Sunday, 6th July 2008
Closing road for Msida feast could be dangerous - Mater Dei superintendent
"They'll close the road over my dead body" - band club president
Mater Dei Hospital's superintendent has warned that permitting the closure of Regional Road so that fireworks can be let off for the Msida feast could have dangerous consequences.
Frank Bartolo said he could not understand how the closure could even be contemplated. "How can you close the one and only major artery leading to hospital?" he said.
When contacted, police said they had received "two requests for closure of roads to let-off fireworks" for the Msida feast in a fortnight's time and these were still being processed.
Closing the roads causes severe inconvenience to motorists every year. However, the recent opening of Mater Dei means that emergency cases could be affected as well as relatives of hospital's 850-odd patients.
However, Għaqda Melita Banda San Ġużepp president Vince Azzopardi is adamant that the closure is necessary for the feast to be a success. He also insisted that people could take alternative routes.
Mr Azzopardi said the road had been closed for as long as he had been president - 11 years - and would continue being closed for the feast as long as he is alive.
Clearly angry, he said: "They'll close (the road) over my dead body. You are denying us our right to the feast. Don't you dare come to Msida, I'm serious... If you don't like it, don't pass through Msida. We never needed you and we are never going to."
When reminded that people visiting hospital might be stuck in traffic because of the road closure, Mr Azzopardi said ambulances were still able to get through.
When asked about hospital visitors, he said the police would designate times when the road would be open. "If someone doesn't watch the news or read the newspapers, that it's up to him. We don't get into it."
The closure of the road last year prompted one reader to write in a letter to The Times: "This is causing havoc with long stretches of traffic, time after time."
Another described the closure as "totally stupid", saying it showed lack of planning by the authorities, adding that in Malta "common sense and logic is only optional in certain circumstances".
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Comments
Whilst Mr. Vince Azzoppardi and his fellow feast organisers have the right the enjoy their annual feast, the rest of the Maltese citizens (who contribute to an annual road tax) have the right to use the roads to their necessities, especially when fatalities occur.
I hope that authorities will manage to rightfully prioritise which of the above fundamental rights come first, this time.
It can start by having next Sunday's sermon about "loving thy neighbour".
As for the police, they do what they are told by the government.
The authorities have neglected this gross abuse of "disturbance of the public peace" for too long.
Yesterday very loud petards were being hoisted from Manoel Island from about 7.30 p.m. until after 9 p.m almost non stop, not to mention the shorter sessions during the day since Friday. This apparently is perfectly legal. But the public is getting less tolerant of this bullying day by day.
Mr. Azzopardi, we're in 2008 and are a European Union Member State - we no longer spend our days running around barefoot wearing a sleevless oil-stained vest and shouting "viva San Guzepp". Hmm... come to think of it, you probably still do.
Shame on you Mr Azzopardi. !!!!! S H A M E O N Y O U !!!
I hope that the competent authorities have the guts to stop this nonsense, otherwise its SHAME ON YOU TOO!!!!!!!!!
In a weeks time we will see if we are living in a Banana/Gahan Malti/Pajjizz tal- mickey mouse republic or a mature state in the EU!!!!!!!
PS Just to make it clear Mr Azzopardi S H A M E O N Y O U !!!
wake up people, its time to use some logic and reasoning dont you think??!!!
And by the way...........can anyone enlight me why we Maltese have to let off those earth shattering salvos during a feast? Can't we be happy with the colourful (and quieter) versions instead ? I sometimes think that we Maltese are unhappy that the II World War is over and we persistently have to remind ourselves what our fathers and fore-fathers went through more that 60 years ago!
I'm so happy to have given Ivan Attard the chance to tell the world about my diluting arrogance, whatever that is. I assume he means my undiluted arrogance, though with this type of person, you never really know what they mean.
I hope the authorities will punish you for your arrogance and not grant you the permit.
Who do you think you are? Why don't you declare independence from the rest of the country and leave the rest of us in peace. We certainly will not miss you.
As the Maltese saying goes "l-ispizjar milli jkollu jtik"!
The police should never ever close such an arterial road, especially one leading to the Hospital.
All the relevant authorities should be held responsible if they close the road and anything happens to any patient or would be patient on his/her way to hospital.
This is the 21st century, Mr Azzopardi, not the dark ages when shadowy arrogant persons ruled according to their whims.
As a last point, ABC's posting shows that he is so politically narrow minded that because the Msida Mayor comes from the Labour Party, he tried to put the blame on the Mayor instead of the band club vice president.
I do not believe that this was a genuine mistake, but a deliberate attempt to throw mud at the Labour Party in the hope that people who do not live in Msida may not know who is actually the Mayor.
