Souad Massi in Central Park

Last night I went to a SummerStage concert in Central Park featuring the wonderful Souad Massi and her band. It was a lovely summer evening and the music was a welcome change of pace from all the commercial junk on mainstream media. What would I do without BBC 6 Music? That's where I first heard Souad Massi, on the Bob Harris Show.

Souad Massi is from Algeria. She sings most of her songs in Arabic. Her type of music is often described as Rai, and it has been popularlized by singers like Cheb Mami (who sang Desert Rose with Sting) and Cheb Khaled, who's music I heard for the first time about 15 years ago thanks to the ever-resourceful Guzi Gatt.

As I sat there on the bleachers in Central Park last night, I couldn't stop but think about the Maltese counterparts to Souad Massi and other Rai musicians. Sadly, they are few and far between. However, the examples that came to mind are quite remarkable.

The first is Mary Rose Mallia, singing that set of delightful songs written by Charles Camilleri and Joe Friggieri on Songs from Malta. The second would have to be Vince Fabri's songs based on Oliver Friggieri's Mal-Fanal Hemm Ħarstek Tixgħel, with the exquisite voice of Philisienne Brincat. And the only other example I can think of is the Etnika combo, which appeared in recent years, or perhaps some of the songs by Fr. Karm Debattista. Still, something tells me that the work Walter Micallef is doing now would also fit in this category. I must look into getting his CD M'Jien Xejn, which was published last year.

Happy Birthday Mr. Prime Minister

Today is Prime Minister Gonzi's birthday. I wish him all the best on this day, which also happens to be his 100th day in office.

I'm most fascinated by the fact that July is a crucial month for Malta's Prime Ministers' birthdays. Fortunato Mizzi, who was Prime Minister for a short period after World War II, was born on 5 July 1844. Gorg Borg Olivier, who was Prime Minister for most of the 1960s, was born on the same day as Fortunato Mizzi, but in 1911. And Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who became Prime Minister after Dom Mintoff resigned in the early 1980s, was born on 17 July 1933.

Interestingly enough, one former Prime Minister died in July. Paul Boffa died on 6 July 1962 at the age of 72.

I wonder how many more Maltese Prime Ministers will be born or die during the month of July.

Incidentally, don't think I'm a history buff, because I'm not. I know all this from the wonderful database at aboutmalta.com called Today in Maltese History. All this can also be sampled via email through the aboutmalta.com Newsletter; the July 2004 issue was released today.

Who benefits from electoral reform in Malta?

I was delighted to read in today's news that Malta's Green Party (Alternattiva Demokratika) has requested the other two political parties in Malta to hold discussions on electoral reform. I was equally pleased to see that both the PN and the MLP have already expressed interest in discussing such reforms.

In the light of the huge support the Green Party received from voters in the recent European Parliament and Local Council elections, it stands to reason that the current electoral system is not adequate in reflecting a democratic representation of the people's current will. I've been perplexed for many years as to why Malta still uses a system inherited from the British colonial days, when the system is not even used in Britain any more!

Let's hope that the PN sees this as an opportunity to gain the credibility it clearly lost in this year's elections. And let's also hope that the MLP is still jubilant by what it considers to be its natural drive towards a huge victory in the next general elections. In these respective frames-of-mind, both major parties are perhaps at the most advantageous position in considering electoral reform, which can give 10% or so of the Maltese population the right to be represented in parliament, both nationally and on the continental level.

If the ultimate question is who benefits from electoral reform in Malta, I would say that it is everyone. I say this without hesitation or partisan sentiment because I strongly believe that when minority voices are heard loud and clear, democracy is broadened. The broader the sense of democracy is in any society, the more pleasant it is to live within its fold.