Two own goals

The two main political parties in Malta seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot. The governing party (Nationalist) has, on Monday, denied putting any pressure on the Sliema councillor who stood down after admitting he had made comments about paying Labour party people within his employ less than Nationalists.

Meanwhile the Party in Opposition, (Labour), which is aiming at winning the next election, announced that it defended a councillor who successfully contested last week’s local elections. It said that it had no problem with him contesting on its behalf, since he had shouldered responsibility for his actions.

He was re-elected with 420 first count votes, the highest number won by candidates on his party’s ticket.

The councillor had been given a suspended sentence in September 2010 after pleading guilty to vandalising balustrades at the Attard parish church the previous summer. The court was told that he had acted in a fit of rage after promising constituents he would remove them.

Following his conviction he had resigned from the LP and stayed on as an independent councillor, but later rejoined the party.

Considering the uphill struggle the LP has been grappling with to make people forget about violence connected with its party in the past, I would have thought they would have given this issue more serious attention.

I was also as baffled by the Attard people who voted in a councillor who acted violently as with the Sliema voters who voted in a bigoted one. Was it, yet again, because the right-minded did not bother to vote?  Do the Attard people really want  someone who loses his rag if he does not get his way to represent them?

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Let’s rid ourselves of bigotry

Forget about murders and other dramatic happenings. The most talked about subject in Malta right now is Julian Galea’s bowing out of the Sliema local council. I am not someone who enjoys rubbing it in, but reading some of the reactions to the news that Mr Galea has stood down has pushed me to it.

First of all, I was shocked that despite the allegations, of overt discrimination on the grounds of political partisanship, Sliema people voted Mr Galea back in. What does that tell me? Either that the right-minded did not bother to vote; that those who did were unaware of the implications, or are as bigoted as Mr Galea.

I was also surprised that despite the precarious position of the PN (Nationalist party), it allowed him to stand under its banner to begin with. Then again, maybe it was precisely because of its wobbly situation and it was a desperate attempt to avoid the LP (Labour Party) gaining another seat. Or, perhaps, the people the PN grandees are listening to are the bigoted ones.

From what I have seen of Simon Busuttil (who has been called in for the PN rescue operation) in action at the European Parliament and from private conversations, he is certainly not prejudiced or intolerant. I believe it was down to him that the PN belatedly realised the damage done and got Mr Galea to rethink and give up his seat.

Now I am not naive and I know what goes on in all political caucuses. However, some of us were deeply disturbed by the “business as usual” ethos when discrimination was overtly displayed. It is a trait in politics everywhere that supporters are rewarded when it comes to filling jobs, especially sensitive ones and also lucrative ones.

But when it comes to excluding people and paying people less for the same work on the grounds of political affiliation, democracies have created watchdogs like Equal Opportunity Commissions to guard against such injustice.

We cannot have someone in public office that publicly declares s/he applies discriminatory practices. The LP’s Jason Micallef had come unstuck five years ago with his,  “I tell you we will also be a government for Labourites and we will carry out justice with Labourites in the first few months".

He also had to step down from his General Secretary post later. His statement, “We will be a government for all Maltese and Gozitans, but here we are Labourites among Labourites qeghdin bejnietna,” had not done the LP any favours with regard to floaters.

Undecided voters, whose numbers are increasing daily, do not like to be left out and both parties have to consider that.

As I wrote in my Sunday Times column “Bejnietna Jason,

you screwed up”, in August 2007, “It is not that it is wrong that injustices should be addressed and rectified. What is wrong is that it is not just Labourites that have suffered injustices and would like to see them rectified.

“Besides, people who are neither Nationalist nor Labour do exist and vote. The problem with this country is that neither of the two major political parties seems to recognise this... “Austin Gatt has proclaimed the same philosophy the PN is so outraged about. Even worse, he wanted the partisanship extended to the civil service. So what is the PN bleating about?”

Five years later Julian Galea has screwed up more blatantly than Jason by admitting he pays his employees affiliated with the Labour Party less. Galea’s was not a statement saying it will redress injustice, it was perpetuating injustice.

The Employment and Industrial Relations director is investigating his comments that he paid Nationalist employees more than their Labourite colleagues. In his apology the day after his comments, which included that if a girl had to tell him she was a Labourite, he would discard her, were made public, Mr Galea said his remarks were wrong and did not reflect his or his party's beliefs.

