When Enemalta started installing smart electricity meters at illegal boathouses in what used to be one of the most picturesque beaches on the islands – Armier Bay – the government justified the move by saying the aim was to clamp down on electricity theft.
There was justified public uproar. Angry critics insisted there was no political will to stop the illegalities and that updating the meters would send a message that wrongs are rewarded rather than penalised. They have been proven right and the move only served to encourage even more illegalities.
The shanty town at Armier, built on public land and mushrooming under successive administrations, was a hub of activity over the winter months with refurbishments and extensions in full swing, making the illegal structures more permanent. Connection to the electricity grid led many owners to believe they would not be made to leave any time soon. This newspaper has reported that about 60 owners spent months repainting walls, changing tiles and carrying out plastering works. While at it, some decided to claim an additional piece of public land.
This is symptomatic of a weird phenomenon in this country that you can get away with flouting the law as long as there are enough people doing it
The planning authority said some of the work led to the newly-constructed structures becoming “beach houses”. It issued enforcement notices and imposed daily fines. Asked what further action would be taken, no details were given. One would be justified to assume the story ends there.
Many cannot afford to have a beach house but it does not mean they can just choose a spot by the sea, roll up their sleeves and build themselves a few rooms for the summer. It is therefore no surprise there is anger at the inability of successive administrations to deal with such illegalities.
This is symptomatic of a weird phenomenon in this country that you can get away with flouting the law as long as there are enough people doing it. Every time there is talk about the illegalities at Armier, boat house owners come together and flex their muscle. At the sign of any criticism, they scream and shout and act as though their God-given right to have a beach house is being denied.
The reality is they are privileged because the abuse is intentionally ignored by one government after another. It is even worse, in fact: one election after another they win more concessions.
Illegal boathouses offer a case study of how people in Malta abuse the system, take away from others what is their right and then turn an argument on its head and portray themselves as victims.
If that does not work, they bully their way to the next election. When Opposition leader Simon Busuttil last year offered the government his party’s “complete and unconditional support” to tackle the long-standing issue at Armier, a spokesman for the boathouse owners had the nerve to say he expected the Nationalist Party to honour past agreements made by his predecessors.
It is a vicious cycle that will continue to haunt this country until the two main political parties join forces and resist the pressure. What the government did instead was connect boathouses to the electricity grid and provide the necessary infrastructure – paid by taxpayers – to provide a stable supply, which means owners can now also add air conditioners. Indeed, they lost no time doing it.
Talk about attracting high-end tourists is all fine but what do they see when they land in the country? Shanty towns, caravans, a poor infrastructure, cranes and noise and dust everywhere.
Surely not the best Malta can offer.