We have stripped ourselves of our dignity. Now let us strip him of his honours.
His pride in wearing them is our shame.
This morning we had yet another illustration of just how far Muammar Gaddafi has divested us of our integrity and dignity over the years, of how brutalised we have become by decades of fawning on a murderous tyrant.
The Times has reported that stripping Gaddafi of his two Maltese decorations – the Gieh Ir-Repubblika (bestowed under Labour) and the National Order of Merit (bestowed under the Nationalists) – is not a priority for parliament. Both political parties were dismissive and noncommittal when a reporter asked them whether there are plans to have him divested of these honours, which can be done only by a majority vote in parliament.
“The issue of Gaddafi’s honours is not a priority at this stage and can be taken up in due course,” a spokesman for the Nationalist Party said.
The Labour Party’s answer is worse. “Why isn’t Frank Portelli lobbying his party to do it?”, a spokesman said. Frank Portelli is the former Nationalist Party president who first brought up the matter publicly.
They have spent the last few weeks deliberating something as relatively trivial as a referendum question on divorce. Is there anyone other than the involved parties who thinks this is a priority now? But the symbolic gesture of stripping Muammar Gaddafi of honours he should never have been given in the first place is, apparently, too taxing for our beleaguered members of parliament.
They disgust me. This is a nation that makes such a meal of symbolism, with its myriad national holidays and its parades and ceremonies, but it is also one made up of people who distinctly lack an appreciation of boundaries and of proper behaviour.
The signal failure of our politicians to understand that stripping Gaddafi of his honours at this precise point is exactly what is expected and what should be done does not come as a surprise to me. It is at junctures like this one that I am forced to remember how we remain essentially a society of Sicilian hilltop peasants who will do anything to survive, and who prize being ‘wise’ (not the idiomatic English word but its Maltese variant, wajs, which means cunning and manipulative) over integrity, backbone and doing the right thing.
Maltese people do not do the right thing. They do the convenient thing, or the thing that they have no choice but to do. I am sick and tired of hearing that Malta helped evacuate thousands of non-Maltese from Libya. But what was the alternative, exactly? To say no? To refuse to help? There was no such alternative. If we must blow our own trumpet, a most unsavoury and declasse habit but one in which we appear to revel, then it should not be about the fact that we helped (what sort of person wouldn’t rescue a drowning man?) but that we did so with supreme and laudable efficiency.
Muammar Gaddafi is being investigated for crimes against humanity. He is killing his own people (he has been killing them for a long time, but we never bothered to look). He has unleashed terror on Libya worse than it has ever known. And yet our political leaders say that this is not the opportune time to strip him of his honours.
The only politician who seem to understand what this would mean is the Nationalist whip, David Agius, who told The Times reporter that “it would be a very significant gesture”. The Labour whip, Joe Mizzi, said instead that nobody’s stopping anyone from doing something about it. Indeed. But the heroes of our parliament limit their heroism to divorce and underground museums. That is where their principles begin and end.
The anthropologist Paul Sant Cassia posted a comment beneath the story on timesofmalta.com. “Perhaps we could paraphrase this,” he wrote. “It can conveniently ‘wait’ until the Colonel is either finally forcibly removed, or steps down, or departs through natural causes. In short, let’s wait until it is safe enough to strip him of his honours and there are no risks. Let’s hedge our bets. That at least is what many people will infer. Hopefully, the next nominee for these honours will refuse to accept them until this scandal is resolved.”
He is right, of course. It is bad enough that Malta bestowed the National Order of Merit on Gaddafi in 2004, when he had already admitted – tacitly, by paying blood money to the victims – responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing, thereby grossly devaluing the Order and gravely insulting all others who hold it.
Allowing a murderous criminal like Gaddafi the right to wear it even now is to treat other holders with even greater contempt. If the scandal is not resolved immediately, those who hold the National Order of Merit and the Gieh ir-Repubblika should hand it back in protest. If they do not, well then, what can I say? They deserve to keep it.
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But they don’t have time to debate it, they’re busy discussing bloody divorce.
Actually, have they been discussing “bloody divorce” or just a referendum question about divorce?
I think you are being a tad harsh. They don’t do the right thing because they have no concept of it. Like the general lack of good manners, the constant low-level blaspheming etc.
You expect too much of them.
Does anyone honestly take those honours seriously?
