A generous man

Sandro Chetcuti, president of the property section of the GRTU, is being reviled for asking the government to stimulate the property market and saving it large sums of money by making the Housing Authority vote go further.

This is a matter pertaining to the GRTU which justifiably has its members' interests at heart. Accusing Mr Chetcuti of not having a heart and seeking only his own interests is wrong.

When I was running the Eden Foundation, we needed help not only to raise the funds that were used to subsidise parents' fees, but also to provide an independent living centre.

Not only did Mr Chetcuti join the fundraising committee and help to direct its efforts, but he gave the foundation a property of his at Marsascala for the living centre project.

This centre housed adults who needed to be trained in the social and practical living skills that all of us take for granted but which people with intellectual disability need to painstakingly learn if they are to live a normal life. They had to learn how to use a kitchen, how to cook, how to shop, how to ensure personal hygiene, how to go out and meet friends and have fun.

All this was possible only through the generosity of this man whose donation was a gift of life to so many young men and women who were only able to learn to function through his magnificent endowment. Mr Chetcuti is nothing if not generous.

I find it really hard to believe that there are those who are ready to think that he wants to deprive people in need of a roof over their heads. It's just not in his nature.