Academic Oration - University of Malta

Graduation Ceremony 2
Tuesday 18th November 2014 at 4.30 p.m.
JESUITS’ CHURCH – VALLETTA
Academic Oration
Dr Ivan Sammut
B.A.(Melit.),LL.D.(Melit.),M.Jur.(Melit.),LL.M.(Bruges), Ph.D.(Lond.)
Huwa tassew ta’ privileġġ u unur għalija li ġejt mistieden nagħmel dan l-indirizz fl-okkażjoni ta’ din iċ-ċelebrazzjoni speċjali.
Ippermettuli nieħu din l-opportunità biex nirringrazzja lis-Senat talli stedinni nagħmel dan id-diskors illum. Il-gradwazzjoni hija
mument speċjali fil-ħajja tagħna li tibqa’ magħna għall-kumplament ta’ ħajjitna. Hija ċ-ċelebrazzjoni ta’ sagrifiċċji u investimenti
kbar fir-riżorsi tagħna. Emmnuni li għalina, il-gradwati fil-liġi, huma tassew investiment li fih inpoġġu snin twal ta’ xogħol iebes.
Il-gradwazzjoni m’hiex biss ċelebrazzjoni tal-kisbiet attwali, imma aktar importanti, hija l-bidu ta’ mixja b’direzzjoni li se nieħdu
fil-ħajja professjonali tagħna, kemm jekk bħala avukati, nutara jew illum il-ġurnata bosta karrieri daqstant prestiġjużi f’pajjiżna jew
barra minn xtutna li jduru mal-liġi.
It-triq ’il quddiem
Xi wħud isostnu li Jum il-Gradwazzjoni qisu bħal passi fuq fallakka. Inti tħalli warajk is-sikurezza u s-sigurtà tal-università għallinċertezza u l-avventura għall-bqija ta’ ħajtek. Xi wħud minnkom terġgħu lura għat-terra firma u tkomplu bl-istudji tagħkom. Ilkumplament se tieqfu ftit fuq il-fallakka. Filwaqt li tippruvaw iżżommu l-bilanċ tagħkom biex ma taqgħux fl-ilma, tibqgħu hemm
mingħajr l-ebda idea ta’ x’se jiġri fil-futur tagħkom, ma’ min se tiltaqgħu u x’se jiġri mill-karriera tagħkom.
Jien ċert li l-kors tal-liġi bit-tajjeb u l-ħażin tiegħu kien ta’ tħejjija eċċellenti għal dan il-mument. Bla dubju, tgħallimtu kif
tiffaċċjaw il-problemi li se tiltaqgħu magħhom. Ftit tas-snin ilu, li wieħed jidħol fil-kors tal-liġi bażikament kien ifisser li probabbli
jispiċċa jaħdem bħala avukat jew nutar. Iżda dan m’għadux il-każ. Illum ma tafx x’tista’ toffrilek il-ħajja u tista’ tispiċċa tagħmel xi
ħaġa dijametrikament opposta għal dak li kont ippjanajt. Għalhekk id-Degree huwa bħal meta tkun marbut b’ċinturin tas-sigurtà.
Dan ser iżżommok fil-wiċċ sakemm issib postok fid-dinja tax-xogħol. F’dinja li qed tinbidel b’rata mgħaġġla trid tkun kapaċi
tadatta għaż-żminijiet li jkunu qegħdin jinbidlu. Jista’ jkun li jkollok iżżid mal-kwalifiki li għandek jew li ssib karriera għalkollox
ġdida. Id-dgħajsa li titla’ fuqha tista’ tkun kemm vapur lussuż kif ukoll bastiment tax-xogħol. Tista’ ddawrek mal-kosta jew
iddawrek id-dinja. Tista’ tiffaċċja maltempati jew tbaħħar fil-bnazzi bir-riħ favurik. Tista’ tagħżel id-destinazzjoni partikolari
tiegħek jew sempliċiment tara fejn jieħdok il-mewġ. Fuq dik id-dgħajsa msemmija l-ħajja se ssib ħbieb ġodda. Xi wħud se jkollhom
l-istess tamiet tiegħek. Oħrajn jista’ jkollhom l-aġenda tagħhom. Kull wieħed ser jinfluwenzak b’mod differenti.