Hot topic:
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/ben-ali-appointed-to-national-order-of-merit-in-2005-0
Generally, only Maltese citizens are eligible to be appointed members of the Order. However, honorary membership may be conferred on foreign nationals who have distinguished themselves by their service in the promotion and fostering of international relations, or who have earned the respect and gratitude of the people of Malta.
During the ceremony, one companion, one officer, two honorary members and five members were appointed to The National Order of Merit and eight individuals were awarded the Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika.
The Great and the Good
https://opm.gov.mt/hatriet-ordni-nazzjonali?l=1
and the rest
https://opm.gov.mt/hatriet-onorarji?l=1
We will divest Muammar Gaddafi of his Maltese onorificentias – but only when it is safe to do so from the commercial aspect.
In summary, we can divest him from our honors when he no longer controls our investments in Libya, which is also when he no longer controls our oil.
I started an online petition, as promised. But I think this shameful affair concerns everyone, not just Maltese citizens, so I haven’t included the usual requirement for an ID number. In any case, an online petition carries no legal weight. It only carries weight in the court of public opinion.
You forgot to post the link here.
http://baxxterswar.wordpress.com/strip-gaddafi-of-his-maltese-honours/
OK. I’ve signed it.
Who’s next?
The curse of Maltese politicians:
Stopping the violence, rather than forcing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to leave office immediately, should be the priority for the European Union, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said. Yesterday, EU leaders issued an unprecedented call for Gaddafi to “relinquish power immediately,” but Borg – speaking at a meeting with EU counterparts in Godollo, Hungary – backed down from that request.
“I personally have called for a ceasefire … stop the fighting and then we shall see what happens,” Borg said, adding his idea of a ceasefire, “should lead to a regime change,” rather than be preceded by it.
He also indicated that if Gaddafi or the rebels were not to respect it, that would “justify further action by the United Nations,” which last month slapped an arms embargo, a visa ban and asset freeze on Gaddafi and 25 of his associates.
This is the Queen’s gong
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/queenandcommonwealth/MicroObject.asp?item=22&themeid=946&object=250064&row=22&detail=magnify
How has the colonel served Malta or humanity?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ix-Xirka_%C4%A0ie%C4%A7_ir-Repubblika
Il-Malti minn dejjem ta’ dejjem kien, ghadu u jibqa pinnur, nawgu kemm nawgu l-istoria. ‘Viva chi regnia’
‘Proud to be Maltese’ is a joke. As for our political parties, the least said the better.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/world/africa/11tripoli.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=In%20Libya,%20crackdwon%20reaches%20even%20the%20classroom&st=cse
XIRKA ĠIEĦ IR-REPUBBLIKA
https://opm.gov.mt/imsehbin?l=1
This is Lizzie’s other one
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/queenandcommonwealth/MicroObject.asp?item=22&themeid=946&object=250063&row=23&detail=magnify
I am not a politician, don’t want anyone’s vote and don’t give a f**k what you think of me.
It appears that some polticians are gutless, and some are more gutless than others. The low ranking of the political class in public opinion polls is destined to plummet to new lows.
On a scale from 0-10, on Lybya and Col. Gaddafi, I am stretching to give them all a “1.” With a zero, I’d be giving up all hope. Labour already have had my “zero” rating–no redeeming value–for what seems like ages. But the others are on the edge.
No one wants to rush to war. But what happens in Libya is not just an internal matter for the Libyan people. Do politicians fear their constituencies and economic interests more than the unnecessary Libyan lives lost to tyranny?
If no notice was given to the Libyan people before by the entrepeneurs and politicians, there seems to be no poltical will to overcome their present moral enertia regarding the prevailing evils residing on both sides of the waters between Libya and the EU.
Morally, I find the situation entirely disturbing. If Gaddafi’s legitimacy is gone, at some point we are going to have to back up that position with force.
I think this would be a time wasting exercise, out of which the Libyan people would get no help.
The real tangible thing to do to support the Libyan people is to encourage a military intervention BEFORE Benghazi is bombed by land, sea and air by an angry ruthless dictator.
It’s funny how certain people look ‘satisfied’ after going through great pains and endless protests to lower a piece of green cloth from an embassy flagpole and raise the pre-revolution flag instead.
A dictator is not dethroned because some busybody wants to strip him of his honours or because his green flag was thrown away and another one replaced it. Dictators scurry away into their hideouts after being bombed mercilessly.
