God has nothing to do with the price of oil
People who preface their every suggestion with ‘God willing’ (and the reporter from The Times should take note of the fact that this, and not “if God wills” is the correct translation of jekk Alla jrid) really annoy me. I know that we’re supposed to believe that God is aware of the number of all the sparrows in the sky and the hairs on our heads, but there are some people arrogant enough to think God takes an interest in whether they will go shopping to Valletta the following morning or buy a new cooker next month – God willing.
The prime minister does it all the time, like a nervous verbal tic, and I find it particularly off-putting. This is because we elect politicians to be in control and do a job, not to waft about depending on God’s will and fate.
In Islam, it is compulsory to predicate every expressed hope or plan on God’s will – you have to say it, and if you forget, you have to make up for your omission by repeating what you said and tacking on ‘God willing’.
In Catholicism it is not compulsory to do this. So why do people insist on doing it? I imagine it’s a primitive form of superstition: you have to say it to appease God who, if he thinks you’re getting too cocky in making plans without him, will scotch those plans.
As for God’s direct intervention in the price of oil – spare me, please. I wrote a piece about that some months ago, sending up an American Christian group which organised Prayers at the Pump – getting groups of Christians to gather at gas stations and petition God to bring down the price. I guess we’re not much better, though you would expect the prime minister to be a little more sophisticated.
www.timesofmalta.com – 25 January – 11:26CET
Utility rates to be eventually lowered – PMPrime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning that the time will come when water and electricity rates will be reduced. Speaking during a dialogue meeting at Balzan, Dr Gonzi said decisions had never been easy and the government had to show its backbone and the people had to change their behaviour.
The revision of the water and electricity rates was a difficult decision the government had to take to prevent waste as much as possible. At the same time it was helping families in need.
However, “if God wills, even because price of oil has gone down, the time will come when the tariffs will be reduced”, Dr Gonzi said. He pointed out that the price of refined oil dropped at a later stage than that of crude but as the price of fuels had been reduced a few days ago, that of the utility rates would also eventually go down.
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Iz-zmien li jonqsu t-tariffi tad-dawl u l-ilma jasal qal, u zgur li jasal mela ma jasalx, imma meta jaqbillu hu mhux issa meta jaqbel ghan-nies, bhal ma’ ghamel bic-children’s allowance. Tajjeb li jsemmu l-Alla, Daph, halli nimpressjonaw u minjaf kif qalha b’dik id-devozzjoni li Gonzi biss jaf.
It started as a pious interjection but has become just a colloquial expression on the same lines as “Alla jbierek”. Usually we don’t even say “jekk Alla jrid” but “kallajrit” as if it were one word and it simply means “hopefully”. It could be, perhaps, the same linguistic process by which “holy day” became “holiday” in English.
…so help me God. Not much different than the Allah hu Akbar, but our outlook on the expression in Maltese or English and in Arabic is different.
[Daphne – Actually, it’s the expression pronounced ‘inshallah’ that you’re looking for.]
Il-PM qal “jekk il-bambin irid u l-prezz taz-zejt li jittella mill-art jiqba kif inhu, il-prezz tad-dawl u l-ilma jorhos…….
Daphne, dak jghidha bhal ma’ nghidu “Allahares qatt”. Jekk wiehed jghid: “Jekk Alla jrid” dak ikun irid ifisser li ‘l-haga li jixtieq iqisha bhala haga tajba u mixtieqa u tfisser bil-maqlub meta jghid “Allahares”.
Allahares tiehu dan il-kliem bit-tifsira litterarja. Kieku gbidtlu saqajh ghax jghid “arjuplan” , “koNoLLi” jew “jiQBghu” kont nitbissem u ntik ragun. Dan il-kliem huma maghguna f’ Lawrence Gonzi.
Jekk ma’ jghidhomx ma’ jkunx hu. Bilhaqq, hsibtek li se tifrahlu ghax sar nannu. M’inhix xi espert ta’ l-Ingliz, imma minn sena l’hawn rajt l-Ingliz tat-Times niezel.
[Daphne – Il-bambin irid: din ahjar, ukoll. Nahseb li wiehed irid jaghmel distinzjoni bejn il-mod kif ghandek titkellem fil-privat bhala bniedem kwalunkwe u l-mod kif titkellem bhala prim ministru f’konferenza stampa jew avveniment pubbliku. Arjuplan: fil-fatt il-prim ministru huwa korrett ukoll. Jiddependi jekk tqisx li l-kelma gejja minn ‘aeroplane’ (jew mit-Taljan), jigifieri ‘ajruplan’, jew mill-kelma Maltija ‘arja’, li fil-kaz tigi ‘arjuplan’.]
‘Nervous verbal tic’. Love it.
People had to change their behaviour?
They could light more candles. Keeps electricity costs down and becalm God.
Dik f’halqu qiegheda “Il-BAMBIN” jghid .Mela qatt ma’ smajtu jghidha? Heqq, hija espressjoni Maltija. Nahseb li Fenech Adami attent iktar xi jghid. Ma nafx imma forsi ajruplan gejja minn ‘ajru’ bhal fit-“tajr ta’ l-ajru”. Lilu biss nisma’ jghid ‘arjuplan’.
Ghandu habta jaqleb is-sillabi, irrid nisimghu jghid il-kelma “xugaman” forsi jghidha “xumagan”.
Ahjar jibqa’ jghid kif dejjem qal ghax hekk taf x’ghandek.
Niftakar lil Sant f’dibattitu ma’ Fenech Adami jikkwota (b’mod studjat) lil xi Papa, bhal li kieku dejjem jaqra il-kitba tal-papiet. Ha zball fin-numru tal-Papa u Fenech Adami (li hu intiz fis-suggett) ikkoregieh, u waqqghu ghac-cajt.
Veru zzarzar u tidher tat-tfal imma ahjar hekk inkella jisforza u ma’ jkunx hu nnifsu. Hawn min jara d-dahka tieghu ta’ wiehed li qed jitmejjel bik, allura jnehhijha?
Naf li taf xi tghid fuq dan is-suggett, imma minn naha taghna ahjar naraw lil xi hadd kif inhu, milli kif iriduh jidher in-nies tar-relazzjonijiet pubblici. Bil-Malti nghidu: “kif tarani pingini”.
Watching the swearing in of President Obama was more like a religious ceremony , there were two preachers.
Shouldn’t Obama have said these phrases in the last few minutes of his inaugural speech: “…..and with God’s grace upon us” “God bless you and God bless the United States of America”?
[Daphne – That’s completely different because it’s the oath of office. It would be a whole different kettle of fish if the president of the United States addressed a press conference and said: “God willing, if the price of oil goes down…” As though the price of oil has anything to do with God’s will.]
As Antoine said above ,you should not take it literally. It’s a colloquial expression. I don’t know why the reporter emphasised the PM’s expression. As we say in Maltese “qiegheda f’halqu”. And Obama at the end of his inaugural speach quoted “….and with eyes fixed to the horizon and God’s grace upon us”. Would Obama blame God if he does not “arrive”? It seems that you are allergic to the word “God” in public speeches.
[Daphne – No, I’m allergic to the capricious use of the word God in public speeches. There’s the world of difference between what Obama said on a momentous occasion, and associating God with the price of oil. If it’s just a figure of speech, then it shouldn’t be – particularly not to somebody who claims to take God so seriously.]
Have never met or heard of a politician who has ‘really’ put God higher than himself. Gawd.