Mr. Vince Azzopardi should be arrested for his threats to all law abiding citizens. He definitely stepped over the line. He should immediately resign from his capacity as President. Being from Msida myself I would not like to have Mr. Azzopardi represent the band club. I find it hard to accept how most firework enthusiasts tend to be a nuisance to other fellow citizens even after 11pm. I'm not sure if any arraignments have ever taken place against these organisers who deploy noisy petards at unearthly hours.
The heat is definitely boiling out Mr Azzopardi's brains!!!!!!!
Lets now see if the hand of the law can listen to the majority of the population and stop this nuisance opnce and for all.
Can the church authorities impose that no fireworks are let off in this feast??
I live in Paola where since we do not have a specific area where we can enjoy fireworks we have to abide by the rules and enjoy ourselves celebrating the feast with minimal fireworks. Anyhow MR.PRESIDENT you are not special and if you do not have anothe area, then you have to do like we do in Paola!
Don't worry rest assured St. Joseph will not be angry:)
Well, dear authorities, Mr Azzopardi is challenging you and all ("Don't you dare come to Msida".....); let us see once more who is stronger: the authorities or the likes of Mr Azzopardi?
And how come does not the church involve itself in such situations? Aren't these fireworks after all for the sake and in honour of Saints and the Church?
One last comment to Mr Azzopardi: I am resident of Msida and I on that feast day I would want to get OUT of Msida not COME IN!
In his haste to pontificate his learned opinion on everything, ABC tends to warp his keyboard in the process and mix Presidents of band clubs with Mayors or whatever.
It's his way of showing his encompassing knowledge and diluting arrogance. Then he is the first to point out an irrelevant grammatical anomaly in an English language sentence submitted to his blog.
This guy is a peach, he says “ambulances may pass through”, so what is he going to do stop the fire works every time an ambulance is on is way?
When the Band Club president said: "They'll close the road over my dead body" he is implying that he WANTS IT OPEN at all costs!!!
Yes please, keep it OPEN for the safety of everyone mr Band Club president, you could let off the fireworks from your backyard (unless it backs onto the Regional Road or Mater Dei itself)!!!
While in previous years the road closure caused massive traffic jams and inconvenience, with the opening of Mater Dei this goes beyond, and can easily result in fatalities. Clearly this doesn't affect this poor specimen of altruism's conscience at all.
The decision to refuse the road closure this year is a no-brainer, and I hope no festa enthusiast in the police force will even dare to think otherwise.
This has been going for too long. I can only say that 6 years ago we wanted to be close to a close relative, but it took us almost 2 hours to get to St. Luke's hospital because of the havoc caused by this president!!! And six years on I would like to thank him, for keeping us away from a loving relative.
Mr Vince Azzopardi, please note that I, as a citizen of a democratic country, have the right to pass through Msida any time that I feel like and also visit one of Malta's leading Cafes any day I want. So please Mr Azzopardi, just keep quiet and let the other Maltese live their lives how they desire.
What does this little Napoelon of a Band club President, Mr. Vince Azzopardi mean when he says: "Don't you dare come to Msida, I'm serious... If you don't like it, don't pass through Msida. We never needed you and we are never going to." ? He isn't even the mayor of that town,for heaven's sake.
I am a firework fanatic, but even i can see that this takes things to an absurd level.
Apart from the inconeveninece, which Mr Azzopardi disregards,there is the unacceptable noise levels so close to the hospital.
Considering the hospital's long gestation period , Mr Azzopardi had due warning and should have prepared contingency plans. Floriana, a smaller village but much more resourceful has managed to create something unique. Msida could have and should have.
As more and more peopel are realising, firewok displays are no longer about size and noise They are about aesthetics and elegance, Perhaps Mr Azzopardi can take a course in that after, of course taking courses in good manners and a spittle of modesty.
The closing of a a main arterial road is ridiculous and happens only in Malta!
I take Mr Azzopardi's invitation wholeheartedly. If to keep this road open we have to trample over 'his dead body' as he claims...I volunteer to be the first!!
Enough with nonsense. A feast is a feast - its main focus should be the religious aspect and nothing else. If this has been lost, as it seems to be, lets just get rid of them once and for all.
Actually, since he seems to have something of a robust attitude towards the rights of the rest of the country to use what is a major artery that happens to pass through his village, surely the rest of us are entitled to respond "well, that could be arranged" to his "over my dead body remark"?
I only make the point to illustrate how arrogant remarks like that sound, of course.
Would Mr. Azzopardi's views be the same if he would be the one with an emergency or have a dear member of his family in hospital???
Besides does he consider how disturbing the pagan bangs are to the sick and dying?
Is this Catholic Malta???