[Daphne – The other gestures are important, too, John. We are human beings, not animals, and gestures are important even if they don’t ‘achieve’ anything. They do achieve something: they remind us that we are civilised. You don’t give your wife a birthday present because she really needs a necklace or whatever. You do so because the gesture is important – to her, if not to you.]
The Libyan people would only be free when they physically round up the Gaddafis and their lackeys.
After all, he is an honorary member of Gieh ir-Repubblika and is in the good company of Li Xiannian and Kim Il Sung. If he is stripped of his Maltese honours he will send us a photo of one of his goats wearing these medals. Then what?
[Daphne – Why would a goat wearing those medals be worse and more shameful than having Muammar Gaddafi wear them?]
Daphne these are as you rightly said, ‘gestures’. People in trouble won’t be helped with gestures, we can leave those for later; right now these people, in Benghazi especially, need tangible solidarity.
[Daphne – Yes, they are, John. They are helped immensely by gestures. In every war, battle and conflict, psychological pressure is a major factor. Why did Winston Churchill go down in history for his speeches? Because they were brilliant pieces of writing? They weren’t. They were brilliant pieces of encouragement, keeping people’s spirits up.]
I can’t understand the Arab league’s involvement in this; Libya is no longer a member of this league it is part of the African Union .
Islamists observe Sharia law , but not all Muslims are Islamists.
This is the time to put forward a private member’s bill in parliament to strip Gaddafi of his two Maltese medals. JPO and Evarist can do it together.
They can’t. Their phones are being tapped.
That Gaddafi does not merit the honours, and probably never did, is beyond doubt.
The honours were bestowed upon him at times when he was in a position to help in various ways and at a time when many countries were heads over heels making deals here and there with the Gaddafis albeit not necessarily benefiting Libyans.
Stripping the two honours off Gaddafi is not such a big deal after all. All Parliament has to do, with a simple majority, I might add, is to agree to strike his name off the Honours List. Then what? Demand the return of the medals? He can be enough of a pain as to refuse to hand them over. So what? Send the Mirages in exchange? Nah.
As far as the public in general is concerned, our two medals are as inconspicuous as the chest full of other ribbons and colours which are very much meaningless to the absolute majority.
At present, the Maltese should be united in condemning this tyrant who has progressively become more vicious as he grew older. He has been a worse influence on his sons particularly on Saif who constantly refers to Libya as ‘our country’ as if his father and family actually own the land and the souls living in it. The arrogance and wickedness spew out of these unfortunate tyrants and the sooner we see the end of them the better.
The real priority is indeed the immediate removal of the evil clan by any means possible although to all decent beings’ dismay, it seems that ‘tomorrow NATO will meet, on Monday the Arab League will discuss…. talk, talk and more talk.
In the meantime Gaddafi kills, kills and kills some more and to make matters worse, at a most critical moment, the Press has been distracted by the natural disaster in Japan and for now, it has relegated the Libyan tragedy to page two at best.
One can never understand fate as, at times; it seems to favour the bad.
It seems that the butcher of Tripoli now has one-third of Libya under the hands of his murderous military.
I suppose some of our politicians on both sides of the political spectrum would be quietly rejoicing by now and thinking how stupid it would have been had Malta recognised the interim government in Benghazi. I would not be surprised if the brave Libyan protestors outside the murderer’s embassy in Attard are arrested.
Business as usual for our politicians while Libya burns and its people are murdered. Time to wash one’s hands.
That is democracy for you, Daphne. I only vote PN, to keep the lunatics out (you know like those who would want to mediate between Gaddafi and the EU).
The worst bit I think is when the European leaders met to discuss the Libyan uprising, no-fly zones and etc. All of them were smiling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_B23QGCEmA
As you rightly say we Maltese highly value wiliness, low cunning and deviousness. Integrity, honesty and bravery are usually laughed at and whoever possesses them is often called an ‘iblah’.
It is quite odd that we like to boast about the bravery of the Maltese during the siege of 1565 and Wolrd War II. Seeing the long track record of cowardice and spinelessness I wonder how brave we Maltese would have been if not propped, inspired and goaded by the ‘barrani’.
I agree with David, that it would be a significant gesture. And one that is easy to effect. If you can’t even bring yourself to do this, then everything else you say is pretty hollow.
Imma tixraqlu dik il-libsa. Jidher funky biha.
