Compensation for expropriated land

The government has projects on the drawing board which are meant to absorb the lion's share of the hefty grant that Malta will be receiving from the European Union. If part of these funds were to be directed to finance the construction or upgrading of public roads, it would only be logical and fair to first pay for that land which not only has been expropriated but has also been turned into major thoroughfares many years ago at the expense of private owners. The following is a case in point.

Over 50 years ago the Lands Department expropriated a tract of land that belonged to my late uncle and which I inherited together with others. As soon as the land was expropriated, or probably even before, the Public Works Department passed through it. Today it is considered to be one of the major trunk roads.

In spite of the very long time that has elapsed since the expropriation, the government has not yet considered it morally justified to compensate the present owners. I have strong reasons to believe that this is not an isolated case; there are many others whom the government has deemed fit to ignore with impunity.

After pursuing this matter for many years I was told, about one year ago in writing by the Lands Department, that there were no funds available for expropriations made prior to 1993 and that, for the time being, the department only pays owners of lands that were expropriated after 1993. Common sense dictates that when the interest of citizens is trampled upon in this despicable manner by government ministries, politicians across the board suffer in no uncertain way. In their search for support for positions of power at those critical times that constitutionally come around every four or five years, they are consequently disappointed.

Therefore, I appeal to the authorities concerned to give both the matter about expropriated lands and the old rent laws the importance they deserve.

After all, these two matters do not constitute a request for an increase in salaries, which more often than not are comparatively quickly granted by the government, after claims and strikes are made through trade unions.

The aforesaid matters constitute in one case overdue redress for depriving individuals of their properties without adequate compensation within reasonable time, and in the other case restoration of property owners to the legitimate position in which they were prior to 1939. This could be done by liberalising the present rents and if necessary subsidising those tenants who cannot afford the revised rents by channelling back to them an adequate part of the income tax which landlords would pay the government on the same rent.