On the dot

• Will Enemalta compensate the 15,000 residents in Safi, Żurrieq and Kirkop who suffered a power cut of nearly 24 hours on the first weekend of August? Thousands of man-hours of work were lost, appliances were damaged and food in fridges – and, in some cases, freezers too – had to be thrown away.

Express

• It is commendable that Maltapost is offering sundry services to clients. However, this sometimes leads to long queues, made up of clients who want to pay any number of bills and others who would like to register just one letter or purchase just one stamp. Is there the possibility of creating a sort of “fast lane” system where people who need a simple service need not have to wait for long periods?

Accountability

• More than three years have passed since police officers, called to check on a disturbance, ended up shooting dead a man in Qormi after he allegedly assaulted them with a knife. Yet, the public is still awaiting an official independent explanation of what happened by way of the findings of the magisterial inquiry into the tragedy. What’s the hold-up? Will any authority feel accountable and give an overdue explanation to the people?

Dangerous

• Several thousand people use the Portes des Bombes junction daily. Many of them do not use the zebra crossing on the left-hand side, going into Valletta, only a couple of metres downhill. Cars rarely stop there, anyway, because they drive at speed from the Msida side, so commuters may be seen regularly making a diagonal dash for the pavement. This attitude is an accident waiting to happen. Something must be done to alleviate the problem.

Privacy

• Bank branches have a computer monitor at the reception desks so that certain queries can be dealt with by the officer on duty rather than by one of the customer care complement or cashiers. However, the placement of some of these monitors is such that when the client’s details come up they are visible to those standing in line. Is this not an invasion of privacy?

Kerbed!

• Further in from the Fine Arts Museum, at the corner with Sappers’ Street, Valletta, the pavement has been in a terrible state for years. Much ado has been made about the repair of “visible” areas such as St Christopher Street. But as this area is not in a central place, it may have been forgotten, again and again, when plans were being made for refurbishment and renovation of particular areas in the city.

Populace

• St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta was full to the brim for the state funeral of President Emeritus Guido de Marco a week ago. But should there not have been a better balance between representatives of the official side and the people? After all, throughout his life, Prof. de Marco always made it a point to be as close to the people as possible, irrespective of the role he occupied.

Haphazard

• During the yachting and sailing season, Pietà residents suddenly become second-class citizens. Yacht owners park their land vehicles haphazardly, including on pavements and over newly-planted shrubs. They appear to assume that, as long as the boat is berthed properly, what they do on dry land is immaterial. The authorities would do well to monitor this disgusting situation through random checks, particularly on Sunday mornings.

Budgeting

• ARMS Ltd once promised that bills for water and electricity consumption would go out every two months. This has not happened. It is a fact of life that for some people household budgets are thrown out of kilter when bills are received. It is also a common complaint that estimates are sent when the meter reader would not have turned up and not necessarily because there would have been no one at home when he called.

Connections

• Helen Gravesteijn, an official of ARMS Ltd, sent a letter dated July 28, 2010 to a company asking the client to call 2244 6216/7 for an appointment. The client tried several times a day to do this, yet no one answers the phone. The help line 8007 2222 is either occupied or no one replies. The client has also sent several e-mails in connection with this but all he received is a stock acknowledgement.

Payments

• It seems that, at long last, the Public Registry in Gozo is being vacated. This property was requisitioned in 1958 for a mere €700 annually. It should now be returned to its rightful owners. Will there be any compensation given to the rightful owners for any damages done to the building?

Tourism

• Reports in the media indicate that fewer families have renewed their licences to host English language students for this summer. This has been attributed to the recession, the increase in the cost of utility rates that was not compensated for by the language schools and the euro exchange rates. It could also be that some people have realised that hosting students is not all gain and no pain; the behaviour of some of them leaves much to be desired and no amount of money can compensate for the loss of peace of mind.

Pyrotechnics

• Even one accident remotely connected to fireworks each year would be one too many. Yet, all the talk about having a centralised, national fireworks factory has again fizzled out into nothing. Is this yet another issue, like hunting, divorce and same-sex marriages, that neither major political party would be prepared to touch with a barge-pole just in case the voting public takes umbrage?

Finance

• The performance of an investment fund is the subject of judicial action. The investors involved and the fund manager have both made their views known. The Malta Financial Services Authority says it is looking into the matter but stops at that. Surely, given its much-trumpeted consumer education programmes, it could be more forthcoming with the investing public, always within the limits of the law, of course.