Avukati għall-futur
Illum qegħdin tiċċelebraw l-istudji li għamiltu b’suċċess, iżda fid-dinja tal-lum il-gradwazzjoni tfisser li intom qegħdin tiġu
milqugħa għal studji ġodda kontinwi u daqstant ta’ sfida. M’intomx se timxu wisq ’il quddiem fil-ħajja b’dak li diġà tafu. Intom se
timxu ’l quddiem fil-ħajja b’dak li se titgħallmu wara li titilqu minn hawn. Spiċċa ż-żmien meta l-avukati kienu jistudjaw kodiċi u
listi twal ta’ ġurisprudenza bl-amment. Illum is-sistema legali ma teżistix weħidha iżda timxi id f’id mas-sistema legali Ewropea li
aħna naqsmu mal-Istati Membri l-oħra fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Ħafna mil-liġi li nitgħallmu u nużaw illum ma’ tappartjenix b’mod
esklussiv għas-sistema legali tagħna. Mhuwiex biżżejjed li nkunu nafu l-liġi tagħna sewwa, għax is-soluzzjoni għall-problemi legali
tagħna tista’ tinsab f’sistemi oħra. Għalhekk l-avukati tal-lum ma jeħtiġux li jkunu jafu l-liġi li ser jużaw fil-prattika tagħhom millistudji tagħhom fl-Università, għas-sempliċi raġuni li l-liġi li jipprattikaw jista’ jkun li bħalissa għadha lanqas biss teżisti. Bl-eluf ta’
paġni ta’ leġiżlazzjoni ġdida kull sena li jiġu mill-ordni ġuridiku tal-UE u minn bnadi oħra, huwa importanti li tkun taf kif tfittex
il-liġi applikabbli, li tifhimha, u li tħaddimha tajjeb għall-klijent tiegħek. Għalhekk din hija sfida li l-gradwati tal-liġi jridu jkunu
lesti għaliha.
L-avukati tal-lum ma jeħtiġux li jkunu sempliċiment kritiċi, iżda jeħtieġ li b’moħħ miftuħ ikunu innovattivi u jmorru lil hinn minn
dak li huwa konvenzjonali. Jien ċert li l-gradwati tagħna ħaddnu modi ġodda ta’ kif jgħallmu u jitgħallmu l-liġi u se jkomplu
jħeġġu modi aktar innovattivi ta’ kif jitgħallmu l-liġi. L-użu tat-teknoloġija informatika kien instrumentali f’bidla bħal din. Illum
bl-għafsa ta’ buttuna wieħed jista’ jkollu aċċess għal riżorsi legali li qabel lanqas kien jimmaġinahom, lanqas fil-bidu tal-istudji
undergraduate. Il-lekċers huma utli mhux neċessarjament biex tingħadda l-informazzjoni, iżda aktar bħala stimolu biex tingħata
għajnuna lill-istudenti dwar kif isibu l-liġi applikabbli, jifhmuha, u jħaddmuha. It-teknoloġija informatika u t-tagħlim mill-bogħod
mhux bilfors jgħallmuna dan. Iva, fid-dinja tal-lum, l-għarfien fl-IT, għal min hu gradwat fil-liġi, huwa essenzjali daqs l-għarfien
fil-lingwi tagħna. Mingħajr IT fil-liġi wieħed ma jistax jikkompeti fis-suq legali internazzjonali.
