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TThhee VVooiiccee( W ooe affre tftohrh thee G rMMeatera aMalllttta)ee ssee Issue 251 April 20, 2021 A fortnightly print and digital magazine The clear waters of GHAR LAPSI (limits of Siggiewi) on a beautiful sunny day with Filfla island in background The new junction project at Marsa the biggest ever infrastructural project in Malta consisting of seven ﬂyovers, with an investment of €70 milion was inaugurated last Thursday by Malta Prime Minister Robert Abela (see report on page 11) 2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday, April 20, 2021 The convening of the representatves from the Mal - tese diaspora in the last convention in 2015 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta Wssuehs dealoing w irth tehe Maaltelsel diyaspor a mor rathear whdat we Aanot henr idea is mthat of ae “vi rtaual fborumr” for yoaungd Malt? ese call the Greater Malta rarely make the headlines in Malta living abroad, as well as a ‘Jien Malti’ (I Am Maltese) campaign nowadays. The annual report of the Council of Maltese Liv - to address the decline of interest in community activities among Iing Abroad, which was presented to the Parliamentary Standing descendants of the original diaspora, in countries hosting large Committee, caught the eye of the Maltatoday news portal’s cor - communities of migrants such as Australia, the USA and respondent, James Debono. Canada. Rather than emphasising what the Council has achieved, the The digital campaign would be based on video clips in which writer reported about the Minister for Foreign and European Af - Maltese living abroad speak about what makes them Maltese. fairs Evarist Bartolo, the current chairperson of the CMLA’s Works are also in progress to create a digital platform for the proposal for a forum for Maltese experts living abroad, which teaching of the Maltese language. Members of the council noted will also be open to the public in Malta itself. The forum will that current courses offered by the University were too expen - be tasked with forging a sense of national identity and collabo - sive to entice third-generation Maltese who have lost touch with ration between Maltese “who have made a name abroad”. their language. However, the Council’s report notes various in - The article states that, despite its long history of emigration, stances in which local authorities have scoffed at requests by Malta has rarely nurtured its own diaspora communities with the Council to enhance the link with communities abroad. few figures of prominence carrying the name of their ancestors’ Another proposal is for the PBS weekly TV news in Maltese origin onto the world stage. Yet, few are the names whose per - on SBS Australia to feature subtitles in a way that makes it ac - sona could nurture Malta’s global influence and soft power in a cessible and understood by younger generations of the diaspora way that compen - community. sates for small size The Council also held discussions on the possibility of creating and limited clout. an e-ID for Maltese living abroad through which they can ac - The Forum of Mal - cess government services. Identity Malta has not excluded it tese experts living but has described the request as complicated requiring an addi - abroad would be ex - tional cost and the creation of new software to cater for a new pected to offer a vi - tier of people who are technically ineligible for an ID card. sion for Malta’s The Planning Authority has also shot down a request to start global contribution informing Maltese emigrants about any planning applications in “network of ex - presented in the vicinity of property they own in Malta. The PA pertise.” It would replied that these could still access planning documents on the then “identify PA’s digital information system, even if access to plans requires niches of opportu - an E-ID. nity for common en - Another issue discussed by the Council is the declining cohort deavours”, enabling of clerics serving in the diaspora. However, no call for expres - it to contribute “to a sion of interest issued by the Maltese Curia has been successful. vision of a future Moreover, since the church faces a similar problem at home, it Malta… as an active is unlikely that more Maltese priests will be willing to serve in contributor in both other countries. the regional and Minister Evarist Bartolo global level.” *Reaction by prominent Maltese in Australia on opposite page Tuesday, April 20, 2021 The Voice of the Maltese 3 *from opposite page In view of the importance of these developments, about the decisions by the Council of the Maltese Living Abroad and the article produced in the Maltese newspaper, The Voice of the Maltese has pieced together the views of prominent Mal - tese in Australia. Below is their reaction The reaction by prominent Maltese The members of the Council of the Maltese Living Abroad in their in Australia meeting in 2018 under the chairmanship of Minister Carmelo Abela he article by James Debono in the education (sadly deficient in the original where its citizens were forbidden to settle. April 1 issue of Maltatoday be - cohort), social cohesion, their economic The previous Councils have been making moans the situation in the diaspora status, etc. suggestions for improvement on a regular Tand deplores the “few figures of promi - In all of these parameters, the Maltese of basis, which have been largely ignored. nence carrying the name of their ancestors' the Diaspora have done very well. Com - They include a dedicated interactive web - origin onto the world stage”. pare the proportion of persons with higher site that has now been established through This gives a skewed vision of the migra - academic qualifications that in the 1950s, the Museum for Emigration at Dar l-Emi - tion process and misses the point about when most migrants left Malta was a grant and by other individuals not men - Maltese settlement overseas. miserly three per cent, and even now, tioned in the article, and certainly other There are now four times as many sec - when at about 30 per cent, Malta have one efforts previously left to Maltese “who ond-and-subsequent generation Maltese of the lowest proportions compared to the have made a name abroad”. compared to the first generation who were rest of the EU. Also missing is any reference to efforts born in Malta, and while the first genera - by members of the diaspora to publica - tion of Malta-born is continuously and Measure of success tions about highlighting the achievements now precipitously declining, the number In Australia, the proportion is nearer of fellow Maltese, such as Prof Maurice of second and subsequent generation 50%. We can add to this almost full em - Cauchi's: Maltese Achievers in Australia, shows a healthy increase. ployment, one of the highest home own - A Who’s Who of Maltese background in The difference is that the remaining num - ership rates compared to other ethnic Australia and NZ, Maltese-born women ber (the Malta-born) first-generation still groups and the general Australian popula - writers in Australia, Lawrence Dimech's largely speak Maltese, have a Maltese ac - tion, and similar criteria that is a far better work in journalism, Manwel Casha's work cent, and largely follow the Maltese cus - measure of success of a community than on maintaining Maltese indigenous music , toms they brought with them. the odd number of members of parliament. Chircop's work on the Egyptian Diaspora, Alternatively, most of the second and The writer refers to the Council for Mal - Mark Caruana’s in research, many others subsequent generations consider them - tese Living Abroad as if it was a recent in - and the work of many Maltese organisa - selves primarily as citizens of their vention, when in fact its first meeting tions around Australia. adopted country rather than as primarily occurred in 2000. Lack of encouragement is the absence of Maltese, and while they have retained Initially, Conventions were held every 10 Maltese citizens who have been recog - some elements of the original Maltese cul - years under the aegis of the Emigrants' nised by the Malta government in the an - ture that is merely a romantic addition and Commission. Later, under the chairman - nual honours list, in contrast to that of the is not their main interest. ship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government, where they are far Their culture and outlook are not differ - more frequently. better represented. A mention of this work ent from others born and bred in Australia Although “Malta has rarely nurtured its would have produced a better balance to or their new country of origin. It is curious own diaspora communities” that have been the article of the Maltatoday opinion writer to think left to fend for themselves: the best exam - The lack of interest in the concept of The that what constitutes the success of the di - ple of this is the lack of support when in Greater Malta that constitutes more than aspora can be measured by the undoubted 1956 the Maltese Diaspora in Egypt were half of the Maltese citizens in the world success of a "few figures of prominence"! eliminated and left to find a new home all comes from the top echelons of Maltese More significant would be the degree of over the world with the exception of Malta society and especially the media. The representatives of the Mal - tese living abroad at the 2015 Convention at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta 4 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Prominent well-connected lawyer and proud of her Maltese heritage The personality nominated for the month of April is a respected lawyer specialising in Industrial relations and proud of her Maltese heritage.

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