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Il-Kultura tal-Liberta'


A speech I gave during the event "Towards the Culture of Freedom", held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the tal-Barrani incidents, the murder of Raymond Caruana, and the frame-up of Peter Paul Busuttil. The event was held at the Nationalist Party's Headquarters on Sunday 4th December 2011. Apologies for reproducing it here only in its original Maltese language.

Diskors li għamilt fis-serata "Lejn il-Kultura tal-Liberta'", kommemorazzjoni fil-25 anniversarju mill-inċidenti tal-Barrani, il-qtil ta' Raymond Caruana, u l-frame-up ta' Pietru Pawl Busuttil. L-attivita' saret fid-Dar Ċentrali tal-Partit Nazzjonalista nhar il-Ħadd 4 ta' Diċembru 2011.


Segwi s-serata kollha:


Segwi d-diskors tiegħi:


Onorevoli Prim Ministru, Segretarju Ġenerali, President Emeritus, sinjuri,

Il-liberta’ u d-demokrazija. Valuri li għalihom popli sħaħ issieltu u bnedmin xerrdu demmhom. Forsi għall-ġenerazzjoni tiegħi, ġenerazzjoni li għexet u kibret fl-era tal-internet, tal-pluraliżmu u tas-suq ħieles, ġenerazzjoni li sabet opportunitajiet edukattivi kbar miftuħa quddiemha, huwa diffiċli napprezzaw il-prezz li din il-liberta’ swietna. Għal xi wħud minna, forsi kienu biss l-avvenimenti riċenti li seħħew fid-dinja Għarbija li għenuna napprezzaw kemm aħna xortina tajba li ngħixu f’pajjiż demokratiku, fejn il-libertajiet fundamentali tal-bniedem huma mħarsa. Pero t-triq għal-liberta’ fl-ebda pajjiż fid-dinja ma kienet waħda faċli. U Malta ma kinetx eċċezzjoni. Anke’ f’pajjiżna din il-liberta’ swiet il-ħajja ta’ wieħed minn ħutna.

U għalhekk, quddiem dan il-prezz għoli li tħallas biex illum aħna nistgħu ngawdu minn din il-liberta’, ir-responsabbilta' tagħna biex inkomplu nħarsu u nsaħħu dawn il-valuri tikber. Qed ngħixu f’soċjeta’ li iżjed ma timxi ‘l quddiem, iżjed tkompli tfittex libertajiet ġodda. U għalhekk, jekk ma nagħrfux inżewġu l-liberta' u d-demokrazija, dawn iż-żewġ valuri jafu maż-żmien jinfirdu. Għax id-demokrazija, jekk ma tagħrafx biżżejjed il-liberta’ tal-individwu, tista’ tibda timponi dak li jrid min qiegħed fil-poter, kif kien qed jiġri propju 25 sena ilu, tista’ issir saħansitra dittatorjali. Mill-banda l-oħra, il-liberta’, jekk ma tirrispettax biżżejjed il-ġid komuni u l-liberta' ta' ħaddieħor, tista’ ssir anarkika u anti-demokratika.

Ħafna drabi nassoċjaw mad-demokrazija d-dritt tal-vot lil kulħadd, l-ugwaljanza quddiem il-liġi, it-tmexxija mill-maġġoranza, il-pluraliżmu, il-liberta’ tal-espressjoni u d-drittijiet ċivili. Pero' nemmen li d-demokrazija ma tikkonsistix biss f'dawn. Biex id-demokrazija tkompli tiżviluppa u timxi ‘l quddiem, biex id-demokrazija tkun verament sana u tiggarantixxi l-liberta’ ta’ kulħadd, trid tkun demokrazija li ssostni d-drittijiet u l-parteċipazzjoni ta' kulħadd, u dan ifisser anke' d-dmirijiet ta’ kull individwu biex iseddaq il-liberta' ta' ħaddieħor. Kemm id-drittijiet u anke d-dmirijiet. Għax jekk il-bniedem, biex ikun iżjed liberu, ifittex id-drittijiet individwali tiegħu biss, u jinsa d-dmirijiet li hu għandu lejn l-istat u lejn il-komunita’ li jgħix fiha u lejn id-drittijiet tal-membri l-oħrajn ta' dik il-komunita', jibda jintilef l-irbit tant essenzjali bejn il-liberta’ tal-individwu u d-demokrazija. Għalhekk nemmen li fl-iżvilupp demokratiku tagħna, jeħtieġ nagħrfu nfittxu li niggarantixxu l-liberta’ individwali lil kull bniedem sakemm din ma tafettwax il-liberta' ta' ħaddieħor, liberta’ li tħallilu l-bibien miftuħin quddiemu, u li ma xxeklux milli jilħaq il-potenzjal kollu tiegħu. Anzi, din il-liberta’ stess tkun il-fjamma li l-individwu tħeġġu jimxi ‘l quddiem u jfittex opportunitajiet ġodda. Opportunitajiet li jkunu hemm, b’mod ugwali, għal kulħadd, biex kulħadd ikollu d-dritt li jikber u jiżviluppa. Hija biss demokrazija ibbażata fuq il-meritokrazija li twassal għal vera ugwaljanza ta' opportunitajiet u ġustizzja soċjali. Irridu mmorru lil hemm mit-twemmin li l-istat irid jaħsbilna għal kollox. L-istat irid jiftħilna beraħ l-opportunitajiet għal kulħadd, imma huma l-individwi liberi li jridu jaspiraw għalihom. L-individwu għandu jkollu l-liberta’ li jeċċella, il-liberta’ li jaspira, il-liberta’ li jista’ joħlom u jħares ‘il quddiem mingħajr xkiel, imma mhux isir liberu minn dmirijietu lejn id-drittijiet ta' ħaddieħor u mir-responsabbiltajiet tiegħu lejn il-komunita' sħiħa.

Huwa f’demokrazija li tippremja lil min jaħdem u lil min jerfa' dmirijietu, f’qafas ta’ meritokrazija, li l-Malti liberu jista’ jilħaq l-aspirazzjonijiet u l-ħolm li Maltin oħra twaqqfu fil-fjur ta' żgħożithom milli jilħqu, minn min kien ħaseb li seta' joħnoq iż-żerriegħa tal-liberta' li hemm tgħajjat f'kull wieħed minna. Demm Raymond saqqa din iż-żerriegħa. Huwa d-dmir tagħna, illum u fil-ġejjieni, illi nkomplu nsaħħuha u nikkoltivawha.




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