Illum l-avukati mhumiex l-uniċi esperti fil-liġi. L-istudji legali qegħdin isiru iktar importanti għal professjonijiet u oqsma ta’
studju oħrajn. Jekk għandek bżonn parir fiskali jew kummerċjali, l-avukat jikkompeti ma’ kontabilist jew awditur. Jekk għandek
bżonn parir dwar il-liġi tal-familja l-avukat jikkompeti mal-assistenti soċjali jew terapisti tal-familja. Din hija sfida li l-gradwati filliġi jridu jilqgħu. L-għarfien fil-liġi huwa essenzjali iżda l-għarfien fi kwistjonijiet oħra huwa essenzjali wkoll. Il-liġi ma teżistix
f’fosdqa u l-avukati jeħtieġ li jkollhom esperjenzi qawwija lil hinn mil-liġi biex ikunu relevanti u jikkompetu. F’sitt snin intom
tistgħu titgħallmu biss kif ħa tkomplu titgħallmu għal raskom. Minn issa ’l quddiem fil-kurrikulu tagħkom se jkun hemm is-sillabu
ta’ x’se toffrilkom il-ħajja. Jekk titgħallmu, tirnexxu.
Il-Fakultà u d-Dipartiment tagħna
Wara li laqgħet l-isfidi li t-tagħlim kontinwu huwa essenzjali, illum il-Fakultà tagħna hija kburija li toffri diversi programmi
postgradwatorji li jistgħu jkunu ta’ interess. F’dawn l-aħħar għoxrin sena d-Dipartiment tad-Dritt Ewropew u Komparattiv li
nappartjeni fih jien, offra b’suċċess programm ta’ Master tal-Liġi, LL.M. fid-Dritt Ewropew u Komparattiv li ġie vvalidat minn
diversi eżaminaturi esterni minn universitajiet prestiġjużi minn madwar l-Ewropa. Il-programm tagħna ħarreġ avukati,
politikanti, ġurnalisti u mħallfin fost oħrajn. Aħna nilqgħu wkoll studenti minn Stati Membri oħra u anke minn pajjiżi mbiegħda
bħar-Russja u l-Istati Uniti. L-għan tagħna huwa li ngħinu lill-istudenti tagħna jistudjaw il-liġi b’analiżi fil-fond u nħeġġuhom
jaħsbu u jirriflettu kemm dwar oqsma oħra tal-liġi kif ukoll dwar oqsma studjati qabel, u f’biżżejjed dettall biex wieħed ikollu
ħakma tajba fil-qasam partikolari tal-liġi. L-LL.M. tagħna jgħin lill-istudenti jsaħħu l-abbiltajiet tagħhom biex jaħsbu b’mod
kritiku, janalizzaw argumenti legali, jinsġu ideat, jagħmlu riċerka b’mod effiċjenti u jiktbu b’mod effettiv. Dan għandu l-għan li
jħejjihom għall-karrieri professjonali jew studju ulterjuri fil-livell ta’ dottorat. Dan jagħtihom kwalifika oħra prestiġjuża.
Investiment għall-futur
Matul dawn l-aħħar snin, kif jistgħu jixhdu llum l-gradwati tagħna, sar bosta titjib mill-Fakultà tagħna. Iżda dan għadu ’l bogħod
minn dak li neħtieġu għall-futur. Il-Fakultà tagħna hija l-unika fakultà tal-liġi f’pajjiżna u sa ċertu punt hija wkoll mikrokożmu talprofessjoni legali f’Malta. Jingħad ħafna dwar ir-riforma fil-ġustizzja u l-ħtieġa li titjieb is-sistema ġudizzjarja tagħna. Ikun xieraq li
kwalunkwe riforma ġudizzjarja ta’ suċċess tibda b’iktar u iktar investiment fil-fakultà tal-liġi tagħna. Il-gradwati tagħna huma
dawk li se jagħtu ż-żejt lill-magna tar-riforma fil-ġustizzja fil-futur. U ta’ li tħallas tieħu. Inti tinvesti u inti tieħu l-profitt. Biex
inkomplu niffaċċjaw il-futur u ntejbu l-klassifikazzjoni tal-Università fi klassifiki internazzjonali, huwa essenzjali li nieħdu nota li
l-Fakultà tal-Liġi teħtieġ iktar u iktar investiment, kemm fir-riżorsi umani, b’hekk proporzjon aħjar ta’ għalliem-student, kif ukoll
fir-riżorsi legali bħal ġurnali akkademiċi internazzjonali biex nippermettu iktar riċerka li hija l-bażi ta’ kwalunkwe klassifika
internazzjonali, u anke fir-riżorsi infrastrutturali għall-istudenti tal-liġi u l-akkademiċi tal-liġi li kemxejn huma adegwati meta
mqabbla mal-fakultajiet tal-liġi Ewropej sħabna. Qegħdin fit-triq it-tajba iżda jeħtieġ li nħaffu saqajna biex inlaħħqu ma’ dak li qed
issir f’universitajiet oħrajn f’Ewropa u ’il hinn.
