Letters • February 29 2004

Invisible (non family) future Prime Minister
Alan Castillo
Xemxija

Dear honourable next Prime Minister,
First of all, congratulations. Two weeks ago (Malta Today - 22 February), one of the candidates for leader of the PN was quoted as saying that if there are shifts in the ideas of party members, then debate on the subject of divorce should be encouraged, since his leadership would not impose its ideas on people.
Another said that he recognises that it is a great concern for some people, and would promote the common good in the best socially-just and inclusive manner possible.
The third said he is always in favour of discussion, because it is an integral part of the formulation of any policy.
Now, it is you who will be next Prime Minister.
I am sure that although you have managed to defeat your two colleagues, you have respected their ideas all along, which, at the end of the day, were not very different from your own.
Vis-a-vis divorce, you may wish to start off by considering to ask your party members if there have been shifts in their ideas.
May I respectfully recommend, however, that any survey you may wish to conduct, be done on an anonymous basis. You do want the real truth after all.
I assure you that you will find the results illuminating.
Thereafter, you may wish to compare those results with the thousands of Maltese Citizens who need, nay, crave for divorce and the right to re-marry, as well as with those other multiple thousands who support its introduction.
Finally, may I also respectfully point out that in the next General Election, the matter of EU membership is not an issue any more, nor are the hunters, boat-house owners and so forth.
Next time round, those thousands of citizens who swore to vote for any party who favours and promotes the introduction of divorce, will do just that.
On more mundane matters, however, you may wish to read a letter of mine that appeared in ‘The Times’ and ‘The Independent’ on 19 and 20 February respectively (under the title: ‘Invisible - non-family - non-persons’), regarding urgent family leave and Legal Notice 296, and what I respectfully feel is also now your moral, social and political obligation to review said Legal Notice accordingly.