I am sure that God loves Malta. I say this with utter conviction because, over so many years, I can’t think of any other explanation as to why this country has been capable of advancing so well in spite of the external and self-created problems that have emerged at regular intervals throughout the past decades.
We have managed to increase our tourism and our financial services, we have maintained a healthy property market.
We maanged to maintain a relatively happy, healthy and wealthy population, and we have thousands of foreigners working here pouring money into our national coffers.
But while the years have deposited thousands of people on our shores, these extra people mean the creation of a bigger mess, along with the wear and tear it causes to our infrastructure. In Malta we already have a habit of using things without maintaining them, until they become so utterly useless that no one can use them.
On each CCTV camera, there should be a loud speaker so that the controller or supervisor can draw attention to misbehaviour
They are then either knocked down and rebuilt, like property, or thrown away.
In the meantime when things are good, as is the case now, we use to a much greater degree buildings, objects and areas of Malta which become so tatty that people can’t or won’t use them, and complaints come flooding in.
It’s happened before and is happening, and will happen, again.
What should we do? Simple. We should recognise our past failures and organise ourselves properly.
Is it possible that we can’t recruit a group of educated people who can go around the delicate and much used areas of Malta checking whether the pavements are still in shape, that the sign posts remain upright, roads useable, rubbish collection working as it should?
Is it not possible that these people report to a central control room the minute they see something amiss. Is it not possible that their comments are acted upon by a specially recruited workforce capable of fixing things properly and immediately?
Much more attention must be paid to educating people, Maltese and foreigners, making them aware that they must look after our precious islands.
Foreigners need to be told in a courteous manner that they must take care of our islands and our environment from the moment they step on our shores.
Locals need to be educated from primary school upwards that their present and future livelihood depends on keeping Malta acceptable to visitors, who help make up our successful economy.
More manpower is needed to clean and maintain all areas of Malta, especially our main tourist areas.
More effective controls are needed to make sure laws and regulations are obeyed.
Isn’t this sounding familiar? Some things have been done, but much, much more is necessary to get us going to become a well-maintained society, that will receive all this extra influx of people.
We all know that tourists and locals gather in certain places to enjoy themselves, and why not?
But these places must be continually cleaned and maintained, and supervised. This is not easy.
Even our own homes, with the minimum of wear and tear, start falling apart without maintenance and care.
All the heavily-populated areas, such as Buġibba and Paceville, should have CCTV cameras on each and every corner, and the pictures from each camera received at a central control room where they are monitored and recorded.
From this room, police or tourist wardens can be sent to trouble spots at short notice.
This should stop vandalism, wilful misbehaviour and crime.
On each CCTV camera, there should be a loud speaker so that the controller or supervisor can draw attention to misbehaviour.
How about that? Well-behaved crowds and well-maintained crowded areas.
Wouldn’t it be good if people genuinely enjoy themselves without having to face the problems we have become accustomed to?
Will it be done? I do not know. Can it be done? I think so.
Will everybody, and I mean everybody, get together to make sure it is done, and Malta is clean and well-maintained and completely safe?