyed workers who were boarded-out at will, but hell days for people who had to bribe Minister's friends to get a colour-TV set or a telephone;
- Glory days for the red-eyed dockyard workers who could work overtime without restraing, but hell days for the blue-eyed dockyard worker who was constantly abused, transferred, and never allowed one-hour of overtime work;
- Glory days for the thugs who were allowed to roam freely bearing arms, shooting at opposing party club's facades during their Minister's carcade (an ex-Minister who today is writing the party's electoral programme), using sub-machine gun weapons the government had secured from its friendship with North Korea, but hell days for the 'others' who feared buying a newspaper, and who had one of 'theirs' killed while having a drink with friends during such antics;
- Glory days for the covered-up murderers, but hell days for an innocent man framed-up by the same police force which was supposed to be defending him, and almost murdered in an attempt to cover the mystery forever;
- Glory days for students who had a 'parrinu' to secure them a place at University, but hell days for students who were beaten by police during protests, besieged and shot at by the Army during their graduation ceremony because of a speech on democracy, and who had to study in underground garages because half the Faculties were closed down as they were deemed unnecessary.
This was not Stalinist Russia, Communist China, Nazi Germany, or Hussein's Iraq. This was Malta. And that's how the era will always be remembered: as glory days for some, and as hell days for others.
One man changed it all. A man who spoke of the 'Maltese nation', while others incited hatred with 'us and them' speeches (just listen to mass meeting recordings of the time). A man who talked of 'national reconciliation', while his house was ransacked and his wife and children beaten by unabaten violent supporters. A man who defended liberty with a prayer vigil, while some of his same own wanted to reply to violence with violence. A man who on his assumption to power did not seek vindication, but freed the media, freed education, freed the economy, freed communication. A man who gave the people the right to criticize him and ridicule his government without any fear of repercussions. Although he had his wrong-doings like everyone, he did not allow the creation of any hell days for anyone. He gave us freedom.
Today, on your birthday, we thank you for all this.
Ironically, yesterday, someone spoke of taking us back to those 'glory' days. No thanks Doc. You now gave us a reason to fear you, you gave us a reason to work not to allow you a glimpse of power. And with an electoral programme written by an ex-Minister who was part of those days, with an international secretary who had distanced us from Europe and neighboured us with communist regimes, with a youth section who glorifies a criminal like Lorry Sant, I guess not much has changed in the party who lead us in those 'glory' days, except perhaps, the emblem, and a Maltese translation of its name. Because of those days, the electorate has sentenced you to years of opposition. You should have understood that after numerous defeat reports.
Nationalists describe them as days from hell which they hope are never repeated, Labourites describe them as the glory days, which Muscat told us yesterday, they want to go back to. I guess there's nothing contradictory in the opposite ways they describe them, because probably that's what they were: glory days for the red-supporting 49% of the population, but hell days for the blue-supporting 51%.
They were:
- Glory days for the red worker who was given land for free, but hell days for the blue worker whose land was stolen from his children without any compensation;
- Glory days for a party who was given a quasi-free rent of government buildings in every village to turn into a party club, but hell days for a party who had to buy propery under-cover to open a club;
- Glory days for a party who had the national TV station transmitting its hymn and emblem, with the mission statement: "to build a socialist generation", but hell days for a party who was not allowed to open a radio channel but had to exile people to transmit from Sicily;
- Glory days for a party who in government had given itself power over the judiciary to transfer judges at its will, but hell days for the people who had no Constitutional Court to refer to because it was left suspended;
- Glory days for people who could win a job in the public service during their candidates' party raffles, and employed with the public sector in their thousands, but hell days for people living in a country where unemployment was on its highest ever level;
- Glory days for the red-eyed workers who were boarded-out at will, but hell days for people who had to bribe Minister's friends to get a colour-TV set or a telephone;
- Glory days for the red-eyed dockyard workers who could work overtime without restraing, but hell days for the blue-eyed dockyard worker who was constantly abused, transferred, and never allowed one-hour of overtime work;
- Glory days for the thugs who were allowed to roam freely bearing arms, shooting at opposing party club's facades during their Minister's carcade (an ex-Minister who today is writing the party's electoral programme), using sub-machine gun weapons the government had secured from its friendship with North Korea, but hell days for the 'others' who feared buying a newspaper, and who had one of 'theirs' killed while having a drink with friends during such antics;
- Glory days for the covered-up murderers, but hell days for an innocent man framed-up by the same police force which was supposed to be defending him, and almost murdered in an attempt to cover the mystery forever;
- Glory days for students who had a 'parrinu' to secure them a place at University, but hell days for students who were beaten by police during protests, besieged and shot at by the Army during their graduation ceremony because of a speech on democracy, and who had to study in underground garages because half the Faculties were closed down as they were deemed unnecessary.
This was not Stalinist Russia, Communist China, Nazi Germany, or Hussein's Iraq. This was Malta. And that's how the era will always be remembered: as glory days for some, and as hell days for others.
One man changed it all. A man who spoke of the 'Maltese nation', while others incited hatred with 'us and them' speeches (just listen to mass meeting recordings of the time). A man who talked of 'national reconciliation', while his house was ransacked and his wife and children beaten by unabaten violent supporters. A man who defended liberty with a prayer vigil, while some of his same own wanted to reply to violence with violence. A man who on his assumption to power did not seek vindication, but freed the media, freed education, freed the economy, freed communication. A man who gave the people the right to criticize him and ridicule his government without any fear of repercussions. Although he had his wrong-doings like everyone, he did not allow the creation of any hell days for anyone. He gave us freedom.
Today, on your birthday, we thank you for all this.
Ironically, yesterday, someone spoke of taking us back to those 'glory' days. No thanks Doc. You now gave us a reason to fear you, you gave us a reason to work not to allow you a glimpse of power. And with an electoral programme written by an ex-Minister who was part of those days, with an international secretary who had distanced us from Europe and neighboured us with communist regimes, with a youth section who glorifies a criminal like Lorry Sant, I guess not much has changed in the party who lead us in those 'glory' days, except perhaps, the emblem, and a Maltese translation of its name. Because of those days, the electorate has sentenced you to years of opposition. You should have understood that after numerous defeat reports.
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