Hoping that lies will prevail

In this pre-electoral season, the PN has already embarked on its campaign of deceit to scare voters away from the Labour Party. This campaign will intensify in the weeks ahead. Most of the lies invented by the PN against the Labour Party will be spread through whispering campaigns at places of work.

To reinforce the message, some of these lies will be repeated by PN speakers during political debates on the media.

These lies are also being spread online.

Let's consider four lies that are already being spread in education to scare teachers, students and parents away from voting for a Labour government:

Lie 1: a Labour government would remove or reduce the stipends given to University, MCAST, ITS and sixth form students.

Lie 2: a Labour government would extend school hours for teachers till 4.00pm.

Lie 3: a Labour government would reduce the number of Learning Support Assistants that help children with disability in schools.

Lie 4: a Labour government would not build any new government schools.

The Labour Party in government has absolutely no plans to remove or reduce stipends, or extend school hours for teachers or cut down on the number of Learning Support Assistants needed for children with disability. For 20 years, we raised awareness about the dire state of school buildings when the PN used to accuse us of making a fuss. We will build new State schools.

When the PN resorts to lies to try and scare voters away from Labour, it shows how morally and politically bankrupt it has become. It has lost its vision and its values and needs to renew itself in Opposition.

But as it wants to cling to power at all costs, the PN will be conducting a deceitful campaign against Labour policies and where it cannot attack them, it will invent them, hoping that if it repeats its lies against Labour, over and over again, some of those lies will be believed.

Once upon a time, the PN used to say, "truth will prevail". Now it hopes that "lies will prevail".

Hating LGBT persons unacceptable

On 13 January at 7.30pm, while with her friend in Hamrun Square, a 16-year-old girl was attacked by three boys (simply for being gay) and had to be treated for a fractured nose and other injuries after they hit her and dragged her by her hair.

The bullying, the hate, the violence that still goes on in our society in families, in schools, at the work place and places of entertainment against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) persons is totally unacceptable.

Most of this violence against LGBT persons goes largely unreported and as it is hidden from the public eye, is not at all high on the national agenda.

LGBT people are still persecuted in our society and some of them are even driven to suicide.

The relevant NGOs - Malta Gay Rights Movement, Aditus, We Are and Drachma Parents' Group - are right to call for a change in hate crime legislation to include the grounds of homophobia and transphobia.

A society that does not embrace diversity and still discriminates and excludes persons within it is neither just nor democratic. A State that does not give full human rights and does not treat its citizens equally - irrespective of their sexual orientation - is sending out the dangerous message that the injured party is inferior, and should be treated as such.

The State should lead by example, and change all the necessary laws to give LGBT persons the full human rights enjoyed by the rest of society.

Around 100 persons braved the cold on Thursday evening in St Paul's Square, Hamrun to call on the Minister of Justice to extend the scope of crime legislation to include other grounds such as hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) persons.

Nine NGOs organized the activity: Aditus, AD Malta, Drachma, and Drachma Parents group, Graffiti, Integra Foundation, LGBT Labour, The Malta Gay Rights Movement and We Are. I was also in attendance, along with fellow Labour MP Owen Bonnici.

Several speakers addressed us and said that "being part of a minority continues to pose certain risks... Nobody should become a target because of identity".

Gabi Calleja of MGRM said that while changing the law may not be enough to prevent violence against LGBT persons, it at least "shows those of us who could be victims of such hate crimes that justice and the law are on our side".

Calleja also stressed that any change in the law needs to be backed up by education to build "a culture of respect that celebrates diversity in all its forms".