Il-futur tagħna
L-investiment huwa essenzjali wkoll għal kwalunkwe gradwat tal-liġi. Madankollu dan huwa ħin ta’ ċelebrazzjoni. Ħin fejn nistgħu
nieqfu u niċċelebraw il-kisbiet tagħna. Illejla se tkunu qegħdin tiċċelebraw, u sewwa tagħmlu. Ħaqqkom ħarġa kif tmiss il-liġi. La
jasal għada, iżda ovvjament mhux kmieni ħafna, tistgħu tippakkjaw għal dak il-vjaġġ importanti ħafna. Ħudu magħkom l-għarfien
li għandkom, iżda morru wkoll b’moħħ miftuħ. Huwa tajjeb li jkollkom triq ippjanata iżda kunu lesti li tgħaddu mill-mogħdijiet u
li wkoll taraw dawn x’jistgħu joffru. Kunu konvinti li intom se tagħmlu differenza fid-dinja, anke jekk sempliċiment f’rokna żgħira
tagħha. Aħdmu ħafna iżda fasslu l-prijoritajiet tagħkom sewwa. Ħallu dejjem il-ħin għall-familji u l-ħbieb tagħkom. Ħudu l-ħin
biex tgawdu s-sbuħija tan-natura u ibżgħu għaliha għax mingħajr ilma u arja l-pjaneta tagħna, u intom, tmut.
Ftakru li ma tagħmilx differenza kemm togħla ’l fuq. Xi darba se taqa’... Jekk tibqa’ timbotta lilek innifsek ’il fuq... il-liġi tal-medja,
biex ma nsemmix il-Mit, ta’ Icarus, tipprevedi li inti f’ċertu punt se taqa’. U meta jiġri dan irrid li tkunu tafu din, li tiftakru din: “Ilfalliment ma jeżistix. Il-falliment huwa sempliċiment mod kif il-ħajja tidderiġina lejn triq oħra.”
Li tipprattikaw il-liġi jew taħdmu fi sfond legali huwa nobbli u prestiġjuż. Bl-isfond legali sod li ksibtu u li ser tkomplu ssaħħu
matul il-vjaġġ tagħkom tal-ħajja, flimkien mad-diliġenza dovuta, din hija professjoni li tista’ tiffjorixxi f’karriera li tagħti
sodisfazzjonijiet kbar. Fl-istess ħin din hija professjoni oneruża li teħtieġ xogħol iebes, kompetenza, ċarezza fil-ħsieb u tenaċità,
akkumpanjati b’imġiba għalkollox etika fis-servizz tal-ġustizzja.
Fl-aħħar nett, gawdu l-vjaġġ tal-ħajja. Morru għall-vjaġġ armati b’entużjażmu u kurżità. Żommu qalbkom miftuħa għallpassiġġieri sħabkom u bla dubju huma ser ikollhom qalbhom miftuħa għalikom. Nixtiqilkom ir-riżq fil-vjaġġ tagħkom u kif jgħidu
meta ssalpa dgħajsa “Il-Mulej ibierek lil dawk kollha li jbaħħru fiha”.
