Conversations In Malta

Notes & Interviews

Feb 22, 2024

Below are random interviews (3) conducted during my visit to Malta. They helped give me clarity on the varying opinions and trains of thought about the state of the country.

Note: To understand the context of the following conversations please review my earlier article on Maltese history and it’s current political state.

Thibert: Why is it that they (young adults) feel disillusioned with politics?

Interviewee: Just because nothing ever really changes. Umm it’s kind of the reality of how it is. It’s not really a democracy. Ummm I mean you have Joe Biden as a perfect example.

Thibert: You mean Sleepy Joe?

Interviewee: laughs - Sleepy Joe, I like that.

Thibert: Is joining the EU the reason your country is in the state it is currently in?

Interviewee: Probably… yeah.

Thibert: Similar to the UK would there be a vote to leave the E.U.?

Interviewee: We would never do that. Because the President of the E.U. (Parliament) is Roberta Metsola who is Maltese. When her time is over there. She will run the Nationalist party in Malta.

Thibert: How do the political parties work here?

---explains the difference between Maltese political parties, President, and Prime Minister positions.

Interviewee: Nationalist Party ran things for 10 years. Now it’s Labour for…8 years. They are known to be the dirtier side but technically its not. It all depends. What’s your slang term for chav?

Explanation: Chav is a British term for someone who is considered coarse and known for brash behavior.

Thibert: There are a couple of terms that Americans use. Grimey, ghetto, underhanded.

Interviewee: In Malta we say pavaldi (??). Which means they are uneducated.

Thibert: Ghetto.

Interviewee: Yeah ok so our Labour party is ghetto.

The island is divided. Most of the North is Nationalist. The South is Labour. That has to do with the founder of their party is from the South. He fought for their rights. If you look at the history of how the Labour party was founded you understand. What it has become now is more payback.

Nationalist will punish people. They think they are right about everything. Then you have the Green party but they have no power.

Thibert: I have heard of them. They are not significant?

Interviewee: No chance. They would never win. Not now. Not in 100 years.

Thibert: Do people want them to win?

Interviewee: No. They are for sustainability and stuff but the other two parties are too large. Too big. It is a small country. Everyone knows everyone’s business. Very traditional. We don’t change.

Thibert: Is this a mafia state. Ahh you rolled your eyes. You have been asked this before?

Interviewee: Is there a mafia? Yeah.

Ok. There is a reason why are main journalist was blown up. She knew too much. The people involved was the old, past prime minster. I think he was afraid. The Nationalist party will always blame him.

There is definitely people who come here. For drugs and money. The Maltese passport is one of the top 10 most powerful in the world.

Thibert: The Golden passport.

Interviewee: I know someone who will buy one. He will use it to get into the E.U..

-Parliament Building in Valletta

Interviewee (2): This lot (Labour) has become too extreme. The place is starting to look like a concrete jungle or a mini Dubai. That’s what we the people don’t want.

I have..too much to lose here because I am a Scot first and foremost. Don’t call me British!

I have my Maltese citizenship and everything but I am going home in Jan with my daughter.

Thibert: To retire there?

Interviewee (2): No, no, no, no

Unfortunately the situation in the world. This place will be overrun. You know who they arrested about three weeks ago? They arrested these internationals. They took their mobiles. On the mobiles was the beheadings and things like that. People taken by ISIS. So obviously they were taken and put in jail. They ask to get out on bail. Of course the head of police said WHAT out of the question.

Link to article: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/execution-videos-found-phones-men-accused-involvement-terrorism.1059432

Thibert: How long have you been living here?

Interviewee (2): 50 years.

Thibert: Is being in the EU a good thing or bad.

Interviewee (2): For Malta is a good thing. There are a lot of funds. The bad thing is we the people don’t get told. We thank God Roberta Metsola is like minded with maturity. The position she wants. If we contact her she can never reply back in any way. It is because of the laws of the country. Only when something gets built bigger. In the moment I am fighting a big company that is making a mess of the roads.

Thibert: What do you think is the future of the country?

Interviewee (3): Long silence…

Ummmm ok I am not pessimist guy but I think it will be ok.

It will be ok. As long as ahhh we don’t stay like that. Independent. Stay in European Union. With European Union we got a lot. Roads.

Thibert: I hear this often but I also hear that other companies have taken some of the money from the roads.

Interviewee (3): There was a story that umm a Project Marsa.

Thibert: The Marsa Junction. A Turkish company.

Interviewee (3): Yeah, they are saying he took the money. He is in prison. (Yorgen Fenech) They say a journalist killed. They put a bomb under her car.

When you see the news compare to other countries it’s not bad. For example here kids go alone to school not like in other European cities. It is relatively still safe. Alright maybe we have, I don’t know. Maybe we have two, three cases of murder in one year.

When I was a boy to hear there was a murder was something pfffff very big news.

Thibert: I heard there is more crime because there are more migrants?

Interviewee (3): Yes, yes, yes for an example. Because there is more money here. A Maltese guy was renting a room. There was a fight he killed the Maltese guy and his partner. Two weeks ago. He killed him with a scissors because the Maltese guy was asking when we was get paid. He not paid for few months. They fight.

Link to Article: https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2023-10-15/local-news/People-injured-in-Marsa-fight-6736255636

The Maltese, I can say are a bit ahhhhh racist. Real Maltese are pro English and Americans because the NATO. We have a lot of sailors but we don’t really like Africans or Russians.

Thibert: I have read of the migrants that came from Western Africa and depart from Libya.

Interviewee (3): Now they change the route. Now they come from Lampedusa (Sicilian Archipelago) and Canary Island it’s 100 miles from here. Now they ship them to Italy.

Thibert: You have coyotes here?

Interviewee (3): Organized crime.