Dahrendorf rivizitat.
F’dan is-sens ir-rwol ta’ Dahrendorf kien pożittiv. Kien sinjal ta’ allarm tal-insostenibbiltà soċjali ta’ guffaġni politika. F’mument fejn l-aktar li kellna bżonn nifirxu l-eġemonija tagħna fl-irkejjen kollha tas-soċjetà ċivili – kundizzjoni essenzjali biex nibnu soċjetà tabilħaqq progressiva – ħraqna eluf ta’ alleati li kellna bżonnhom bħall-ħobż. L-għażla ta’ Joseph Muscat bħala mexxej tindika li qiegħdin nitgħallmu mill-imgħoddi.
“Imsieken dawn il-Maltin!” Hekk żgur jgħid Ralf Dahrendorf kieku kellu jaqra wħud mill-affarijet li nkitbu dwaru f’dawn il-jiem f’Malta. Jien kont student gradwat tas-soċjoloġija fil-London School of Economics and Political Science (magħrufa aħjar bħala l-LSE) fl-ewwel snin tiegħu bħala direttur ta’ dan iċ-ċentru ewlieni fil-qasam tax-xjenzi soċjali.
Kien in-nofs tas-snin 70 u Dahrendorf kien għadu ‘biss’ ċittadin Ġermaniż. Kiseb iċ-ċittadinanza doppja fl-1988 meta kien onorat bil-KBE, ħames snin qabel ma nħatar membru għal għomru tal-House of Lords. Ma kinitx ħaġa stramba li professur barrani jilħaq Direttur tal-LSE. Dan il-kulleġġ tal-Università ta’ Londra (illum awtonomu) kellu fama bħala d-‘dar’ ta’ wħud mill-aħjar imħuħ tal-kontinent Ewropew, fosthom dawk li kienu ħarbu mid-ditta-tura Nażista tal-Ġermanja fis-snin 30 u 40.
Din kienet l-LSE li Herbert Ganado kien identifika bħala ċentru ta’ propaganda soċjalista u komunista li saħansitra, ma nafx kif imma dejjem skont Ganado, kienet għajn ta’ ispirazzjoni politika għal Mintoff (Rajt Malta Tinbidel, Vol. 3, it-tieni edizzjoni, 1977, p.290). Safejn naf jien, il-Perit Oxford studja u mhux l-LSE. Veru li din twaqqfet fl-1895 permezz ta’ somma flus li l-Fabian Society, għaqda soċjal-riformista qrib il-Partit Laburista, wirtet mingħand donatur. Veru wkoll, iżda, li l-LSE malajr żviluppat f’ċentru ta’ eċċellenza internazzjonali li ġibdet lejha ħassieba brillanti imma frankament konservattivi bħal Karl Popper (1902-1994) u Friederich August Hayek (1899-1992), it-tnejn idoli ta’ Margaret Thatcher (ċertament mhix xellugija).
Dahrendorf laħaq direttur fl-1974, l-istess sena li Hayek rebaħ il-Premju Nobel għall-Ekonomija, u sena qabel li Thatcher laħqet kap tal-Partit Konservattiv. Il-kredenzjali tiegħu għal din il-kariga kienu eċċellenti: kien studja taħt Popper l-LSE fis-snin 50 u hemm kiseb il-PhD, kien għallem is-soċjoloġija f’Amburgu, f’Tubinga u f’Kostanza u ppub-blika l-kapulavur “Klassi u konflitt ta’ klassi fis-soċjetà industrijali”. Kellu wkoll esperjenza politika u amministrattiva: kien deputat tal-FDP (żgur mhux partit xellugi), segretarju parlamentari u Kummissarju Ewropew (l-ewwel għall-affarijet barranin u kummerċ, imbagħad għax-xjenza, ir-riċerka u l-edukazzjoni).
