Editorial

On June 3, Malta will finally have its first native-born saint in the person of Dun Gorg Preca, founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine, better known as MUSEUM. His canonisation will be a marvellous gift by Pope Benedict and the Church to the people of these islands, and especially to members of MUSEUM, in this centenary year of the society's foundation.

What makes the choice of Dun Gorg so exciting is that this first Maltese saint lived and died within the living memory of many people in Malta and Gozo. Well-known for his preaching, as well as for indications of his saintliness (a number of cases of bilocation were attributed to him), Dun Gorg constantly reminded his audiences never to stray from the path leading to God.

Needless to say, his message is highly relevant today, when the traditional Christian values which have moulded Maltese society are being inexorably attacked, eroded or swept away. May Dun Gorg's elevation to the altars inspire in us all a return to those values and a determination to uphold them in an increasingly pagan, if affluent, world.

The property market

Our latest public opinion survey - on property - yields some interesting figures regarding aspects of the property market. With the continuing escalation in the price of property in Malta in recent years, it is not surprising that 98 per cent believe that these prices should be brought under control. The question is how.

In a free market, it is supply and demand which determines the price of a product or service. And this should work in the case of property too. However, in Malta we are faced with a paradox in this respect. For while there are, by some estimates, about 25,000 vacant properties, and our Classified pages are filled with hundreds of millions of liri worth of property for sale, the price of property, and in particular, of an average apartment, maisonette or semi-detached house, continues to rise.

Another paradox is that while 83 per cent agree that the 1939 rent laws are unfair, 57.7 per cent say they would not consider renting a property, even if the rent were fair! Yet, until a few decades ago, it was the custom for engaged and young married couples to first rent (unfurnished) accommodation, then, once they have saved enough, buy their own home. This practice is no longer followed for the simple reason that properties for rent are few indeed, even after the 1995 amendment liberalising new rents.

Obviously, the odds are still stacked against the landlord who fears that once he rents property to Maltese citizens, he will have no way of getting it back, even if he needs it for his own use or that of his family. We firmly believe that the rent laws should be thoroughly overhauled, and an end put to the daylight robbery at the expense of landlords of old property, whereby they receive ridiculous rents of Lm15 or Lm20 a year for six-roomed houses, with no guarantee that they will get them back even after the death of the current tenant. The same applies to owners of commercial property who are, perhaps, in an even more pitiable state.

Apart from the fact that a just and thorough revision of the rent laws is a matter of social justice, because it is blatantly unfair for owners of old property to continue to subsidise housing to such an absurd degree (to often much wealthier tenants), liberalising the rental market would certainly help to bring about greater stability in property prices. It is not a total solution, by any means, but it would remove a gross distortion in the local property market.

Our survey also found that over 72 per cent are in favour of high-rise buildings in order to maximise the use of our limited land resources. Judging by the opposition to high-rise blocks, such as Portomaso tower and to the projected one in Sliema, such buildings are bound to be controversial. However, the conservation of our all too limited land is a major argument in their favour. Interestingly, however, our survey also revealed that of those who are in favour of high-rises, only 55.3 per cent would actually live in them.

Another measure of social justice concerns the beneficiaries of social housing. Successive administrations have invested millions of liri in subsidised housing for those with low incomes, either for rent or for sale. Our survey found that an overwhelming 86.3 per cent of respondents believe that once the income levels of tenants or beneficiaries of social housing improves, they should no longer be entitled to subsidies. There is therefore a strong case for periodical revisions of the situation of those who benefit from social housing.