Apologising does not erase intent. If his words did not reflect his beliefs why say them? A particular nonsensical comment on the Timesonline started off,  “Nobody is arguing what Mr Galea said was right.”

Then went on, “But surely we can all admit many of us have said similar things in a jocular manner at some point in our lives - which if taken out of context would sound equally bad... a conversation which he himself (Galea) acknowledges was inappropriate - albeit not to be taken literally by any reasonable person.”

I responded to that comment yesterday, by saying, No, many of us have not made similar comments as those made by Mr Galea and prejudice is no joking matter. The comment was obviously not taken out of context because Mr Galea admitted to his remarks and the commentator himself said it was "a conversation which he himself (Galea) acknowledges was inappropriate".

I asked this particular commentator to explain why such bigoted remarks should not be taken literally? And how one should gauge a reasonable person? 

Article published in the Malta Independent on Sunday on 18 March 2012  

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AMAZON WATCH » Stop the Belo Monte Monster Dam!

AMAZON WATCH » Stop the Belo Monte Monster Dam!

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Where is the buck going exactly?

 

Thanks to a maverick member of parliament who upset the apple cart (and is ever not so humble about it) we are seeing so much activity. If only Franco Debono could stop behaving like a smug, puffed up peacock and stopped telling us how good he is, he would gain more kudos.

I wonder if he breeds those birds and is copying their posing. Yes, he has instigated much needed reforms and yes, he is right that we should not tolerate oligarchies and that is why many people have supported him. "The declarations made (by the PM last Sunday) would be meaningless if the issues of political responsibility, the oligarchy and constitutional reforms dealing with the distribution of power among institutions are not urgently tackled," he told timesofmalta.com

He is right and I like the way that, similar to a terrier, he will not let go until his goal is reached. I admire the way he has stood up to be counted, unlike many of his colleagues, and for that he deserves praise. But, he does not need to keep congratulating himself and behave like a child that is not getting the attention he deserves.

Besides, he should stay focused on the serious reforms and not get into his personal hobby and be seeking the derogation on finch trapping based on bird ringing and a capture breeding programme in conjunction with FKNK (Hunters & Trappers Association).

He did not need to shout it from the treetops that “it was thanks to me that the government and the PN had been brought to their senses”. He is then upset that he has enemies within his Party. His efforts have been widely publicised and recognised, his rubbing it in is not needed and does him no favours.

He must accept that he will have enemies, especially if he intends to keep playing the political game. If he keeps on and on with ‘Look, I am such a hero. Why isn’t everybody falling at my feet in admiration’ (my quote) he will continue to attract even more flak.

I have one question for Franco Debono where does he stand on his declaration that he “was prepared to work with anyone but Dr Gonzi”?

Despite two recent meetings with the PM, neither are giving anything away. It is acknowledged that credit is due to him that Government is suddenly listening to some of the decades old complaints. And the Prime Minister has belatedly realised that listening to the people was a good idea.

He is not the only one rowing hard to gain some ground.

Several ministers are burning the midnight oil. We are seeing reform proposals all over the place and finally we are told that something is to be done about the environment and neighbourhood noise.

But hold your horses, the new Minister, Mario de Marco launching the White Paper on Noise said it should “spark a debate” about the way forward on this important issue. The public is being invited to contribute to a two-month consultation process.

So we are talking about further debate not action. For Heavens sake, it had “dominated the feedback received during the National Environment Policy process,” he told us.  So why do we need more debate?

OK, so it’s a White Paper, which means it has got to get through parliament, after the two-month public consultation, which brings us to May.

Since the worst noise polluter in the summer months – the festa petards  “should be a separate discussion” because “although (they) could be a nuisance, they were part of a cultural tradition,” it means yet another summer of disturbed sleep and rude awakenings.

Now granted that fireworks are traditional and they are very pretty, most people, would want them to stay. But the enthusiasts must be told that the blitzkrieg, aka the petard bombardments have to stop.

They are barbaric rather than cultural. My point is that “cultural” denotes sophistication and one cannot uphold a primitive tradition at the cost of uncivilised behaviour.

