PRIME MINISTER DUMPS DAUGHTER IN THE MIDST OF LOVE ISLAND

by a Blog Writer

Last January, the prime minister told us that he is not comfortable allowing his daughter to walk alone in Valletta. The same man just threw the same daughter in her black bikinis in the midst of the Love Island cast in his garden. This is as low as we can go when it comes to protecting our children from harm’s way. It was sickening to see the girl and her mother host a lunch at the PM’s official residence in Girengenti. It was a deliberate political stunt to curry favour with teenagers around the island who flocked to the TV series. However, it was also a political ploy that matched Love Island for no brains and no morals.There is no greater warrior than a father protecting his child. Yet, our prime minister failed the daughter he loves for the sake of his political career.

Girgenti

Labour winning teenage votes may be important. But at what price? The girl needs her father’s protection more than her mother’s thirst for adult actors. Maltese parents work and die so that their children would grow and prosper. The Abelas put the cart before the horse when they pushed their 11-year old daughter into the wider settings of adult entertaintainment in order to boost her father’s career on the fleeting popularity front.

Love Islander & Mrs Abela

An 11-year old is still in the process of developing her critical thinking and reasoning abilities. A political and adult oriented circus is more than a young girl can handle with a mature mind. Manipulting her emotionally flies against her well-being and development. At her age, she cannot grasp the nuances of politics and adult entertainment themes. She is vulnerable and impressionable. Only as she matures can she form her own mind and perspectives on complex situations. Shielding her from these potential negative experiences allows her to grow and flourish in a supportive environment. Dr. Abela knows this or should know better. What he and his wife did is irresponsible. It doesn’t befit the office of the prime minister.

Using someone under the age of sixteen in a political campaign is exactly what both parties have promised not to do in conjunction with the Commissioner for Children. In the “Guidelines on the Participation of Children in Political Campaigns,” published by the Commissioner in conjuction with the MCCAA,  children who get immersed in political communications should be “protected from the very beginning of the process until the end… The children involved need to know… the negative aspects of taking part in this production… Children should… not [be] made to act… older than they are… All children taking part should have a consent form signed by their parents/guardians allowing them to take part. The parents/guardians and children chosen to take part are to allow professionals such as psychologists… and counselors to assess their children before the activities start… The assessment will inform parents… whether it is in the best interests of the child to take part.”

Ah, Maltese rules and regulations. They don’t apply to “taghna lkoll, fuqna lkoll.” The higher up they are, the more dizzying it gets for justice to put them in place. The arm of law falls short in the face of power. Christianity, however, does not excuse anyone from love and respect. A couple of years ago, little Georgia Mea Abela delivered a beautiful Christmas sermon at the Immaculate Conception Church in Bormla. The Christian spirit lives on until it doesn’t. Parents have a moral responsibility to serve as role models to their children. When a mother starts cozying up to Love Island characters, she can only confuse and mislead her child, potentially leading her astray from a moral and righteous path. What is the message to the young daughter? To imitate the behavior or adopt similar attitudes to the Love Islanders? Corrupting the pre-teen daughter’s innocence disrupts her emotional and spiritual well-being. A father should promote virtues and help his daughter to align her life with Christian teachings. PM Abela is admired by many, and consequentially copied by many. He could set great examples to Maltese fathers. Sadly, when it comes to the protection of the innocent, he increasingly unnerves many Maltese of good will. We are all accountable to the same Master.