Editorial | Wednesday, 24 December 2008

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Not a happy time for everyone

As the classic Christmas carol puts it, “‘Tis the season to be jolly”. But jollity is not an end in itself; and despite a bombardment by countless inane messages of artificial festivity at this time of year – or perhaps even because of them – the fact remains that for many people, Christmas is also a season to be downright miserable.
Our front-page story today concerns the dismal living conditions of immigrants detained at the closed detention centre in Hal Far. Admittedly, it is the easiest thing in the world to pontificate from the comfort of a newsroom, and to point accusatory fingers at the responsible authorities. In all fairness, however, it must be acknowledged that Malta’s detention policy will inevitably entail problems of this nature, as large numbers of people are cooped up in a small and ill-equipped facility for any length of time.
In the case of the tent compound, one can also sympathise with the official explanation for many of the shortcomings – for instance, the shocking state of the bathrooms, which is clearly the result of vandalism by residents themselves – as provided by a spokesman for the justice and home affairs ministry.
Truth be told, immigration as a whole is an intensely complex affair, and it would be naive to expect any simple solution to the enormous associated problems. But at the same time, it is hard to understand how some 400 people could be denied something as basic and essential as heating during the winter months. And in this case at least, the official explanation is far from satisfactory.
We are told that the electricity supply at the tent compound is deliberately too weak to sustain an electric heater, in order to avoid injuries or deaths arising from accidental electrocution. But what about medical complications associated with long-term exposure to cold temperatures? How much sense does it make to protect residents from electric shock, but at the same time expose them to the risk of hypothermia and possibly fatal infections such as pneumonia?
Without stressing too fine a point on it, the situation prevailing in the tent compound is not in conformity with the basic dignity which human beings are owed by virtue of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Some would go further, and argue that it constitutes “degrading treatment” of the kind expressly forbidden by the same Charter.
The present authorities may not be entirely responsible for this state of affairs; but clearly, a good deal more needs to be done if we are to salvage our reputation as a state based on respect for the value of human life.
At the same time, one does not exactly have to be an asylum seeker from Africa to be unhappy this Christmas. Nor is unhappiness uniquely defined by a lack of creature comforts – even the most essential ones, such as decent food and hot water.
Truth be told, Christmas is traditionally dreaded by a not-insignificant number of people who have little cause to celebrate, and who are invariably overlooked by often banal televised messages urging us to celebrate the festive season “with good cheer”.
For instance, those elderly or infirm persons who lie forgotten in their hospital beds – either because they have no family of their own, or because they have quite simply been abandoned – are unlikely to be enthused by subliminal messages equating Christmas with a time for family unity.
Similarly, people mourning for the loss of loved ones, or overcoming untold personal tragedies, tend to be nudged towards unhappiness – rather than away from it – by the same, increasingly artificial aura of festivity.
Even those who don’t have any particular cause for unhappiness this year may well find Christmas a trying period, as they struggle to make ends meet ahead of receiving their first electricity bill of the new year. Our survey last Sunday indicated that the global credit crunch has cast a long shadow over the holiday season – with people cutting back on decorations and plans for New Year’s Eve, among other indicators of financial apprehension.
Viewed from this perspective, the annual surfeit of artificial celebration is arguably discordant with the realities faced by so many in these economically difficult times. Ironically, however, this itself may give cause to rediscover traditional Christmas spirit: which up until fairly recently was rooted in homely traditions of giving and receiving, rather than the culture of commercial gratification it has come to represent.
Christmas is therefore still a season to be jolly after all. Let us therefore celebrate it with enthusiasm, but also with our feet planted firmly on the ground.

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