Dr de Marco pointed out that the Paper made mention of fireworks regulations and “if people notice a breach of these regulations they would eventually be able to call the hotline.“

“Eventually”! Ah, the proposed 24/7 hotline, which, we are told, will receive and redirect complaints with the help of a tracking system, which will ensure accountability and enable callers to follow up their complaints. Sounds really good.

But who will the complaints be redirected to? The minister is proposing an end to the pass the buck syndrome. He said that neighbourhood noise legislation was fragmented, with various institutions responsible for different aspects, forcing individuals to go from one department to the other and resulting in a “lack of ownership” from the authorities responsible.

So a Noise Control Board is to be set up. The Boards function will be to streamline and update existing guidelines and regulations according to latest developments. Fine, yet another Board. But who will be employed to take the necessary action. Where is the buck going exactly?

What we need are a group of trained inspectors linked to the 24/7 hotline who will be able to take action on the spot.

A Board cannot stop an all night party in a residential neighbourhood, nor barking dogs in the middle of the night. It needs to have an effective enforcement arm.

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Just answer, ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Undecided’

Surveys are meant as indications and although one has to appreciate that they will by no means give you the full picture, they do point at what people are thinking, albeit in a generic way. And there lies the rub; it is their non-specific nature that causes scepticism, at least with me. They rely mainly on the “Yes”, “No” or “Undecided” principal. It is all black, white or grey. There is no room for any colour and I am not talking fashion or partisan colours (red, blue or even green) here, but anything that could stimulate further discussion or clarify a point.

I got a phone call the other day from someone conducting a survey. He assured me it was not on behalf of a political party and wanted to ask me a few questions regarding the forthcoming local elections. First of all, I do not trust phone callers I do not know. They could claim to be Barack Obama or Peppi tal hobz, unless you know the caller, he could in fact be Jack the rip-off artist. But I had a few minutes to spare and thought I could have a bit of fun.

First question: “Are you going to vote?” My answer was “I am not sure, since excepting for Michael Brigulio, I had no idea what the other candidates in my area stood for.”
Although it seems that general election candidates are already doing the rounds, I have not seen any local election candidates door-stepping. And have not got any relating bumf in my letterbox.

“So you are undecided,” he told me. “It is not that simple. The answer is: one cannot be expected to vote if they did not know what they are voting for,” I replied.
“So you are undecided,” he repeated. The guy just wanted to tick the box. He could not care less on the raison d’être of voting in the first place. Apparently, that is all politicians care about too, since they take surveys quite seriously. They are not interested in any in-depth analysis. All they want to know is whether you are going to vote for them or not and whether you are undecided.

As for the latter, they should know by now where the indecision stems from. But more on that later. Since I refused to concede that I was an “Undecided”, let alone a “Yes” or a “No” to that question, he ploughed on. “Who did you vote for last time?” was his next question. After telling him that that was none of his business, I told him to tell whoever made up the survey questions that they should have a rethink. Really, the question should be the one I saw on a cartoon doing the rounds on Facebook: “Who are you not going to vote for?”

Now for another survey, results this time from a known source – the Euro barometer – that found that “Most feel corruption is a major problem in Malta”. The culprits were institutions, namely that which grants building permits, aka Mepa, and the judiciary and politicians. Sixty per cent mentioned Mepa as having most corruption, followed by politicians (52 per cent) and the judiciary (49 per cent). So the figures for Mepa and politicians should give some indication why there are undecided voters.

The discontent with Mepa is nothing new. It hits the news almost daily. Yet, despite repeated promises from the government on transparency, many just look around at the horrific structures marring our coastline and elsewhere and bury their heads in desperation. None of us want to live in a concrete jungle.

What I cannot understand is why, since tourism is our bread and butter, the powers that be are doing their utmost to shatter our golden egg? People might be interested in reading: “Nobody goes there, it’s too crowded” in The Economist. http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/02/urban-design “Unlimited rapid development leads to the annihilation of the very characteristics that made a neighbourhood such a desirable location in the first place.”

I know that construction is vital for economic growth, it is the kind of development that is concerning voters. That was made very clear in the comments replying to the article “Owners do not have right for views from their properties – developers” in The Times of 9 February. “But they charge extra for property with views, am I right?” Said one. And another “Owners don’t have the right to views... ergo developers don’t have the right to views... ergo the people they sell them to don’t. Do developers ever sell a property having just obstructed a view saying, great views?”

