Fiona Galea Debono
Din l-Art Ħelwa drops out of Valletta protest
City Gate rally starts at 10 a.m.
Din l-Art Ħelwa, one of the major environment NGOs, will not be taking part in Saturday's rally because it is "sadly flawed" on an issue of fundamental importance to the entire country.
The rally is being held in protest against environmental abuse and lack of legal enforcement.
The NGO's crucial point of departure from the stand of the eight rally organisers has to do with the regeneration project for the entrance to Valletta, which, the rally promoters claim, is in violation of the Structure Plan.
DLĦ disagrees with this major point, highlighted in its poster, according to its newly-appointed executive president, Petra Bianchi.
The other NGOs maintain that the project violates the Structure Plan in that ministries and Parliament can only be sited in an auberge or palace in Valletta.
"But DLĦ cannot agree, on grounds of common sense and practicality, that Parliament and the ministries must necessarily be sited only in these locations," Dr Bianchi said.
Furthermore, and in seemingly contradictory statements, the idea was being advanced to house Parliament in a new construction over the Main Guard, at Fort St Elmo, or in the Mediterranean Conference Centre, all of which are not auberges or palaces of Valletta, she pointed out.
"Even if this interpretation of the Structure Plan were correct, a fact about which the NGO is not convinced, DLĦ has campaigned incessantly for changes to environmental or heritage legislation that is inadequate or outdated to bring it in line with what the country's interests require.
"This is the action DLĦ would advise, given the importance of the Valletta plan, and not the abandonment of a project of this magnitude on such spurious grounds," Dr Bianchi continued.
On the other hand, the NGO said it was in full agreement with the need for better enforcement and the urgent challenge of improving the poor state of Malta's environment, points being raised at the environment rally.
DLĦ stressed that its agreement with the other NGOs was reflected in its four resolutions, focusing on the island's dwindling resources of water, limestone and fish stocks and the toxic state of air pollution, approved at its recent annual general meeting and presented to the government.
The rally is being organised by BirdLife Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth, Greenhouse, Moviment Graffitti, the Malta Organic and Agricultural Movement, Nature Trust and the Ramblers Association.
It starts at 10 a.m. from City Gate.
12 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Henry J Bonett
Mar 11th 2010, 09:36
DLH supports many environmental issues of the other NGOs. For its own reasons, to which it has every right, it does not support the others in the case of the Valleta plan. For this reason or for any other, it was never part of the organisation of, or intended participation in, next Saturday's rally. Then, why does Petra Bianchi come out with a statement that is misleading and, on top of that, at such an inopportune time, right on the eve of the Rally? That is the issue.
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Mar 10th 2010, 19:01
This rally is a vile excuse for these NGO's to protest against what they collectively term as ILLEGAL spring hunting. I am convinced that Birdlife and its supporters have perfectly timed this charade to fit in with their petitions against Government's intention to exercise it's right to derogate for spring hunting. Time will tell whether my prediction is correct.
David Pisani
Mar 10th 2010, 17:13
Organisations have to unite, irrespective of their background, being elitist or common people.
They should join civil society and other political organisations that fight for a better environment.
We should move forward by respecting each other organisations.
I hate when certain organisations obtain a certain privilege to be represented on a committee board without going through a democratic process to be nominated. May be we should now look forward and stop pointing fingers as though we are the angels and others the evils
"United we stand and divided we fall."
Sergio Galea Vincenti
Mar 10th 2010, 16:12
@ Mr. John Azzopardi and others: We cannot continue in this blessed country of ours to label anyone which objects to anything which the government of the day may be doing - or allowing to be done - as being politically motivated. God forbid we were to exist in a society where the government of the day were to see as enemies or agitators any organisation or individual objecting in a democratic manner to any initiative or issue.
The truth, unfortunately, is that the more time passes, the more environmental and heritage issues continue to crop up and accumulating causing added pressure within the country:
The last thing we all need is, alas, for a project of national importance and which every Maltese was looking forward to - such as the rehabilitation of City Gate and the Old Opera site - to be bulldozed and mismanaged by Government in total disregard to its own procedures and practices, consultation and dialogue and, above all, on the provisions of the Structure Plan as approved by Parliament.
One could carry on mentioning the hidden costs of the project and its socio-economic impact but, of course, we are but mere mortals....
