Revel Barker, Għajnsielem
More unsightly buildings and fewer tourists
I don't think anybody really believes that Mepa is corrupt (Perceived Corruption Not Surprising by Marija Falzon, November 24). If they were just another part of Malta's famous brown-envelope industry, they wouldn't make so many blatant and perverse decisions, would they?
Rather, I think they have just lost the plot about why they are there, and even forgotten that the name of the organisation includes the words Environment and Planning.
I seem to remember that, apparently recognising the failure of both Mepa and the MTA (another government organisation that was obviously failing in its remit) the Prime Minister bravely took over control of both. And since then we have had more unwanted and unsightly buildings, and less tourism. These are not unrelated matters; it is surely difficult to justify further development when year on year there are fewer people to cater for.
Before any further new developments or extensions to existing ones are permitted, there should surely be a basic requirement to prove that - given the amount of unoccupied property and the decline in use of tourist accommodation - there is actually a genuine need for them.
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Revel Barker
Nov 29th 2009, 10:24
Not all Maltese are corrupt or lazy, says Mr Farrugia (cap F).
And I was saying that nobody believed they were.
No: the only people who are corrupt are those people who offer bribes (in one form or another) and those people who accept them. Mr Farrugia may know some people in one of those categories; he may feel that they give the rest a bad name.
He's right that I don't know the Maltese people -- I have been hanging around these islands for 35 years now (longer than some of the natives) and am still learning.
As for "lazy"... did I say the Maltese were lazy? Or is that just Mr Farrugia's conception?
I wouldn't know. Presumably he knows the people.
J Farrugia
Nov 27th 2009, 17:44
A piece of humble advice to revel barker. You seem to revel in being sarcastic. You really dont know the Maltese people. So may I suggest to you to pay attention how to speak or you will very soon get a libel action for your stupidity. Not all maltese people are corrupt or lazy, or irresponsible. It's very easy to criticize, but Interfering in malta's affairs is hot. Angels enter where devils fear to thread.
Paul Borg
Nov 27th 2009, 14:31
It is so ironic that this letter appears on the same day as Perit Alex Torpiano, the Head of the Department of Architecture at the University is using the Graduation to call for more building in urban areas. This although he must know we have over 75,000 empty houses/flats.
It would be interesting to know what the Slimizi neighbours of his MIDI and Fort Cambridge projects think of his proposals.
Adrian Borg Cardona
Nov 27th 2009, 12:03
Dear Mr. Barker, you are barking up the wrong tree. You need to bark at the political parties who are putting their own priorities before that of our country. Barking mad, I say!
Peter Murray
Nov 27th 2009, 10:36
Dear Revel.
I humbly beseech you to desist from being so radical,pragmatic and rational as when did such considerations ever come into the equation when analyzing such crucial aspects by any governmental entity? What we need and what we get never arrive on the same bus!