Yet another quoted the developers’ own code of conduct: “MDA (Malta Developers Association) code of ethics says ‘Members shall act in a manner that shows due respect to the rights of owners and or occupiers of properties neighbouring sites that they develop or intend to develop.’ What a joke!”

But forget about neighbours for a minute and let’s widen our perspective. This is what another opined, “This ‘industry’ has been the ruin of a nation. Once a valley is built over, nothing will ever bring that valley back again. Add to this the ghastly tiny apartments, and there you have in a nutshell why foreigners do not consider Malta when choosing a second home, so the hundreds of empty properties will only end up to be giant white elephants, to join the rest of the herd.”

But perhaps what more than hints at corruption was the following: “When a huge commercial garage was illegally built in a residential area of Mellieha, Mepa kept postponing a final decision until the regulations were amended to suit the illegal developer. Then when the approved increased height of the garage door was not high enough to satisfy the developer, Mepa sent a high employee to persuade us to close our eyes to the infringement!”

And for me the most succinct: “It is futile to expect the government and the courts to come to our rescue, the amount of money at stake is enormous.” What one must consider is that enormous developments do not only take views away from other buildings, but also from every street overlooking that specific area.

Let me clarify what I mean, I used to love walking along Sliema’s back streets catching glimpses of the majestic Valletta Bastions as I reached street corners. Now all one sees are walls and armies of tanks. Now forget about me, but think about the tourists walking from the Palace Hotel down to The Strand, for example.

Back to the Euro barometer on perceived corruption, this comment really says it all: “Whistleblower act is still in the works. Party Financing Bill, still in the works. Accountability in Government, still in the works. Accountability in Institutions such as the Police Force, still in the works; Information freedom, hindered by an inefficient Public Service, still in the works; Auditor General issues reports but no concrete answers are seen; Permanent Commission against Corruption formed of four people, two of which retired, according to MJHA website, do you call this seriousness?”

As regards the perceived corruption within the judiciary. I was surprised that The Times did not seek a reaction from the Commission for the Administration of Justice. It is after all the institution that is supposedly the judiciary’s watchdog.

Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday on 19 February 2012 

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Teacher, don’t leave them kids alone

Of course when Pink Floyd sang “Teacher, leave them kids alone” in Brick in the Wall, the message in the lyrics was about thought control, sarcasm and bullying by teachers and not that teachers should leave children to their own, sometimes nasty, devices while not in the classrooms but still in their care.

Bullying in schools by children rears its nasty head every so often, but it seems that some schools have still not appreciated the extreme damage that can be caused by harassment, especially when violent.

The case of Charlie (all the names in this article are pseudonyms. Criminal proceedings are currently underway), a 12-year-old boy whose life was put at risk and who has since attempted suicide a number of times as a result, had been brought to my attention while the boy was still in hospital.

He is now back home, but his parents have had to bar his bedroom window and he is constantly watched. I interviewed his mother, Mary and heard a horrific six-year saga, which has severely traumatised a boy who aged seven was awarded a prize for altruism by the same school that failed to protect him.

The mother alleges that the bullying by two boys started at primary level of the same Church school, got worse after the award and continued into secondary level with terrible results.

Because Charlie had missed primary school for a while due to an operation, the name calling included that he was a “sick” boy. The harassment was so intense that Charlie developed severe migraines and became obsessed that he was really “sick”, said his mum.
He was seen by a psychologist who persuaded him that he was not sick, and a neurologist believed his migraines were due to stress because of the bullying, she added.

I asked Mary whether the school had been notified about the bullying incidents. She insisted that both she and her husband had visited the school and recalls that on one occasion a teacher had said, “Don’t tell me, I know who they are. It’s Christopher and Patrick”. That indicated that the school was aware that something was going on, she told me.

Meanwhile, Charlie had to bear the brunt of insults and his homework and books were taken from him. During one break time, Charlie was beaten with, what she described as, “elasticised worms”, which led to his angry parents travelling to the other end of the island to see the director of the school, since they believed the bullying was not being taken seriously.

The mother even contacted the Education Department about the problem, but she was told that the school fell under the Curia’s jurisdiction and she should contact that institution, which she did.

