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If Alexis Callus loves his party more than himself, he should resign at once. I am not kicking the ball into anyone else’s court, as would be expected of me.
Last Thursday the anniversary of the horror at Auschwitz was commemorated the world over, last Sunday Alexis Callus saw fit to be present at a gathering of Nazi sympathiser Norman Lowell.
This week, Callus, the vice Mayor of the PN at Safi has had his face plastered over the L-Orrizont for his disparaging remarks published on internet. In the electronic message he gloated over Labourites who were refused a Catholic burial in the politico-religious conflict of the sixties.
Alexis Callus, was a boy I once knew, now he is a man and as a man there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts.’ He has to take personal responsibility for his silly meanderings with fascist concepts and xenophobia.
He has made his position in the Nationalist Party, as a party official no longer tenable.
His apology is a limited damage control diversion. This is 2005, not 1933, there is no room for fascist tendencies in democratic parties.
If he does not wish to embarrass the Prime Minister and leader of his party any further he should resign at once.
I recall that when IVA Malta fl-Ewropa, then composed of people who insisted that they were not Nationalist stooges discovered they were harbouring an internet junkie for paedophilia, the sensible decision of kicking out the guy from IVA was taken. The decision was swift.
This week the world over commemorated the day the Allies walked into the concentration camp of Auschwitz in Poland; there they experienced the unthinkable. A death camp organised on the premise that there are superior and inferior beings.
Shielded from the real cruelties of genocide and fascism, most Maltese cannot come to terms with their cruelty.
Many Maltese romanticise about Nazis and Aryan supremacy and they have no idea of what they are talking about.
We have been lost in our little world for too long,
The Labour Party did the right thing and suspended its member Joe Meli who was also at the Lowell meeting. This newspaper was the first to uncover this former Nationalist turned Labourite more than a year ago. The MLP should have removed him a long time ago. And it was a mistake to allow him to stand as a candidate in the local council elections in Valletta. Later Meli even contested the post of treasurer of the MLP.
There are many others who embrace Nazi sympathies. On all, and when I mean all, I mean all, sides of the political divide.
One thing is certain, the Nationalist Party wishes to present itself as a modern popular centrist party with modern values, the stupidities of Alexis Callus cannot be tolerated.
If they choose to ignore this problem, it will return to haunt them. It is a benchmark that needs to be attended to and one that can be only be solved if Callus goes.
Last Sunday was typical for the political media in Malta. Super One carried the exclusive reportage about the PN executive and NET TV reported with unadulterated commentary Anna Mallia’s opinion calling for Alfred Sant to step down.
Both stories appeared in MaltaToday, but one story it seems was only fit for Super One viewers and the other just right for the NET audience.
Needless to say, both stories should have featured on all news stations. They did not, because the stations, including PBS operate in a world of their own, dictated not by what journalism is but by their agenda.
Which brings to the fore the pitiful state of our political media and PBS.
What is worse was the reaction to Anna Mallia’s piece. One political commentator castigated me for not having advised Anna Mallia not to write her piece.
“Why did you not stop Miss Stromboli,” he told me.
It would have been utter hypocrisy if I had.
I have written similar pieces several times, but I have little affiliation to the Labour Party.
I did however understand the feelings in the Labour Party. There is a feeling of exaltation at the moment.
Unstoppable is the word, I guess.
Yet many in the PN still argue and I would tend to agree, they are still in time to change the mood.
They are egged on, because they believe that Alfred Sant is a loser and cannot make it happen.
But nothing is for sure.
There is no end to my laughing. Last Friday Tonio Borg visited the detention centres. And the basis for his visit according to the press release was a direct result of the ‘investment in the large number of centres and facilities for irregular immigrants.’
Hold your laugh.
Hold your breath.
There is more to come, the Minister’s statement continues to reaffirm that Malta’s detention policy is 35 years old and will have to stay this way.
35 years ago just in case everyone has forgotten was 1970 and 1970 was a time when Malta was governed by a Prime Minister by the name of George Borg Oliver.
The most common saying at the time, apart from the vulgar comments was: ‘shoo, quiet, don’t raise your voice, the government might wake up (tghajjatx ghax tqajjem il-gvern).’
And then to crown the Minister’s complete and surreal understanding of how messy this whole issue has become, the press release castigates racist gatherings and racist remarks. And warns that the police will take action against anyone who promotes racism.
Hmm, how about starting with Mr Callus?
A clear reference to last Sunday’s meeting that was organised after the Police who operate under Tonio Borg’s ministry gave a valid permit to organise a meeting and hold a public meeting with Norman Lowell as speaker.
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