Insellmilkom, lill-familji tagħkom u lill-Università li tawkom pedament sod u b’saħħtu, ibnu fuqu u tirnexxu. Nixtieq lil kull
wieħed u waħda minnkom futur mill-aqwa li jipprometti ħajja sabiħa.
Dr Ivan Sammut
B.A.(Melit.),LL.D.(Melit.),M.Jur.(Melit.),LL.M.(Bruges), Ph.D.(Lond.)
It is indeed a privilege and an honour to have been invited to address you on the occasion of this special celebration.
Allow me first to take this opportunity to thank Senate for inviting me to address you today. Graduation is a special moment in
one’s life, a moment that will be with him/her for the rest of his/her life. It is a celebration of our long sacrifices and investment in
our own resources. Believe me for us law graduates it is certainly an investment in which we put very long years of hard work.
However graduation is also a more important way of how to usher in our professional lives, whether as lawyers, notaries or today
many other equally prestigious jobs close at home or far overseas that revolve around law.
The way forward
There are some who argue that Graduation day is a bit like walking a gangplank. You are leaving behind the safety and security of
university for the uncertainty and adventure of the rest of your life. Some of you will return to terra firma and resume your studies.
The rest of you will pause on that gangplank. Poised over the water below you have no idea what the future will hold, what people
you will meet and what will happen to your career.
I am sure that that law course with all its ups and downs has been a fantastic preparation for this moment. You have certainly
learned how to face the problems you will find. A few years ago entering the law course primarily meant that you would probably
end up being a lawyer or a notary. This is no longer the case. Today life could throw up some surprises and you could find
yourself doing something diametrically opposed to what you had planned. So your degree is something like having the security of
a lifebelt. It will keep you afloat until you find your own particular niche. In a rapidly changing world you will have to be able to
adapt to changing times. You may have to add to your existing qualification or find a new career altogether. The ship you board
may be a luxurious liner or a working vessel. It may bring you around the coast or across the world. You may face fierce storms or
have plain sailing and a following wind. You may choose your particular destination or you may just go where the tide brings you.
On that ship called life you will find new friends. Some will share your hopes. Others may have their own agenda. Each one will
influence you in a different way.
Lawyers for the future
Today you are celebrating your successful past studies but in today’s world graduation means that you are being welcomed to
continuous and equally challenging new studies. You’re not going to get very far in life based on what you already know. You’re
going to advance in life by what you’re going to learn after you leave here. Gone are the days where lawyers used to study codes
and long lists of case-law by heart. Today our legal system does not exist on its own but it co-exists with the European legal system
which we share with our fellow Member States in the European Union. Most of the law we learn and use today does not belong
exclusively to our legal system. It is not enough if we know our law well, for a solution to our legal problems may well be found by
looking at other systems. Hence the lawyers of today do not need to know the law they will use in their practice from their
University studies for the simple reason that the law they may practise may not even exist at the present. With thousands of pages
of new legislation every year coming from the EU legal order and elsewhere, it is more important to know how to find the
applicable law, to understand it, and to put it into use for your client. Hence this is a challenge which law graduates need to be
prepared for.
Today’s lawyers need not be just critical, they need to think outside the box. I am sure that our graduates have welcomed new ways
of teaching and learning law and will continue to encourage even more innovative ways of learning law. The use of information
technology has been instrumental in such a change. Today at the tip of the button one can have access to legal resources that may
have been unimaginable even at the beginning of our undergraduate studies. Lectures are useful not necessarily to impart
information, but more as a stimulus to help students know how to find the applicable law, to understand it, and to put it into use.
Information technology and distance learning does not necessarily teach us this. Yes, in today’s world, a law graduate’s knowledge
of IT is essential as is knowledge of our languages. Without IT in law one cannot compete in the international legal market.