Madankollu, f’Malta fior del mondo, Ganado seta’ jikteb hekk: “Il-London School of Economics […] kellha wkoll filosofija ekonomika Soċjalista. Sa ftit ilu kienet f’idejn Lasky, orjentat lejn il-Komuniżmu. Issa […] qiegħda f’idejn Dah-rendorf li, waqt li qed nikteb, ippreżenta r-rapport tal-kummissjoni li ppresieda fuq l-Università ta’ Malta” (op.cit. p.291). L-avukat Ganado kien qed jinsinwa li minn xi ħadd li kien qed imexxi istitut allegatament imnebbaħ mill-Marxiżmu ateju u anti-klerikali (jaqleb għal dan is-suġġett immedjatament fl-istess paġna), wieħed kellu bilfors jistenna proposti li jissovvertu t-tradizzjonijet sagrosanti tal-kultura Maltija.
Il-pandemonju li qam bir-riformi tal-Università ta’ Malta huwa parti mill-istorija ta’ pajjiżna iżda għadu frisk wisq fil-memorja ta’ min għex dak il-perjodu, biex din l-istorja tinkiteb b’mod seren u kemm jista’ jkun oġġettiv. F’dak il-kuntest, l-għażla ta’ Dahrendorf biex imexxi l-Kummissjoni kienet tajba: intellettwali kbir, eks Kummissarju Ewropew għall-edukazzjoni, politikament differenti mill-gvern li kkummissjonah.
Il-PL ftit jiem ilu ħareġ stqarrija li wriet maturità politika kbira. Qabel xejn, sellem lil Dahrendorf u fakkar kemm għamel biex kattar il-kultura Ġermaniża f’Malta f’perjodu meta l-komprensjoni reċiproka kienet essenzjali biex jitkattar l-investiment Ġermaniż f’Malta (il-Ġermanja kienet għajn ewlenija ta’ investiment fis-snin 70). Imbagħad irrefera għar-rwol ‘pożittiv’ li kellu Dahrendorf fil-kwistjoni tar-riformi tal-edukazzjoni għolja, liema rwol jeħtieġ li jkun rivalwat fil-kuntest storiku ta’ dawk iż-żminijiet.
X’jista’ jfisser dak il-‘pożittiv’? Kif fakkruna wħud li ħatfu l-okkażjoni tal-mewt ta’ Dahrendorf il-ġimgħa li għaddiet biex mingħalihom iħammru wiċċ il-PL (imma ma rnexxielhom jagħmlu xejn ħlief li jikkonfermaw kemm huma ‘msieken’), f’ċertu mument tal-proċess ta’ riforma Dahrendorf kien qal ċar u tond li hu ma kienx jaqbel ma dak kollu li kien qed jagħmel il-gvern laburista. Illum qiegħdin naraw li kieku dakinhar il-Partit Laburista kellu jinterpreta id-dissens ta’ Dahrendorf korrettament, x’aktarx li numru kbir ta’ persuni li setgħu joqorbu lejna ma kinux ikomplu jitbiegħdu minna, u oħrajn li kienu viċin tagħna ma kinux jitilquna. Mhux qed ngħid missna warrabna l-għan li niirriformaw l-edukazjoni għolja, imma li missna fassalna il-pjani tagħna b’mod aktar għaqli u fittxejna kunsens akbar biex ‘nwettqu ir-riforma.
F’dan is-sens ir-rwol ta’ Dahrendorf kien pożittiv. Kien sinjal ta’ allarm tal-insostenibbiltà soċjali ta’ guffaġni politika. F’mument fejn l-aktar li kellna bżonn nifirxu l-eġemonija tagħna fl-irkejjen kollha tas-soċjetà ċivili – kundizzjoni essenzjali biex nibnu soċjetà tabilħaqq progressiva – ħraqna eluf ta’ alleati li kellna bżonnhom bħall-ħobż. L-għażla ta’ Joseph Muscat bħala mexxej tindika li qiegħdin nitgħallmu mill-imgħoddi.
X’differenza bejn it-ton tal-istqarrija tal-PL u dak ta’ xi stqarrijiet u kummenti li qrajna fil-gazzetti Maltin f’dawn il-jiem! Hemm min ma jitlifx opportunità biex jipprova jerġa’ jqajjem l-ispirtu ta’ kon-frontazzjoni u ta’ gwerra qad-disa ta’ żminijiet li biex xi darba nifhmuhom neħtieġu kuraġġ u maturità intellettwali kbar
Mario Vella
Dan l-artiklu deher fit-Torca 29 Gunju 2009 http://www.it-torca.com/news.asp?newsitemid=8040
Ritratt: Ralf Dahrendorf f’diskussjoni pubblika ma Rudi Dutschke, 1968. Hajr: die Tageszeitung (taz.de) http://www.taz.de/1/leben/koepfe/artikel/1/der-minirock-wurde-nicht-1968-erfunden/
watersbroken 
The article lets in a long awaited breath of fresh air.
