Editorial

The news of loss of human life, injury and anguish, apart from the destruction of private property, in a residential area in Naxxar as a result of a fireworks explosion is a major tragedy on several counts. It is a personal tragedy for the families of the people killed, injured or maimed in the explosion. It is a tragedy for those whose houses have been wrecked or endangered. And it is a tragedy for the whole fireworks industry in Malta which finds itself, once again, under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

It is, however, the gross irresponsibility which led to this tragic incident that must now be addressed. The details of what happened are still unclear. However, this tragedy once more raises questions about the whole regime of controls affecting explosives and materials. One may legitimately ask what kind of a system leads to somebody being able to secrete - even perhaps to manufacture - fireworks (which are no more or less than live explosives) in his own private house or garage in the middle of a densely populated town without the authorities being aware of it or, worse, turning a blind eye? Where does accountability and responsibility lie? If such an individual had bought fireworks legitimately for use at, say, some celebration, how could the fireworks manufacturer be so irresponsible as to allow such explosive material to be transported for storage at a place clearly not suited for this purpose? These and other questions require urgent answers.

Above all, as The Times said less than two months ago when commenting on the long-awaited Pyrotechnic Commission's report, immediate action needs to be taken to act on the commission's recommendations. "Not to do so," The Times had said, "is literally, to be playing with fire - perhaps even to dice with death - and to take unnecessary risks with the lives of those involved directly in making fireworks as well as those who stand to suffer collateral damage from such activities".

It may be argued that the Pyrotechnic Commission's report was dealing with the control of legitimate fireworks factories, not illegitimate activities such as may have been the cause of this tragedy. Indeed, it was. Nonetheless, the point still stands. While one can understand that some of the commission's recommendations have been acted upon, it does not result that the whole package of measures listed in that report has been implemented yet.

The fact that since publication of the report the country has been in the throes of a general election is no excuse. The seriousness of the issue, which last year alone witnessed the death of seven people in fireworks factory explosions, is such that a government with the political will to do so would have acted with all due alacrity. The Prime Minister must now ensure that the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs does so.

Interestingly, two of the many recommendations in the commission's report are especially pertinent to what happened yesterday in Naxxar. One is the introduction of mandatory health and safety educational courses for all pyrotechnics enthusiasts. There seems to be a cultural aversion in Malta to health and safety issues. People - as in this case - take unnecessary risks not only with their own lives but also with the lives of others in the misplaced belief that they will be spared the consequences. When tragedy strikes, they realise - too late - that such risks prove fatal. It is an attitude which must change.

The other aspect concerns the setting up of a permanent unit to carry out regular inspections of factories with the power to close down those that do not conform to the required safety standards. One hopes that if it is found that a factory knowingly allowed such fireworks to be stored in a private garage, or sold the explosives to enable their illegal manufacture in a private residence, or accepted to be supplied with fireworks manufactured illegally, it will be severely penalised.

Every aspect of the manufacture and sale of fireworks must henceforth be more rigidly controlled.