High rate of teenage pregnancies in Malta

Malta has the highest number of teenage mothers in Europe relative to population. There is also a very high rate of sexually transmitted diseases in Malta among teenagers. One need not wonder why this is the case. Malta's schools provide no sex education at all. The church opposes any form of sex education and any form of use of contraceptives. Abortion does not exist as such except as a clause regulating the penalty for an abortion.  There is a tendencyAlpha that teenagers debut earlier with sex than before. One may ask whether Malta’s approach to sex education and contraceptives benefits to society. In today's Malta Times one can read that 32 children have been born in 2011 having mothers that are 16 years old or younger. Sure you can understand those who believe that sex is something for adults and preferably within marriage although it is a little bit old fashioned in today’s society. But that does not change the fact that unwanted children are born because of the attitude towards sex education, contraception and abortion and there is probably no method to prevent this from happen if you do not give teenagers sex education and thus tell them how to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. See also Teenage births once more of March 20

Rule of law in Malta? Hardly.

You cannot call Malta a society where there is rule of law and where an individual's rights are protected. Malta must be one of Europe’s most unsafe countries if one is suspected of having committed a crime, especially if you are a foreigner (if you are black it is even worse). A Maltese is treated in a totally different way than a foreigner. For instance, it is very difficult to be granted bail for a foreigner even if you are an EU citizen. This is very strange since there is a treaty in EU which makes it easy to get an EU citizen extradited to another EU country. A member state can only deny another member state an extradition if  certain requirements are not fulfilled. Maybe Malta is afraid that it cannot fulfill such requirements and therefore prefers to keep a suspect in prison instead of granting him bail.  It is hard to even understand that Malta can be a member of EU. In Malta, you can be detained for an indefinite period. There is no limit whatsoever when the police must start a trial. Yes, in Malta it is the same person as investigates a case as brings it to court. Malta is like any dictatorship as far as protection of individual’s rights is concerned. Not even in the former Soviet Union you could be detained for indefinite time, if not a political crime. It was The Observer’s intention to vote today, but why should one vote in a country where there is no democracy but only hypocrisy. Malta is a sham democracy where individual rights seem to be less important than the rights of the state. You can read about this wonderful society in todays The Times.

Disgusting picture in todays The Times

In todays The Times you can read about an unlicensed bouncer who has been acquitted of causing the death of an immigrant outside a Paceville club. Fair enough, although it very much looks like a racist crime. A court shall have very Översätt från: svenska

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high requirements of proof. But, it is disgusting when The Times publishes a picture of the bouncer, his girlfriend and his two lawyers in a manner that gives the impression of a hero. The Times should show respect for the victim and his family and not embrace the man who is a killer no matter he was acquitted, especially as everybody knows how the bouncers in Paceville treat people. Maybe this was not a racist crime, but the publishing of the picture is racism even if The Times tries to hide it, One can wonder if this picture would have been published if the victim had been a white Maltese male or female and not a black man from Africa. Shame on The Times!

Making buildings higher and thus destroy their appearance

Terrible building on Tower Ro

Terrible example on Tower Road

Beautiful building on Tower Road

Villa Aurora on Tower Road

As a foreigner I sometimes wonder how it is possible that some buildings in, for instance, Sliema have had floors built-on in a completely different style than the existing house. On Tower Road there are several terrible examples. Before one start such development one must get permission from the authorities, I suppose that the authority in such case is MEPA. Either there are no rules in what way you can change a building’s appearance or, someone, apart from the owner and the developer, have had some odd interest in granting permission despite the rules. One can only hope that this destruction of buildings does not in the future affect Villa Aurora or the other lovely buildings on Tower Road that not yet have been in the hands of irresponsible developers and, if there are rules, civil servants with a private agenda. However, there are good examples of buildings where the developer has tried to build the extra floors in a style that are more consistent with the older part of the building

Malta - a Lilliput state with potentates separated from and above the people?