Sergio Galea Vincenti
Mar 10th 2010, 15:49
For the sake of correctness, readers should have a look at the NGOs position on DLH's stand:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100310/local/dlh-was-never-part-of-valletta-environment-protest-ngos-say
Astrid Vella
Mar 10th 2010, 15:03
The eight environment NGOs organising this rally state that since Din l-Art Helwa was never an organiser nor a participant in next Saturday's rally, there is no issue of it dropping out.
The stand of the environment NGOs and the reasons for the rally need to be clarified. The title of the rally is LEGALITY NOW. The NGOs are calling for Malta's rules and regulations to be respected in all the issues they are raising, being encroachment of the countryside, demolition of heritage, air pollution, illegal extraction of water, illegal hunting and trapping and the irregularities surrounding the PROCESSING of the Valletta plans.
The NGOs have several times made it clear that they are not against the Valletta Rehab Project and are not trying to stop it. They are, however against the violation of the legally-binding Structure Plan which says "The parliament and ministries are to be concentrated in the palaces and auberges of Valletta"
The NGOs state that they respect DLH's decision not to take part and appreciate its support of the many environmental issues to be raised at the rally.
Joe Grech
Mar 10th 2010, 14:51
@Mr. Joseph Cauchi
You are entitled to your opinion my friend.
However, saying that ''DLH is not as gullible as you might wish it to be'' does not make sense particularly now that we know that DLH was not going to attend for the rally in the first place! How does that strike you?
I think that different issues have now deteriorated so much that ''putting all the issues in one basket'' is the natural (if not the ideal) outcome. I am hoping that you will at least acknowledge this.
John Azzopardi
Mar 10th 2010, 13:09
Well done to DLH. Protests had their place in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's when brute force not common sense ruled. Now NGOs should find new ways of dealing with problems. We have moved on since those times, but maybe NGOs have not realised it.
Joseph Cauchi
Mar 10th 2010, 11:47
@ Joe Grech,
Luckily, DLH is not as gullible as you might wish it to be.
Why do you have to put all those “issues” in one basket and treat all of them on the same level?
I might agree on most of the issues, but I do not agree on all of them, particularly the Valletta City Gate Project by Renzo Piano.
I am 100% in favour of Piano’s project and the Government should implement it IMMEDIATELY.
We have wasted more than sixty years and we cannot continue for another sixty years discussing this project. This site in question is a DISGRACE to our country and thus it should be rehabilitated as soon as possible.
The Maltese people are sick and tired of all these delaying tactics being employed by some of these NGOs.
That’s why the SILENT MAJORITY of Maltese people and perhaps the DLH are not that GULLIBLE!
Could there be a HIDDEN AGENDA in obstructing any projects embarked upon by the Government, by certain NGOs?
I suspect there is!
JC.
Joe Azzopardi
Mar 10th 2010, 11:38
Environmental degradation and the Valletta project are issues that have nothing to do with each other and should not have been mixed up. That is the reason I will not be there. However the environmental NGOs have all my support as always.
Who ever thinks it is his right to slander DLH should take a look at its track record and see how much the organisation has done, and is still doing, to safeguard our heritage.
Joe Cassar
Mar 10th 2010, 11:21
It seems that the policy of "divide and rule" is still going strong.
Joe Grech
Mar 10th 2010, 11:07
This comes as a surprise - Under Dr. Petra Bianchi Din l-Art Helwa seems to have become quite different from the D.L.H.of the past...how sad!
What does Bianchi mean saying that the planned rally is "sadly flawed on an issue of fundamental importance to the entire country'' - and D.L.H. won't attend because of that? Was this decision taken by the Din l-Art Helwa Committee or not?
Din l-Art Helwa has every right not to agree that the Valletta entrance project is ''in violation of the Structure Plan'' and it has in fact declared that much.
But the rally is being held for other IMPORTANT reasons also;
- Abuse of Natura 2000 sites
- Encroachment on ODZ
- Illegal hunting and trapping
- Air pollution
- Unauthorised groundwater extraction
- Destruction of Heritage
- Sham public consultation on Freeport and Valletta Regeneration Plans
D.L.H. can certainly not agree ''on grounds of common sense and practicality'', that Parliament and the ministries must be sited in Auberges and Palaces. But this point ALONE should not make this NGO refuse to take part in the rally. What about the other issues which D.L.H. itself refers to?
Practicality indeed - has D.L.H.sold its soul?