Dak is-salib tal-Kavallieri li hemm imdendel? X’gharukasa! La Vallette jitqalleb fil-qabar. Mewt lit-tradituri Maltin li bieghu bhal Guda gieh ulied La Valletta.
This is the first time I regret never having been honoured by the republic, as it prevents me doing a John Lennon by returning the medal. It is by such baubles that men are governed (Napoleon, I believe).
The virtue of Gaddafi’s good works should not be forgotten – a comment on timesofmalta.com
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110312/local/stripping-gaddafi-of-maltese-honours-not-a-priority-pn
“Marlene F Hills
Have not these Members of Parliament nothing more important to do than than be petty at picking at Gaddafi’s Maltese Honours?.If he were given these for good works,for helping Malta financially when it needed it, then let him keep them because the virtue of good acts cannot be taken away from a person. What this will do,if done, it will be water off a duck’s back as far as Gaddafi is concerned,but also,he will remember an insult. Arabs don’t forget. So, please don’t waste Parliamentary time on such a thing rather get the Courts of justice to work faster as cases take decades to be judged.”
“Allowing a murderous criminal like Gaddafi the right to wear it even now is to treat other holders with even greater contempt. If the scandal is not resolved immediately, those who hold the National Order of Merit and the Gieh ir-Repubblika should hand it back in protest. If they do not, well then, what can I say? They deserve to keep it.”
I agree fully. See my reply to Maria here:
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2011/02/23/pajjiz-tal-valuri-whoring-ourselves-to-gaddafi/
Daphne, let me make a small qualification. If the other holders of this decoration are Kim Il-Sung, Tito and Ceaucescu, they might as well keep it.
Daphne, as a foreigner, I am no position to comment. However, as a grandfather of two beautiful Maltese grandkids, I say ‘Bravo’! I will save your words and ensure that they are instilled in them as they grow.
Purdie, the Mintoffian law on Foreign Interference is not enforced any more, so you can comment and take a clear position.
Ciccio, Mintoff’s law is still on the books. The last time these Labour assholes were in power (1996), they stuck me in Kordin. Seems to me that other than their dwarfish, naive leader, the same Neanderthals who drew up that law are now back in power. Next election will be a sorry sight.
Is it possible that no one has noticed, so far, the plagiarism at timesofmalta.com?
They write Gaddafi .. but then sometimes they tend to copy entire phrases from American online sources, in which Gaddafi is spelt as Kadhafi. What a shame.
[Daphne – That’s not necessarily plagiarism. The Times, like other newspapers, subscribes to several wire services, all of which spell the name differently. It is entitled to reproduce wire service stories intact, but proper subbing should change names to the newspaper’s editorial style.]
Don’t our politicians cringe at the sight of the eight-pointed cross with our national colours dangling from the chest of that butchering, bipolar, buffoon?
Going by comments here (and elsewhere) it seems that we want it both ways.
There are those who say that our politicians have not been forthright enough.
Others say – hold it! We have a ‘neutrality clause’ in our Constitution – so hands off, don’t dare let foreign forces make use of our little rock should a no-fly zone be agreed on (eventually) by the procrastinating UN and the slow as molasses EU and the almost nonexistent NATO.
So the first question is: What can Malta, all 122 square miles of it, do? We can be bold, spell it out to Gaddafi and tell him to go, we don’t like you any more, send those damned medals back – or else?
The second question is this: Should Gaddafi succeed in conquering Benghazi, does he think for a moment that it will be back to business as usual?
There are sanctions in place, he, his family and close friends are banned from leaving Libya (unless somehow stowed away illegally), so sooner or later they have to face justice at both national and international courts.
So, if we accuse our politicians of being soft spoken, spineless and a bunch of other adjectives, why can these accusations be leveled first at those leaders who are much more powerful with almost limitless resources but who, so far, have done little more than talk and some of whom have even said hardly anything about the Libyan crisis?
Did we expect that Malta, big in some minds, insignificant in others’, jump the gun like Sarkozy did?
Isn’t that funny – our Opposition is praying, or maybe rather wishing that Gaddafi prevails while Sarkozy has already written him off and recognized the Benghazi Council. I hope Sarkozy was right but now it appears that his foregone conclusion may have been a bit premature especially since he did not sound off the other EU leaders first before taking the bold step and which leaves him looking either foolish or a real genius. Let’s hope it’s the latter. And then, if Sarkozy is right, let the others, Obama included, jump on the bandwagon.
http://www.thelocal.se/32544/20110311/