Pride that apes humility
This letter was published in The Times yesterday.
Let’s go on a summer sacrifice
Allan Gatt, Birkirkara
Unsolicited mail is never more unwelcome than when it smuggles its way into your consideration under the pretence of some humanitarian cause.
This is certainly the case with a magazine dropped into my letterbox by entities unknown carried an article about Jennifer Dimech, an attractive blonde who “accompanied President George Abela on his recent visit to Arequipa in Peru to help the MSSP Mission”.
The devil’s darling sin, as Coleridge observed, is pride that apes humility, and so it is with this offensive article, which speaks of the “selflessness” of volunteers who “could all have gone on summer holidays but instead chose to travel for hours to be there and help them”.
The implication that altruism which isn’t publicly feted is no altruism at all is quite clear.
It’s the same reason people never wrestle alligators without an audience. Ms Dimech again: “The difference in culture and way of living and their smiles and happiness despite the little they have – it teaches you to appreciate life”.
The interpretation that the natives might be genial and good natured because of their collective poverty and not in spite of it is nowhere to be drawn.
Even more scandalously, there is no mention of how the presence of soft-skinned, well-fed and obscenely wealthy part-time missionaries, whose plane tickets to and from Peru probably cost more than what a Peruvian family earns in a year, will impact the ‘beneficiaries’ of this much publicised ‘generosity’.
It is often said that a man can endure incredible hardship so long as he is not humiliated in the process, and how can it be anything but humiliating for a penury-stricken people with strong traditions of gerontocracy to endure the pity and the mentoring of a horde of patronising youngsters who consider a visit to their homeland as some sort of ‘summer sacrifice’?
Consciously or unconsciously, all these youthful volunteers do is act as salesmen for the delusive ideals of democracy, equal opportunity and free enterprise among people who haven’t the slightest possibility of profiting from them.
So much for ‘helping the needy’.
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Abela was Gonzi’s biggest mistake.
And the Parliamentary Group had told him as much in advance.
Pity – we might have had an excellent President in the person of Dr Louis Galea.
Abela was Abela’s biggest mistake.
Do we have to blame Lawrence Gonzi for the fact that Abela has proved himself to be birdbrained ?
I don’t think that you are 100% right, Reporter.
If Abela was not appointed President, he would have become Joseph’s ‘consultant’ if not right hand man, giving the Labour Party some credibility.
I wouldn’t count Louis Galea out yet, but would he want to be appointed President? No doubt at all that he would have made an excellent President as were former Nationalist Presidents.
Some political maneuvers sometimes can only be fully understood years later and the reason for them having been made are revealed, when political fallout is of no consequence.
He was always brilliant. Shame The Times doesn’t take him on as a columnist, instead of the usual earnest Middle Maltese tripe.
Get that tonque out of your cheek. It’s unbecoming.
I also observe groups of “do-gooders” from time-to-time in Africa, the last time was close to our drilling location in the Congo and was hilarious from my point of view as they went in fully loaded with luxury rations brought in from abroad, air-conditioned tents and more “administrative personnel” than actual volunteers from the charity.
All it needed was some natives carrying the baggage train and a few pith helmets and you would have thought it was safari time circa 1880.
The best group I have come across was an American doctors charity in Nigeria who were all top specialists and who really did improve things without being the least bit “Cecil Rhodes” about it.
Two words come to mind: Gap Yah.
Nota Bene:
Please note that the original letter emailed to the Times carried the name of the magazine: ‘Vida Issue 33’, and that the Times, in censoring this, mutilated, desecrated and frankly raped to the death the consistency of the second paragraph. As it stands, it hardly makes any sense at all.
AND this revision came after they requested I whittle the letter down from 500 words to 350. But when some PRIEST or POLITICIAN gets half a page and two thousand words to proselytize his drivel on The Times HEMMHEKK NO PROBLEM.
You can read the unexpurgated and unraped version of the letter here:
http://rangoonruns.appspot.com/2012/09/20/let%5C%27s-go-on-a-summer-sacrifice-%5Bheavily-censored-and-edited%5D
No, really. He’s been writing regular letters in the papers, and he’s even published two books.
Woops, wrong reply. Was meaning to answer Harry.
Here’s the right one: Next time, just write a full-page piece about the latest evidence of the exact position of St Paul’s shipwreck or some such, and slip in your letter in code form. We’ll understand. The Times has become a cross between Il-Gens and Maltastar. No use trying to get sensible stuff published.
I’ve been saying for ages that George Abela has been probably Malta’s worst president. He has been making a mockery of the presidency since day one.
Starting with that completely tasteless official photo that he had to change due to public hilarity, to his multiple instances of injury on official business that, while not funny in themselves, gave the impression of the man being too emotionally excitable for the job. Then there was that embarrassing speech he gave during the Pope’s visit during which, in his abysmal English pronunciation, lamented the introduction of the separation of Church and State.
I remember being so embarrassed at listening to his nonsense that I wanted to turn off the TV.
This Peru fiasco is only the latest in the line of gaffes this president has become associated with.
Daphne: apologies for breaking up the post – one occupational hazard of using a tablet.
I know people who need other types of tablets, if you know what I mean.
George Abela’s ego, which might cover Siberia and possibly cross the Strait and cover Alasks too, took him to South America.
Now, in retrospect, what did MALTA get out of his antics?
Well, if AirMalta introduces ultra-low cost flights to Arequipa, we may get a few more panpipe bands to clutter up Republic Street and help our – what do they call them? – “businesses”.
Peter Panpipes over band clubs anytime. Peace will reign. Plus little Twinkletoes Joey may make some sense.