Warden powers need to be checked

Patrick Busuttil, general manager of Guard &Warden Service House Ltd (May 8), states that the version of events I gave in my letter of May 2 regarding a ticket issued to me by a warden in Ta' Xbiex is incorrect.

With the typical arrogance and pomposity that personifies a good number of the wardens he manages, Mr Busuttil proceeds to give us his version of events, starting with an ominous "the facts are these", appointing himself as the judge and jury in the process.

Since to my knowledge, Mr Busuttil was not present when the ticket was issued, "the facts" that he recounts are those as told to him by the warden, not his first-hand experience. Who is in a better position to know "the facts"? The person who actually parked the car, myself, or Mr Busuttil who wasn't there? With what and whose authority does he presume that his word or that of his warden is more credible than mine? I stand my ground and confirm that I parked my car at 9.30 a.m. not at 9 a.m. as he states. So I suggest he checks his "facts" himself, before trying to pontificate about how the matter developed.

His suggestion that I should make my case to the local council is one I took up. After getting the Pontius Pilate treatment from the receptionist of the Ta' Xbiex local council, I drove immediately to the offices of the council and asked to talk to the Mayor. Yes, she did hear me out even if admittedly, I wasn't in the most serene of moods. Her reply was that the council had nothing to do with the matter.

If this pass-the-parcel attitude by the Ta' Xbiex local council and the Guard and Warden Services is any indication of how "local councils and the warden agencies, police their wardens", this only reinforces my belief that wardens have a licence to do exactly as they please!

The maze of red tape which Mr Busuttil suggests to anybody who has "a bone of contention" is proof that, as I stated in my previous letter, the system is flawed, because the onus is always on the fined party to clear his or her name, never mind the inconvenience of time and energy involved and irrespective of whether the fine was issued rightly or wrongly. The remedies available are a prime example of Maltese inefficient bureaucracy at its brilliant best, which while on the face of it seemingly provides the public with a means to contest the fines, in practical terms makes it much easier not to, and just pay up. Tell us Mr Busuttil, from your records, how many people bother to turn up at the hearings to contest the fines?

Rather than the answer from the general manager of the Guard & Warden Service (huh!) House Ltd, I found that Edward Gatt's contribution (May 12) about the legality or otherwise of parking schemes for residents made much more interesting reading. Definitely food for thought, and possibly, more importantly, action too.

In so far as wardens and their powers are concerned, unless the current state of affairs changes, the public will continue to be bullied about with little or no practical remedy. May whoever has the authority to do something to change this state of affairs, kindly do so as soon as possible.