Besieged from within

Those of us who hold the history of Malta close to their hearts also know the meaning of loss, betrayal, shock and astonishment. We have protected this precious island from countless invasions, wars and sieges in the past thousand years. For what? For us to invade it from within, ruin its historic sites and environment, kill off its remaining species, just to transform it into a concrete block.

I read Environment Minister George Pullicino's article in The Times Construction & Real Estate supplement and the new regulations that he mentioned seem interesting. But everyone knows that they don't mean anything.

Sliema has been the main target so far. The beautiful coast road that starts from Gzira and goes all the way to St Julians has been dotted by cranes for the past 20 years. Does no one in the government or the local council notice the heartache the residents suffer when they are unable to walk from their homes to their shops? When, after years of imposing ugliness, the crane and its developers leave behind a war zone of filth, debris and dust, who makes up for that? There is a law against cranes or construction during the month of August in Sliema - precisely on August 1 I passed three of them. When I contacted the Sliema council they brushed me off with the excuse that it was an urgent matter.

What about the rape of St Julians, one case in point being a concrete monstrosity they call a hotel being built in Balluta? Is it possible that we don't have enough hotels on the island? Why does the government wash its hands and let it happen over and over with no interest in the well-being of the Maltese? We get to pay thousands of liri on the new eco tax yet we have to suffer the consequences of those who are causing the damage on our streets.

The latest and probably the worst is the proposed Ta' Cenc project.

It is Mr Pullicino who is in a position to make a real change, who can put a stop to all this and save the island. Don't let them ruin what is left of an island that our forefathers fought and died to protect.