Delusionally utopian or sound principles?

The current political and moral fibre thermometer registers a feverish condition:

From the day Malta voted in favour of divorce, a new generation with bright, progressive ideas took over.

Civil unions have allowed us to sweep away personal prejudice.

These are only two of the wrong impressions that the man in the street perceives as an improvement in our standard of living and moral standing. This is partly due to the church’s influence, which is waning and also has long been receding fast, in spite of Pope Benedict’s advice to beware of the many threats to the sacredness of human life and to the dignity of marriage and the family.

Make no mistake. Even Pope Francis had his say on this topic. In his last document, “The joy of love”, it has been emphasized for the umpteenth time that the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage and divorce still stands. This reminds me of an episode from the Acts of the Apostles when they were advised not to teach any further in Jesus’ name, and Peter said “we ought to obey God, rather than man” (5: 28-29).

The conception of a feel-good factor is deceptive if it does not conform with the word of God and the Church’s teachings. Were our MPs on the right path when passing certain Bills in parliament or had they become the victims of a network of delusional utopias?

As in the UK, what Marx failed to do, Marks and Spencer did. Never before in local history was the Gospel warning about God and Mammon completely ignored as today – for the soul that has lost its god must worship Mammon (Fulton Sheen).

In present day Malta, mammon is available under the guise of riches, power and glory. It seems that when well-formed consciences and Catholic culture are not the most prominent forces in your soul, this corporate greed takes hold of your noble objectives.

It is imperative that no one should be complacent about the future moral state of our dear island country because if we abandon our Catholic principles any further, the structure of our sane morality will in time crumble.

John Azzopardi, Zabbar

Investors need to join forces to defend interests

There is certainly a big need for the retail investor to join forces to defend his interests. The investment world is full of risks and if there is no one to guide the investor, the risk is even much greater.

Investment advice to the man in the street is very lacking in Malta and, as this country has now become an important financial centre, the Maltese are continually being enticed by many financial providers to buy their products. This will certainly result in many retail investors falling for this enticement and, due to the lack of guidance, it is very probable that they will invest haphazardly and will later regret their decision when they realise that the investment they bought was not adequate for their circumstances.

Unfortunately, most Maltese investors have not yet realised that it is necessary that they join an association like MASS, in fact there is presently fewer than 1% of Maltese investors who have joined the Malta Association of Small Investors.

At this moment, MASS is going through an intensive exercise to encourage the Maltese investor to join the association. Every month it organises a conference during which a professional speaker talks about a subject which is of interest to investors. Those who attend are invited to become members and all they pay as membership is five euros yearly. This covers the monthly mailing of the association’s newsletter, that they are advised whenever MASS has an event which they can attend free of charge as well as various notices giving them information which concerns investors.

MASS is continually in contact with all companies quoted on the Malta Stock Exchange. It also keeps contact with most companies which offer investment advice. This ensures that, as much as possible, the local investor would be warned about any risk which arises.

This year the association will be making a survey which will give it better information about the reaction of the investment consumer to the movements in investment prices and other changes. This will ensure that the association will be in a better position to help the investor.

I encourage the investor to become a member of this association so as to ensure that someone is taking care of their interests. For more information, one should access the website: www.mass.org.mt or send an email to: [email protected]. 

Saviour Buttigieg, Treasurer, Malta Association of Small Shareholders