Today’s lawyers are not the only experts in law. Legal studies is becoming more important for other professionals and fields of
study. If you need tax or commercial advice, the lawyer competes with the accountant or auditor. If you need a family law advice
the lawyer competes with the social worker or family therapist. This is a challenge which law graduates must take. Knowledge of
law is essential but knowledge of other issues is essential as well. Law does not exist in a cocoon and lawyers need to have a strong
background beyond law to be relevant and compete. In six years you can only learn how to learn further on your own. From now
on your curriculum would be the syllabus of what life throws on you. If you learn you will prosper.
Our Faculty and our Department
Knowing the challenges that ongoing learning is essential, today our Faculty boasts several post-graduate programmes that may be
of interest. For the past twenty years my Department of European and Comparative Law has run a successful Master of Laws
programme in European and Comparative law which has been validated by various external examiners from prestigious
universities across Europe. Our programme has trained lawyers, politicians, journalists and judges among others. We also
welcome students from other Member States and even far afield as Russia and the US. Our goal is to help our students to study
law with a strong in-depth analysis and encourage them to think and reflect on either new areas of law or on previously studied
areas with sufficient depth to enable mastering the particular field of law. Our LL.M. helps students enhance their abilities to think
critically, analyse legal arguments, articulate ideas, do research efficiently, and write effectively. This serves to prepare them for
professional careers or further studies at doctoral level. It gives them a prestigious extra qualification.
Investment for the future
Over the past years a number of improvements were made in our Faculty. To look into the future, the improvements made are not
enough. Our Faculty is the only law faculty in our country and in a way it is also a microcosm of the legal profession in Malta. So
much is said about justice reform and the need to improve our judicial system. It stands to reason that any successful judicial
reform should start by investing more and more in our law faculty. Our graduates are the ones who are going to oil the machinery
of future justice reform. You pay peanuts you get monkeys. You invest and you would get return. To continue facing the future
and improve our University ranking in international rankings, it is essential to take note that our Law Faculty needs more and
more investment in both human resources, hence a better student-tutor ratio, legal resources such as international academic
journals to enable more research which is the basis of any international ranking, and even infrastructural resources for law
students and law academics which are barely adequate when compared with our partner European law faculties. We are on the
right track but we need to speed up a bit to catch up with other European Universities.
Our future
Investment is also essential for any law graduate. However now it is a time for celebration. A time where we can stop and celebrate
our achievements. Tonight you will be celebrating and quite rightly so. You deserve to have a night on the town. When tomorrow
comes, but obviously not too early in the morning, you can pack for that all important journey. Bring with you the knowledge you
have but bring also an open mind. It’s great to have a route planned but be willing to travel the byways and to see what they have
to offer too. Make a decision that you are going to make a difference in the world, even if it is in one small corner of it. Work hard
but do get your priorities right. Always have time for your families and friends. Take time to enjoy the beauties of nature and to
care for them because without water and air our planet, and you, cannot survive.
Remember it doesn’t matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to stumble. ... If you’re constantly pushing
yourself higher ... the law of averages, not to mention the Myth, of Icarus, predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you
do I want you to know this, remember this: “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another
direction.”
Practising law or working in a legal background is noble and prestigious. With the sound legal background that you have achieved
and that you will continue to strengthen throughout your journey of life, together with the exercise of due diligence, it is a
profession that may well blossom into a rewarding and satisfying career. At the same time it is an equally demanding and onerous
profession which requires hard-work, competence, clarity of thought and tenacity, accompanied with an all-round ethical
behaviour in the service of justice.
Finally, enjoy the trip of life. Go on your journey armed with enthusiasm and curiosity. Open your hearts to your fellow
passengers and they will surely open theirs to you. I wish you well on your journey and as they say when they launch a ship, “May
God bless all who sail in her”.
I salute you, your family and the University who have given you a solid and strong foundation, build on it and flourish. To all of
you I wish you a bright future filled with the promise of a wonderful life.

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