Editorial

There is one particular trait in which the Maltese excel in abundance - indiscipline. This is nowhere more evident than on the road and in our habit of disposing of unwanted material. Traffic lights, zebra crossings, sleeping policemen and speed cameras may have checked some wild behaviour, but away from these road "regulators", traffic is generally chaotic, with many ignoring even the simplest rules of the road. Insofar as disposal of unwanted material is concerned, the way ahead to correct the practice is even harder.

Attempts at instilling a degree of discipline in both areas have as yet produced very little improvement, even though, as regards indiscipline on the road, wardens have done more than their very best (!) to bring offenders to book. The focus now is on new attempts at stamping out littering and dumping. Regulations aimed at doing this have come into force, following a trial period that confirmed in no small measure how badly the island needed to deal with the problem, even though some of the warnings dished out were out of place or exaggerated.

Going to extremes in the application of rules and regulations is another trait we excel in, as amply shown by some traffic wardens, some of whom have a habit of irritating the public by posting themselves in prominent positions in key spots waiting for offenders to turn up. This is not the way to do it. Wardens fond of resorting to such antics are only ridiculing themselves and giving a bad impression.

Yet, as The Times has argued in the past, the littering and dumping problem is so bad that no mercy should be shown towards those flagrantly caught going against the rules. If the habit is to be stamped out, the wardens have to be firm. Up to now, no educational campaign has worked - not that there were many anyway. But people generally ignored official warnings, throwing away rubbish anywhere, out of doors, in unbuilt corners, in picnic areas, on the beach, out of car windows, in the countryside - the very little that is left in the wake of massive development - and even in public places.

Trucks loaded with rubble from building sites still spill out material as they go round bends on their way to wherever to dispose of the loads. Refuse collectors still leave a trail of rubbish behind. Many householders still have a habit of taking their rubbish out at night, for collectors to pick up in the morning, giving stray cats and dogs free time to make a mess of residential places. And some hawkers just do not care to collect all their rubbish before they move on. These, and so many other common offences, will hopefully be checked with the coming into force of the anti-litter regulations.

A tourist writing in The Times the other day said he often found the views he saw on his walks spectacular, until he looked down at his feet. Builders' rubble, household waste, scrap iron and old electrical appliances littered the pathways. Why should this be so in this day and age? We are all familiar with such sites, but over the years we accepted them as part of the Malta scene, showing little inclination to tackle the problem in the serious manner it deserves.

A rapid deterioration of the environment has made Malta less attractive as a tourist country, and has also reduced our own quality of life. It may not be too late to reverse the trend, but for this to come about firm application of regulations aimed at instilling greater discipline is essential.