The customer is always right

Mario de Marco's Talking Point (June 25) is a step in the right direction but he should extend his meditation to a few other issues which the Nationalist government seems to be unwilling or unable to tackle.

How about some serious action on pre-war rents, which only Alternattiva and a few concerned citizens have consistently highlighted for change? In spite of Austin Gatt's reforms, the law courts are still a Byzantine labyrinth. After 16 years of Nationalist government, justice is still much delayed and, therefore, denied.

Which brings us to another fine old chestnut, the rape of the National Bank of Malta. While expressing much sympathy for the wronged shareholders, the Nationalist government has insisted on having a court judgement before taking action. Here we are, 30 years later, and no court judgement in sight. Pathetic, isn't it?

The Nationalist government has paid lip-service to a number of green issues which are perceived to be vote-winners but actions speak louder than words. The climb-down on the introduction of smoking restrictions will be hard to erase from the memory of the many asthma sufferers in Malta. We have yet to see what type of cuckoo will be hatched by the committee redesigning the restrictions.

How can the government, which fought long and hard to put a rubbish dump, aka "waste handling facility", next door to Mnajdra Temples, expect to be taken seriously as the custodian of our extraordinary cultural heritage?

The meagre enforcement of hunting regulations further undermines the government's credibility. Few culprits are caught and they receive fines which are ridiculously low compared to the time and effort expended to bring them to court. The few who try to enforce the law get demoralised and become cynical, hardly surprising in the circumstances.