Memorial plaque

Memorial plaque

Malta is the smallest country among EU member states. It has only about 400000 inhabitants and the area is only 312 square kilometers. The Maltese people are very proud of their country and are very right to be so. During WW II the Maltese people were very courageous and it was then the Maltese people was rewarded S: t George’s cross 1942 by the king of England, which cross since 1943 is a symbol on the Maltese flag. The president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has expressed his gratitude to the Maltese people, which can be seen on a memorial plaque on the wall of the predidential palace in Valletta. 

However, the majority of Maltese do not seem to travel a lot and therefore are rather ignorant about other countries. Malta is just a rock in the Mediterranean, but, of course, historically an important rock. Yet, you can hear Maltese people quite seriously say that Malta is the most beautiful country in the world. Of course, what is beautiful is a very subjective. Still, very few people, but the Maltese, would say that Malta is the most beautiful country in the world. I have also heard that the Maltese wines as well as its vegetables are the best in the world! There might be a few countries which would like to contest that. Maybe it is beacuse of this ignorance that the Maltese people accept the behaviour of their potentates.

The government, backed by its loudspeaker, The Times, does everything to give the impression to the Maltese people that Malta has an important role to play in EU and in the rest of the world. If prime minister Gonzi for instance travels to some conference abroad, the articles in The Times have headlines giving the impression that the other prime ministers were there just to listen to Mr. Gonzi. Malta also has a Head of State, a President with his own flag and a car with a special license plate. His wife is called Malta's first lady! Even the The Commissioner of Police has his own flag as well as the Archbishop. The corruption is widely spread. But there is of course a reason for all these cars and flags and mumbo jumbo; the government wants to give the people the impression that Malta has a bigger role to play in EU and in the world than it really has and therefore one also must have men in formal high positions with attributes. One must remember that Malta, although a sovereign state, is not bigger than a middlesized european town and ought to be be governed more in accordance with that and not like United States of America..

Archbishops BMW license plate

Gozo bishops Toyota license plate

The catholic faith is state religion in Malta. The archbishop as well as the bishop of Gozo has company cars, the latter a smaller one than the BMW that is archbishop Cremona's company car. Do not for a moment think that these cars have ordinary license plates. No way, they have plates of a silvery material in the shape of a bishop’s miter. If you do not believe me, look at the pictures. And, of course, the archbishop has a more expensive car than the Gozo bishop (The Observer wonders what Jesus would think of that!).To a foreigner from a more secular state this looks really ridiculous. Of course also the prime minister’s car have special plates. As far as the Head of the State, the President, is concerned, it is more understandable. He is, after all, a symbol. If the president and the prime minister want to attend a mass in Valletta they travel by these cars about 200 meters to the church. This is just window dressing. One could argue that they travel by car for security reasons; no way, anyone could go close to these potentates. All this is also a part of implementing the belief in people that Malta and its potentates are very important, separated from and above the people. They act like royalties more than the royalties in the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden.

President Abela's car and flag

To a foreigner all these attributes are kind of sweet and touching, except for the corruption. Malta is a Lilliput with its attributes similar to those in operettas. This is sweet, but, of course,  fulfills a not so honorable cause, namely to keep the people in a feeling that Malta is something it is not.

Malta's judicial system once more

In todays The Times the public is given a good explanation why the Maltese courts do not have time for unimportant cases like murders, trafficking, rapes, smuggling of narcotics etc. The courts have far more important cases to deal with, namely cases of insulting. A circus agent felt insulted after being called a clown. This terrible crime was rather soon brought to court for judgment. AlphaThe Observer is confident that the public feel great gratitude that the legal system makes such wise priorities.

Would fundamental rights in Malta be better off under British sovereignty?

Once more, one does not know if to cry or laugh; no, of course one should not laugh at the tragedy that Malta is causing many of the people in this country. In the former communist states, people were kept in prison without a trial. In Malta the state does exactly the same, see article in todays The Times. As stated before, the judicial system in Malta has collapsed and a thought has come to The Observer’s mind: In this sense may be Malta should be better off under British sovereignty. It is obvious to a foreigner that the government of Malta cannot live up to the most fundamental requirements for democracy, namely the one that a democracy do not keep people in prison without fair trials.