She said the Curia representative was sympathetic and advised that they should consider sending their son to another school. Charlie’s parents considered that unacceptable since they felt that it was not the victim who should move. They were also told that the bullying boys would be suspended, which did not happen, said Mary.

Then, Christopher and Patrick fell out. Patrick befriended Charlie and even invited him to his birthday party. He told him not to worry anymore because he would now defend him in the playground.

While that friendship lasted the bullying had stopped, she said. However, following another operation Charlie needed, which kept him away from school for a couple of months, Christopher and Patrick were friends again and things were back to Charlie being harassed in the school grounds during the breaks.

I asked Mary whether they, or the school had ever approached the boys’ parents. She said that she had contacted Patrick’s mother after Patrick had kicked Charlie in the stomach, which she alleges was not the first time.

She had acquired the phone number at the time the two boys were friends and had visited each other’s homes. Mary said she told her that if Patrick no longer wanted to be Charlie’s friend that was his choice, but could she please tell him not to bully Charlie again.

“I got the impression that the school must have got in touch with the parents of the bullies that time because Patrick’s mother told me that she was pleased that I deigned to phone her this time and not just reported the boys to the school,” said Mary. Adding, that she told her that she had not phoned her before because she did not have her number.

Mary later got a call from the school telling her not to contact Patrick’s mother again, which she thought the school had no right to do since they obviously were not coping with the problem.

After that, as avoidance strategy Charlie volunteered to help with tidying up the games room during the break so he could stay away from the playground, his mother told me. But one day, about eight months ago, Charlie was down in the playground earlier than the time they were called to the classrooms.

Patrick and Christopher and another two boys, who it seems the bullies were trying to impress, confronted him said Mary. “This is the one I used to make cry,” Patrick told the other boys. However, this time Charlie decided to stand up to them and said “Well, you do not make me cry anymore”. That led to him being kicked in the groin then dragged to a part of the playground, which was out of bounds, she said.

The boys then tied him to a football post with his tie. They even told him “today we are going to kill you”, alleged his mother. The tie was drawn around his hands and his neck in such a way that if he tried to free himself he would add the pressure on his neck, she alleged. Luckily, some boys who had been watching from a safe distance came to his rescue as the bullies left.

However, by that time, his mother is alleging that Charlie had suffered brain damage through lack of oxygen and blood to the brain. He now has seizures and falls down and faints and imagines he is being followed and threatened by those boys, she said.

When they had turned up at the school, the day after the assault, the head master said he knew nothing about what happened because he was away from the school that day.
The assistant head, who was present, said the whole incident was a misunderstanding and the boys were playing a “joke”. She had also told Charlie “Why did you go and tell your mother?” Mary alleged.

That was the last straw for Charlie’s distraught parents. They said the doctors had told them that they should report the assault to the police. After the report was lodged the school director sent for Charlie’s parents and tried to get them to drop the criminal charges. He told them “Don’t you think it is sad that these boys are going to end up in court?” Mary alleged.

He claimed that the boys were only playing “Cowboys and Indians” and said that Charlie would suffer if the criminal proceedings went ahead, she further alleged.
Although the case surfaced in court eight months ago, it still has not been heard. Meanwhile, Charlie has changed his school, with the help of the Curia. It is still a Church school, which indicated that it was the administration of one particular school that his parents had no longer any faith in.

However, Charlie’s behaviour is still seriously problematic. During a recent school outing to Valletta, he jumped from the bastions into the sea, because he imagined the bullies were chasing him, his mother told me. Two teachers jumped in and rescued him.
He has also attempted to jump out of his bedroom window at home. More recently, he again tried to jump from a window at the school.

It is sad that two boys have ended up in court, but much sadder that their victim has suffered terribly. If only the school had reacted to the warnings things would not have got so far. The Court needs to hear this case as soon as possible in order for the parties to, at least, have some form of closure on this dreadful story.

Article published In The Malta Independent on Sunday  on 29 January 2012 

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Human holding pens and bête noir or hero?

"It is now terribly chic to show how well off you are by living in close proximity with hundreds of people above and below and at each side of you in a concrete monster"

It would be funny if it were not, well crazy springs to mind.

While the EU is making waves to protect battery hens from being cooped up, nothing is being done for the well being of human beings.

