It had to take a tiger to prove, if further proof were ever needed, that where planning rules and their enforcement are concerned, it is truly the law of the jungle in this country.
A boy of three was seriously injured at the illegal zoo in Montekristo Estates as a “sick” tiger was being taken around for a walk near the cafeteria. The incident beggars belief. It would be farcical were it not so tragic, although a more appropriate word would be sickening.
A few months after coming into office, this government had made a huge show of force when it sent bulldozers, armed police and the army to pull down illegalities at the huge complex in Ħal Farruġ. It was just a costly spectacle, of course, because they were soon stopped by a court prohibitory injunction – the oldest trick in the book – never to return again.
Meanwhile, Montekristo Estates continued to thrive with fairs being officially opened and events organised there by those who should know better. The clear message all along was: it pays to break the law. It is the law of the jungle.
The government leads by example. Even for something as simple as unnecessary billboards to promote the CHOGM summit, it has opted for those that have been served with enforcement notices. This an immensely irresponsible attitude that corrodes society because it promotes the mindset that all is fine so long as you can get away with it.
It is the institutionalised corruption of society’s values.
This government’s record in respect of the enforcement of planning laws since it came to office has been abysmal. To stop electricity theft at the illegal shantytowns of Armier and St Thomas Bay, it has provided the squatters there with smart meters. The result is that they are now renting those illegal buildings, perversely called boathouses, as holiday units with sea views. Bad news for law-abiding hoteliers but they really do not have much to grumble about. They have been given a blanket permit to add two storeys to their hotels, also bypassing planning laws.
The sad incident at Montekristo is simply a reminder of the shambolic and disdainful way the government treats the planning laws of this country. Only that would explain why the government so flippantly suggests building a whole ‘university’ on virgin land in Marsascala and then waives environment rules for massive hospital development it plans for Malta and Gozo. Clearly for this government, planning laws can be negotiated.
Yet, laws and regulations are not there to be negotiated, whatever the backroom electoral promises made. They are there to ensure a level playing field, the rule of law, to set standards and, above all, to ensure the safety of the public using facilities sanctioned by the authorities.
The government saw fit to issue a statement on the incident at the illegal zoo. It said that it had “taken action” since the zoo was operating illegally. The animals, it said, had been transferred to suitable cages and the present structures were facing a daily fine. It had also issued a legal notice, it added, which stipulated that no exotic animals should be imported without the necessary permits.
It was a statement that said everything but what people wanted to hear: that the government would finally act and close down the unlicensed zoo. The operators have done that now.
It had to take a nasty incident involving a child and a tiger, which belongs in the jungle, to finally do the responsible and sensible thing.