Easter Sunday Sadness

As the mournful music from the Pearl Harbor soundtrack washed over my senses, I reflected how unlucky I was not to have my father around me today, Easter Sunday.

I remember distinctly his preparation of the traditional Maltese figolla, preparing it in my favourite shape, that of an aeroplane, and then decorating it with chocolate and trimmings to make it look as real as possible.

I look back on all the times we used to go around the island, looking around the various churches resplendent with all the trappings of sorrow and resurrection, the two intertwined in our beliefs.

And then we used to celebrate Easter Sunday at our home town of Vittoriosa, running happily with the risen Christ by our side, not returning home until it was way past dinnertime and throats hoarse with all our shouting of joy.

And as I remembered these happy times, I could not resist looking through an ancient suitcase, replete with old and faded photographs of a time gone by.

And I weep.

I weep for the soul and the love of a man struck down in his prime.

I weep for all the children of the world who treat their parents as if they were nothing but a hindrance to their hustling and bustling lives.

In my tears I can feel his presence next to me, comforting me with the thought that eventually, like the risen Lord, we will meet once again sometime.

Yes, we will meet...and talk about life, love and family, and all the happenings we have gone through all the years we have been apart.

And I promise myself to continue loving my children just as he loved me in his day.

A change in format.

Just a short note. I decided to change the format a bit. The main reason was that the original one, which I really liked, had a limitation on the column width. A nice, clean simple one is just right. Please also do take your time to vote on my poll on the right. Adverts are also making an appearance. I have so many visits that it only makes (ad)sense to earn a bit of cash for my humble efforts.

Finally everything is done and dusted...

A week has passed since the day Malta paused to vote for the next legislation's leaders, and as I suspected, the Nationalist Party has won again. A narrow margin, to be true, but a victory nonetheless. As far as I can remember, since 1976 to this day, there has only been one Labour majority, and that was in 1996, when it was followed by a very short but intense(ly disruptive) twenty-two months of misguided leadership.

So, now that the dust has settled, I am attempting to write down a bit of what has been going on.

Saturday:
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93% of the voters turned out to vote on what was a really cold and wet day. I don't think that the rain stopped at all, or if it did, it was only to give us some respite. The figure was a low one which augured well for the MLP but not the PN. You see, there are certain causes that the parties are not willing to officially state their case upon, but are known anyhow. Everybody knows that mostly PN is against Spring Hunting, and have been so since the start. MLP, on the other hand, while not saying that they will ban hunting in spring, have quietly announced that they will follow the EU's directive on this ban. Now, I have friends in the know who say that the Trapper's association is mostly Labour supporters with a minority of nationalists, but still reaching the 35% mark. These guys don't just vote themselves, they even COERCE their spouses and children to vote for their cause...so yes, I can say that the nationalists lost a huge number of votes from the trapping section.

There was also the case of the JPO 'ordeal', as he was accused of screwing about on an area of land which is outside building permit boundaries.(I don't know who is right or wrong here, but a LOT of voters lost their nerve because of this.)

This caused a bit of concern, because the last time round PN had a 12k vote cushion. So, with 5k votes not being picked up and another 4k lost through the trappers doing, the advantage had slipped down to a bare minimum of 2k votes. Hardly enough to rest your head on the pillow without thinking about it.

The polling booths remained open up to 11pm instead of 10pm, due to the inclement weather and the local councils election voting. Fine by me.

So 93% it was, with Labour already daring to proclaim a hopeful victory.


Sunday:
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If anybody asks me to spell the word 'tense' for him, it would go like this...'S-U-N-D-A-Y' .. There you go...'tense'.

The ballot boxes were still being opened and the votes being put face-down by 10am , but in the vicinity of Paola, a huge noise of fireworks, car-horns and whistles was being heard. I stared in amazement when I got up on the roof to see what was happening.

There in the middle of the square, it was jam-packed with Labour supporters, celebrating a victory which was still not even plausible, let alone probable!

I called a mate of mine, 'K' to enquire what was going on.

K - 'It's a whitewash...17,000 to 22,000 advantage to us, we're going to celebrate.'
Me- 'How can that be? The ballot boxes are not even all open yet!'
K - 'Already worked out man. Jas told me.'

And that my friends, is the Labour mentality.

How can even one begin to celebrate a mighty victory when the match hasn't even started? How can one proclaim a victory against a formidable football team when you are still in the dressing rooms? And how, for God's sake can one shout about an election victory when the votes have not been counted yet? Yes...a Labour mentality.

Obviously, within a couple of hours at 12.30 came the cold shock I had been waiting for. Official sampling results had been creeping out. The nationalists were 2000 votes to the good. I stepped out on the roof again...

Ah...all was silent again on the Labour front.

