In a world where constant
motion and change are basic laws of
physics
there stands an immutable legacy, a one of a kind identification tag,
which carries with it a "DNA" blueprint of each person's place of
origin
and background. It is called home, a place so unique there is no
other like it on earth, indeed the entire universe. Nature
randomly
imprints each human with a homing instinct, an unseen but powerful
life
force. Like the earth's gravitational pull towards true North, it
points in one direction at the exclusion of all others. It matters
not
where home is be it mansion or shed. What makes it unique is that
it's
more distinctly appealing for each person than any other singular
location on earth. It alone furnishes a sense of belonging, a point
of
reference whence from all other subsequent life experiences follow.
Affinity for one's land of birth is felt ever stronger and with a
greater sense of urgency by expatriates, who by choice or
circumstance,
live in isolation away from familiar faces, traditions and culture.
For a chosen fortunate few this beckoning land of milk and honey is
called Malta.
To be sure there is no
escaping one's blood line. We are
who we
are,
not by choice but by a providential set of random events. The
acquisition of citizenship in an adopted country does not in any way
alter the fabric of who a person really is, no more than cosmetic
surgery can transform the inner state of a patient's mind. By the
tens
of thousands, the Maltese world-wide community includes Maltese-
American
, Maltese-Canadian, Maltese-Australian etc. The common ethnic
prefix
clearly identifies them as members of the same extended family,
making
them no different from one another, or the kin they left behind on a
sun
lit romantic island nestled in the central Mediterranean. Time and
distance away from home do not lessen one's unshakable love of
country,
devotion and patriotism.
The average Maltese is
wholly intolerant of criticism, more so by
outside observers. Many confuse "freedom of speech" with "freedom
to
insult". A case in point is the near national hysteria and violent
reaction exhibited towards a recent (1996) derogatory article on
Malta
published in the English press by Dr. Vernon Coleman, an obscure
author
of questionable talent. The investigative report was laden with
gross
inaccuracies and malicious falsehoods. This troublesome tendency to
cross swords with those who censure, differ or dissent in any way
from
Maltese public opinion, extends to members of the large Maltese
expatriate community. Regrettably more than a few resident Maltese
disparage fellow citizens who departed the island in search of a
better
life. They are openly resentful and hostile towards them, as
attested
by critical local newspaper articles and recent Internet postings on
the
World Wide Web. They argue in part, it would have been better for
Malta had the expatriates stayed home and helped it work out its
many
problems, rather than "skip" the island in search of selfish gain.
Paradoxically these very same folks who sit in intellectual
adjudication as both judge and jury are quick to cry foul against
expatriates who attempt to give Malta the benefit of their acquired
skills gained abroad. They act insecure and feel threatened by ways
and
means with which they are not quite familiar. The obsession carried
to
extreme form festers into a defensive posture against would be
benefactors. Well intended suggestions are lightly dismissed as
foreign
hype when they run contrary to advice from local experts. Overseas
Maltese risk being taken to task for speaking out constructively in
criticism of Malta's shortcomings, even as they offer options for
remedial action. It is as if they are automatically stripped of
their
Maltese identity and constitutional rights thereof. That these
folks
are resident of foreign countries should have no bearing on their
well-
intended desire to assist, nor should it restrict their birth right
to
postulate an opinion.
The systematic exclusion
of full legal rights for expatriate
Maltese
is officially condoned by the Maltese Government. A residency
requirement that a person should live on Maltese soil for a
predetermined time span prior to elections, practically disqualifies
many from casting a vote on municipal and national issues. This
prejudicial law violates the spirit of western democracy and is a
gross
blemish on Malta's international image. It imposes second class
citizenship on a segment of its people, born and for some raised, in
Malta. Ever loyal towards their homeland, the defranchised are
denied
equal treatment under the law by setting them apart as an
undesirable
group. Small wonder that this formalized, callous, and aggressive
attitude displayed by official sources carries over to the general
public at large. Unfortunately there is no equivalent in Malta of
the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a non-partisan organization
devoted to the defense of civil liberties in the U.S. The ACLU
supplies
counsel and files legal briefs in important cases involving
violations
of civil liberties on behalf of institutions or individuals who
would
not have otherwise taken the government to task for lack of time or
financial resources. In the absence of similar legal safeguards in
Malta no one should have the power to rob its unseen citizens of
their
native heritage and right to ballot. An amendment to the
constitution
of Malta could and indeed should rectify this clear injustice.
America is the world's
most progressive country because of its
pluralism. A nation of genius, it has gained much from an
accumulated
wealth of technological knowledge garnered from a vast pool of
highly
educated people who migrated to its shores in search of freedom and
opportunity. Malta can learn from America's experience in much the
same
fashion. Instead of preventing departees from asserting a voice in
electoral proceedings, the government should actively seek out and
encourage Maltese from around the world with high tech expertise,
to
repatriate and help propel Malta towards the new millennium, in its
struggle to maintain parity with other advanced countries.
Countless
Maltese have done remarkably well at foreign universities and
advanced
institutions of learning. Many hold postgraduate degrees in
technology
while others have attained solid experience and positions of
leadership
in business, the professions or industry. With the proper salary
and
living inducements more than a few who are either still active
within
the marketplace or recently retired might take up the challenge.
The
advantages of such a proactive policy are obvious, given that the
task
(s) at hand will be more a labor of love than an undertaking for
pure
monetary gain. If the idea sounds naive it at least deserves
serious
consideration. The unbending love of Malta by its children near and
far
is not to be dismissed nor taken lightly. This land is my land, the
one
and only, for which there is not, nor shall there ever be a
substitute.