Still waiting for answers

I meet fewer and fewer people who read much these days or even care to read at all. It is all social media, snippets, not even a glimpse of the TV news.

The other day I had a conversation with someone and somehow, we got talking about news and I was faced with the question of how I get along with Chatgpt. I answered by saying that I had never used it.  There was a giggle, and a retort:  “U ejja, you cannot expect me to believe that you do not use Chatgpt.”  I looked more than baffled and then responded as I do when I am irritated: “I am too proud to use artificial intelligence to put together my thoughts.”

Every Saturday for the last 40 years I have been at my desk, in my office writing my opinion column. I am old school; we scorn the social media and the sensational one liners and the plagiarism of lies and untruths.

Well, that was that and today, as I write my last opinion for the year – without using Chatgpt – I thought hard of what I could write differently from the previous years. I wanted something that could have more meaning and purpose so, I thought of asking all the questions that I have had no clear answers for. 

Here they are:

1.         Why did the Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg and the Commissioner of Police Angelo Gafa not investigate and interrogate all the listed individuals in Magistrate Gabriella Vella’s Vitals inquiry before arraigning them?

2.         Why did deputy prime minister Chris Fearne have to take the brunt of the political and criminal ‘responsibility’ of the decisions taken in the Vitals/Steward case when they were collective Cabinet decisions taken by the Muscat and Abela administrations?

3.         Should the Abela administration strip Joseph Muscat of all his government perks and office in the face of such serious criminal accusations?

4.         By attributing collective criminal responsibility to former civil servants but not to the Cabinet, does this mean that in future all government policy decisions tainted with alleged abuse of power or corruption will implicate civil servants who implement policies?

5.         Why does the Nationalist Party or rather Bernard Grech not take the initiative to kick start magisterial inquiries instead of leaving the lead to former Nationalist parliamentarian Jason Azzopardi?

6.         Has the PN realised that the only way it can win a national election is to convince Roberta Metsola to lead it?  And if so, is anyone trying to convince her?

7.         Is Roberta Metsola so self-centred and egoistic to only look to Malta when she needs the votes or is she being shrewd when and how she will return?

8.         Why is there such a big reluctance in not adjusting salaries of elected parliamentarians and Cabinet ministers to ensure that they can be full time politicians?

9.         Gender quotas have not contributed to more quality politicians in the House of Representatives, on the contrary they have guaranteed mediocrity and undervalued the importance of an elected parliamentarian who is elected after reaching an electoral quota.  Why not abolish them?

10.       Planning laws need to be revisited to stop the plunder of our towns and villages. Will Robert Abela address this?

11.       Should we be thinking of limiting the issuance of more hotels and boutique hotels instead of only talking of overpopulation?

12.       What will be the legacy of this administration?

13.       Don’t Arnold Cassola, Cyrus Engerer and Sandra Gauci realise that a fragmented opposition has no chance of getting elected and that together they have a better chance to get a seat in parliament?

14.       Should we be taking a much stronger stance as a country against Israeli aggression in Palestine?

15.       How will we continue to keep our independence from US pressure?

16.       Can we be clear whether we need an alternative transport system such as the tram or metro in Malta apart from our dependence on the private car and public transport?

17.       Are we sure we want to enter into a discussion on euthanasia in 2025?

A happy new year to all our readers. See you in 2025.