Social injustice

Reading the article on the Prime Minister defending the boundaries' extension and the editorial "A matter of social justice" (The Sunday Times, June 25) make one ponder what politicians mean by social justice.

I would like to thank the editor, on behalf of all tenants, for reminding the prime minister about the social justice regarding the rent law.

I would like to point out that while the government says its decision to extend development boundaries was based on a logical exercise to eliminate injustices and anomalies, the editorial was right to point out the injustice to the tenants. What about the rent law of 1979 under which legal contracts of temporary leases are changed by this law into ground rent and even at a later date they can be redeemed? At that time the Nationalist Party in opposition voted against that law. Why not rectify the injustice to tenants?

The government is taking advantage of Alternattiva Demokratika's failure to get the required 30,000 signatures for the present rent laws to be repealed in a referendum because most of the tenants are afraid to stand up and be counted. All of Malta lost a golden opportunity to show any government that power belongs to the people.