We are building battery cages, in prime sites for the rich and even more cramped ones elsewhere for the not so rich, to the detriment of the rest of the population and nobody except a handful of people seem to give a damn.

The latter is where I agree with Franco Debono, i.e., that nobody except a handful gives a damn. He of course was not referring to building regulations, but more on him later.

Whereas wealth was previously demonstrated through detached villas with gardens, now it is terribly chic to show how well off you are by living in close proximity with hundreds of people above and below and to each side of you in a concrete monster.

Who on earth, in their right mind, would want to spend over the odds to live like a battery hen? Some of the prime site apartments might not be as cramped as a battery cage and some may have a spectacular view, but the overall buildings certainly look like human holding pens.

They are not even architecturally pleasing. They are horrendous to look at. Some of the Tignè flats might have a stupendous view of Valletta, but the opposite view from the city, which incidentally is what I grew up with, has been disastrously marred.

Ah, Valletta, a Unesco World Heritage Site, how you are being undermined with your toothless welcoming grin.

The latest wart to be doing the rounds on the Internet and surfaced in the news yesterday was an addition to the law courts building to make room for judges’ chambers.

A photograph shows the fresh ‘boil’ at its distasteful best. The project, commissioned by the government, which is said to cost €1.8 million, involves a building in Old Bakery Street, Valletta; it joins two adjacent old buildings and raises it to eight floors.

According to The Times, it had been recommended for refusal by the planning directorate when the first application was filed in 2001. The permit was approved by the commission in June 2007, overturning the directorate’s recommendation.

Now because of the current hoo-ha it is to be inspected by planning authority enforcement officers to ensure permit conditions are respected.

We are being taken for a roller coaster ride and I for one am not enjoying it. There are no planning policies setting a height limitation for buildings in Valletta, according to a planning authority spokesman.

But let’s get back to the concrete monsters marring the skyline between Sliema and Valletta. Over and above the aesthetic considerations, can you imagine climbing up all those stairs, with your shopping, a pushchair and a couple of toddlers, if the lift breaks down?

More importantly, at the risk of being labelled a Cassandra, what fire emergency plans are in place? Does Mepa (Malta Environment & Planning Authority) consider this vital safety measure in its deliberations?

I don’t know what kind of management agreements the new buildings, housing hundreds of people, have. But my experience of living in a block, of only four flats, is that even getting to agree on a new intercom system is proving difficult.

All you need is one defaulter for the building’s maintenance to come to a standstill and then the slow progression to a bourgeois slum.

Now Mepa on Thursday approved the building of three more blocks, two rising to 14 storeys, comprising a further 102 apartments, as well as shops and offices at Tignè North, despite all the objections raised by environmental NGOs.

The latter claimed that according to the 1992 local plan Sliema was already over-congested then and had warned against the building of more apartment blocks. Well wasn’t it a grand idea to have local plans! I wonder how much they had cost us (taxpayers) only to be ignored.

This is yet another reason to be wary of any promises made by politicians, especially now.

Now for the man who is alternatively the bête noir or hero of the hour. I cannot make my mind up about the guy. On the one hand I agree with all the reforms he says we need and the fact that the government has been slow, to say the least, to action them.

But, I sometimes think he needs a consultant to advise him on “What not to do”, a sort of alternative to the UK’s Trinny and Suzanna. There is no doubt that the government needed a good shake up, but it should have come as no surprise that the PN, as the current administration, would react as it did.

Debono’s lack of political experience has lead to his head to head confrontation with the PN grandees, who are much more skilful in the art of political intrigue. Did he really not foresee the amount of flax he was bound to get?

Two of a politician’s vital survival skills are a thick hide and avoidance of public self-pity. However, one must admit that his detractors, not the ones behind the scenes, are not doing so well either.

So he wants to be Prime Minister. It is after all every politician’s ultimate ambition, whether they talk about it or not. So he is contradicting what he wrote in his thesis. That is perfectly understandable. We all know that theory and practice don’t always match up.

Surely, some are not saying that one should never veer from what one has thought in the past. That would mean never admitting to one’s errors of judgement and would stifle new and progressive ideas, or maybe that is what some want.

Published in the Malta Independent on Sunday 22/01/2012

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