Yolanda Angileri

It was good to see at least Opposition Leader Alfred Sant paying a visit to Yolanda Angileri in Sliema. It has taken far too long in my opinion for someone in authority to sit up and take notice of this situation. The question is why no one from the government cared enough about the well-being of an elderly Maltese lady to do likewise? Where are all the ministers who flock for a photo-op with a centenarian?

I'm a health and safety representative and I have been watching the situation regarding the old lady Yolanda Angileri in Sliema, and I have to be honest here, I can't believe what I'm seeing. From a health and safety viewpoint this is an absolute disaster. Like a lot of people throughout the world I have been watching in disgust the atrocities being perpetrated against the people and the monks in Myammar. The fact that the authorities in Malta, a member of the EU and a so-called civilised country are acting in this way against one of their own citizens is beyond belief. That the citizen in question is 94 years old makes it all the worse.

Forcing the old lady out of her home at her age would probably kill her just as quickly as the falling masonry! This work should never have started in this way, with such savage demolition methods raining stones down onto the old lady's property. It's scandalous that the OHSA did not turn up on site until a full day after reports started coming in! And where were the police?

As for the fact that the police are summoning this 94-year old woman to court to try and get her out of the place, is this how Malta treats its senior citizens? Is this how you would like to see your mother or father treated? What sort of credibility will the health or social services have next time they speak of care of the elderly? There is no point in asking why Mepa issued a permit for this demolition to go ahead when someone was still living in the property. Mepa have been making stupid decisions for years, so why break the habit of a lifetime?

I just hope that the local people get together behind any initiative to help this old woman. She's 94 years old for God's sake. Surely the least she deserves is to be able to live out her remaining years in peace. I think you need to remember that as we are all linked together these days by the internet, situations like you have in Sliema are no longer just a local thing, but are potentially being watched by millions the world over. If this old lady comes to any harm how do you think the world will react?