editorial



Stand up Malta
If anyone is fishing for compliments in this editorial after the Tuna fiasco, then this is not the place.

What took place on the high seas and later on, on land is a disgrace not for the fishermen but for the government.

That the fishermen attacked the local journalists is not the point. We were irritated about this but we understand that the lack of leadership on their part failed to enlighten them that the press could be an ally.

We will not mince our words. Instead of standing by our nationals we saw a government that gave in to Italian pressure, which can only be interpreted as an attempt not to irritate our unclear relationship with the new Berlusconi government.

The Maltese fisherman have good reason to be angry, Sicilian fishermen are indiscriminate and are over- fishing in our waters and on many occasions they have deliberately damaged fishing sites for local fishermen.

What we have seen is a Government, swooning and guzzling at the feet of the Italians – which is one good reason to say enough is enough.

The Maltese fishermen know one thing now, they do not have the authorities on their side.

Which is a far cry from the realities seen in the fishing conflicts that erupted in Spain, France and Iceland where the governments there extended their unfailing support for the fishermen.

Didier, enfant terrible
Yet once again, Didier Destremau has been interviewed in our media. There is probably no ambassador with such a high profile, such a loose tongue and such an arrogant and rude behaviour.

We have no aversion to the French, the author of this editorial is himself a francophile. But Didier’s comments to the very able journalist Herman Grech, were not candid or revealing but downright stupid.

He said about the Malta Development Corporation and we quote: "It is not only a mistake not to have an office in France but it’s also a little insulting for us."

This could be the case, but then Didier could relay his message in a slightly nicer tone.

Didier is good stuff for journalists, because he has no idea when to stop talking or when to be diplomatic.

His other comment was about privatisation, he said and we quote: "But the privatisation process is slow. Nothing happened in 2000, and nothing happened in the first six months of 2001. This is diluting interest from abroad."

Now, here again Didier is either not following or simply out of touch, which is so typical of people who talk but never listen.

Did he not hear of the attempt by a French company CMA-CGM to take over the management at the Freeport?

And if we come to this, has he forgotten about the lethargy in France’s privatisation drive. With Lionel Jospin postponing the privatisation drive because of pressure from the unions.

Didier did not stop here, he lamented;

"Why are students sent to study in the UK and not in France?"

And to that we add, because dear Didier some years back our colonial master was Imperial Britain and not France and our second language is British (before that it was Italian) and the vast majority of Maltese are anglophiles, not out of choice but as a result of history.

Accepting such a cultural dimension is all about understanding, comprehension and common sense.

Didier has gone just too far, the Maltese government should not accept all this abuse, everyone in the diplomatic corps knows that Didier has crossed the line far too often.

They should politely protest to France that Mr Destremau should be more restrained in his approach and respect the fact that Malta is a sovereign state with a very sensitive political framework and not French Caledonia.