The PL has come of age, showing a deep sense of maturity, creating an intelligent frame of mind wherein one can analyze with clarity and comment critically on its past – learning without the need of drawing blood.
I do not remember such a mature attitude. But then, it could have been too early. This positive inclination is to be allowed to prosper and reap results.
Regrettably, at this point in time the PN cannot do the same and be as critical. The Eddie and Gonzi heritage of bluffs, blunders and false pretensions is too recent for the PN bosses to acknowledge, without suffering great repercussions. Actually, their sham goes on.
Nevertheless, the PL has to do it for them and in the process wash the country clean from the PN bosses’ high and mighty self righteousness. Thousands of disillusioned people have realized how they we were hoodwinked conned and defrauded.
The PL’s young mature leader shows that he has the balls to call a spade a spade and is certainly reaching out to those who have had enough of PN deceit and are now eager to cross over and give their consent to the alternative vision that the PL is offering.
Yes, it is time we revisited our (meaning MLP’s) past. Not out of masochism. Nor out of nostalgia. But to learn from the mistakes of the past. With Joseph in the lead it is finally possible to do this not as John Baptists in the desert but as appreciated and valued contributors to the the new movement we are building. Mario Vella’s articles are part of the earthquake announced by Joseph Muscat.
@ Kaizen
I disagree very strongly with Kaizen when he writes that he does “not remember such a mature attitude. But then, it could have been too early.” I have been following Mario Vella’s writing since the end of the 70s and the attitude hasn’t changed. If at all it has matured further. He was only a student then. A lot of water and millions of words have flowed under the bridge since then. I also remember Mario’s column in the Torca (or was it Orizzont) in the run up to the 1987 elections and in its aftermath. He was as outspoken then about Labour’s apparent disinterest in winning consensus for its world view outside of its shrinking constituency, as he is now. By flushing history down the loo (that is what a statement like Kaizen’s “it could have been to early” amounts to) we are again missing the opportunity of learning from the past.
Galea P. is of course right. The stock explanation that the time is not ripe for the truth is one way of avoiding a serious discussion. Do you know that there are people in the PL today (yes in Joseph’s rocking PL) that think that Mario Vella ought to keep his big mouth shut?
@ Miriam
Name and shame, Miriam! Name and bloody well shame them!
@ P.Galea.
Hi mate, did I explain myself badly? My apologies if I did. I completely agree with you that one cannot move forward by flushing history down the loo. We can only learn from the past and one can do that by recognizing both past mistakes and successes. While successes may not be repeatable one must not repeat mistakes.
“But then, it could have been too early” meant that, in the past, it was difficult for the PL to openly accept criticism owing to not sufficient time having elapsed for personal pride and arrogance to be subdue. Now, as Miriam says the PL is presently in a situation where there is a golden opportunity for serious discussion whereby the leadership can demonstrate that the PL is manly enough to admit past errors. This opportunity must not be missed. It can only gain admiration.
With regards to “I do not remember such a mature attitude” you may strongly disagree with me, but sorry, I don’t. [Perhaps I was too often abroad in the mid 80’s]. As you say, and I have no reason not to believe you, Vella was outspoken, and I cannot but complement him for that. However, as you further mentioned, the party, was not interested. It paid the price and how it paid it.
Today the situation is different. The leadership recognises the feelings and needs of the general public, friends and critics. And Vella has matured further.
@ Kaizen and others
Of course Kaizen is right. Men, as Cha’lie Marks said, make history but only according to the circumstances they find themselves in. The point is not if need for radical change in the Labour Party was already discussed or not ten, fifteen, twenty or twentyfive years ago. The point is why, although some individuals recognised and advocated this change, it did not come about.
Mario Vella