Not for long though. I could see the Nationalist Party club being thrown wide open with people jumping up and down and screaming in delight. But this time the laughter and celebrations did not die out.

I can say that our little island held its breath in a collective effort, as even more samples were being taken and discarded as being 'too close to call'.

Finally, on TV I could see the PN supporters at the counting hall in Naxxar erupting in joy and banging against the perspex partitions. I felt immediately that victory had finally arrived. Not because Dr.Gonzi had been elected in that particular district, but the amount of votes he garnered made sure that there was no way his party could be reached.

I slumped down on my chair, worn out with fatigue and relief. Funny really, because I have never ever been a political creature. Also I am of the firm opinion of having alternate governments every 7-8 years. But there's something I don't like at all about labour. More on that later too...

Finally at 9.22 sharp, PN spokesman Joe Saliba uttered the magic words we have all been waiting for.'From first indications, it seems that the Nationalist Party have won the election.'

That was that! I must confess to dancing and jumping with relief. We all went down to Paola after that, to witness celebrations galore. After all the tension, the people had a right to enjoy themselves and let out steam.

Monday:
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Shhh.....the sheer silence of a country suffering from post-dramatic stress disorder.

I refused to let an election disrupt my work habits, so I went to work just like any normal day. And here is where I feel our population has to mature. Okay, we might get carried away with our enthusiasm, but after all is said and done, it is just a democratic selection by the people. I'm sure that the MLP want as much improvement for the Maltese people as the Nationalists. It's just the way some differences crop up and are tackled that is the real issue here.

So yes, it was a very quiet day, even here at work, where the relief was palpable. Our 'traditional' daily walk around the industrial was eerily different. Damn...even the guard dogs were silent today. Nary a car in the entire estate, except our car-park.

Meanwhile around Pieta' tens of thousands of PN supporters gathered around the party headquarters to render homage to their leader and yet another victory.

At last it was all over bar the shouting...or the swearing-in. That was on Tuesday.

Wow...what a long post...hehe...and I still haven't written in with my opinions yet...but I think I will leave that out for today. I will post later on in the day or tomorrow, when I have gathered some more musings.

As always....keep METAL \m/

Decision time is now!

Election fever is gripping the island, and hopefully everyone has decided on which colour to splash out.

I say hopefully..because I have not decided yet.

Some pros and cons:

I have been into a website in which I have been amazed by the negative feedback left by so many people. It is unbelievable how these people leave such stupid comments.

I don't think that they are broke or barefoot, but simply see negativeness everywhere...deciding to neglect all the good that has really been built the past years.

Let us put colour aside and think about it for a while. It’s true not everything is heaven but the difference from the old labour days to the present hows and how.

Modern technology, schools, airport, hospitals, environment (more on that later), freedom of buying, freedom of speech, computers, internet, education and ... I won't be able to stop. The roads have long been the bane of our country. So let me tell you this. Start your journey from where I live in Tarxien, near Mintoff. Drive along the S.Lucia road, down to Qormi, up the bypass, to Zebbug, and the Mtarfa bypass, then all the way to Gozo...and if you find a pothole I'll buy you a beer!

People along the years chose PN for this change which we see till this present day. It’s black on white. Things can't be done by magic, they need sacrifices and support from all.


Now on the other hand PN have done some major damage. In my opinion, the environment has not yet been given the real attention it is due. Okay, there has been a huge improvement.. but there is still loads to be done.

1. Contractors... STOP THEIR PERMITS! How many houses are still empty in Malta? THOUSANDS. So...before some of these houses are sold, no permits will be issued.

2. Hunters/Trappers... For the sake of a little amount, the larger amount is precluded from enjoying the spring as it is meant to be. This has to stop. I wish they would break the law like they promised... spend some time behind bars, just like the FREE birds they ensnare.

3. JPO... everyone knows who he is no? For the almighty dollar I would never have imagined you would stoop so low! Shame on you. Off with your head matey!

Okay, now on to labour...which has not really had a decent majority since 1976..unbelievable but true. The only other majority was in the histori 96 elections when they were elected but unable to hold on to the post, despite having a 7000 majority. This was unfair as the amount should have given them two seats of advantage.

What's new with Labour? I am being honest now. Nothing new. Same old faces, doing the same old jobs, grabbing the same money from our pockets like the PN.

Sure, we might ge back the 5 days leave taken from our pocket by the blues. Sant also mentioned that the surcharge would be slashed to half....(I definitely recall him saying that it would be removed)..now we are down to half. Repeater classes..THEY ARE repeater classes...

Ok, now is the time to give somebody else a chance....now is the time to elect a third party to parliament.

Now is the time to go Green!

Think before you vote! Give green at least no.2