timesofmalta.com

Air Malta food

Sean Richardson, Swieqi — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I read a comment about what was described as the disappointing food quality aboard an Air Malta flight from Germany. In defence of Air Malta, the chicken, vegetables and potatoes served were a welcome meal flying into Malta after the food we were served on flights by another carrier from Portugal and into Germany. This consisted of a cold, small ham and cheese sandwich and a tough croissant with jam.

Eurovision voting (2)

Peter Murray, Mosta — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I have unsuccessfully attempted to contact the Daily Mail’s columnist, Peter McKay, regarding his callous reference to Malta’s Eurovision Song Contest entrant, Gianluca Bezzina, as “the creepy, elf-like figure from Malta”. While he is undoubtedly entitled to his opinion, McKay’s is polarised from that of most of Malta and indeed the rest of Europe. May I direct his attention to a banner headline of the Times of Malta to provide a brief snapshot of how much this contest is revered here? the matter may yet invoke questions in Parliament, even possibly a diplomatic incident.

Eurovision voting (1)

Lino Callus, Balzan — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I must first and foremost begin by congratulating Gianluca Bezzina who made Malta proud by ending up among the top 10 of the Eurovision song contest. Well done. God is with you. If not first place, he deserved to rank in the top three. Last year, I wrote a letter to Times of Malta to say that as long as the public remains entitled to 50 per cent of the votes, neighbours will vote for neighbours and it will remain unfair. Who am I to judge a singer and a song if I am not qualified to judge? I assume there are a number of others who share my view. Judging should take place in full view of the audience, by world renowned judges who, if they fail in their job, would have a lot to lose. Until then this contest will remain biased – unfair to participants, unfair to the public. Can we do something to solve this unpleasant state of affairs?

Sword must be returned

Edwin Calleja, Balzan — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

So France is doing us a big favour, as a token of our friendship, by offering to lend us De Vallette’s dagger and sword, for a limited period during the time Valletta is celebrated as the cultural capital city of Europe in 2018. It sounds rather arrogant and haughty to lend us what has been stolen from us. We are indisputably the rightful and legal owners of the invaluable arms in question presented by Russia to De Vallette after sorting out the Turkish forces besieging the island. What right has France to keep in its possession this inestimable treasure acquired illegally through an act of aggression and war against a virtually undefended Maltese territory? If such an obscene act and attitude is accepted and condoned by civilised nations, this would mean that any treasures looted by the victorious armies in all Europe during World War II including of course, from France, should have been retained perpetually by the victors as war-booty. Such line of action is surely totally unacceptable, unfair and logically irrational for the very obvious reason that the retaining country has no claim whatsoever on such property that is not hers but that was stolen and appropriated through force...

Don’t bring cruise ships to Gozo

Trevor Batchelor, Kendal, UK — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

My partner and I only discovered Malta and Gozo as a holiday destination three years ago and so taken were we – especially with Gozo – that we have now clocked up four visits so far. The latest holiday, lasting nine days, sadly ended just last week and it was then that we became aware of the proposed cruise ship terminal/anchorage installation for the island. While I fully understand the need for Gozo’s tourist economy to grow and bring prosperity to the local population, caution needs to be taken when going down the cruise ship route. Dubrovnik, in Croatia, is another favourite place of mine but a recent trip there became almost unbearable due to the sheer density and numbers of passengers on a quick visit. The owner of one of our favourite eating places confirmed that, apart from the odd ice cream and a trip up in the cable car, no money is actually spent and life has become so difficult that many of the original residents have now moved out. Cruise companies are only interested in their passengers spending money when on board their luxury ships. People that actually stay on Gozo are the ones that need to be catered for. It is they that spend money on the food, accommodation and...

Battle against God’s laws

Mgr Anton Gauci, Victoria — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

Following the comments made by the Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations on Bishop Mario Grech’s homily on abortion (Times of Malta, May 16 and 17), there is only one remark I feel that I should make. This would not be to show any such thing as ‘anger’, as the confederation itself has done, but to express feelings of sorrow at the plight of religion and God’s laws in these islands. Just that! Even when I recall to such scenes as those presented by processions with effigies of Our Lady of Sorrows or the ‘courageous’ manifestations of religiosity on the Granaries at Floriana. And no need to call to my mind the efforts of some good souls against the God-condemned doctrines on such things as divorce and prohibited ‘unions’! But, then, bygone are the days when our ancestors believed such warnings as “Take care lest My mercy give place to My justice” (Message of Merciful Love by Marguerite, 1986, p. 161). A real pity we are not given the ‘thousands’ of names which make up certain organisations we so often see making a lot of noise in their battling against God’s and the Church’s laws!

Right to life

Olga Pitcairn, New Hope, Pennsylvania, US — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I refer to Ivan Padovani’s letter referring to mine of May 16 about the right to life. Padovani overlooked the issue of the right of religious freedom. Savita Halappanavar was not a Roman Catholic and other religions have a different stance on when life begins. Genesis 2:7: The Lord God formed man from the dust of the Right to life ground and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (still-born babies are not baptised). The Pentateuch was written by Moses, according to Judaism. And Koran 2:87 states: “To Moses we gave the Scriptures.” It seems to me that an ‘interesting’ battle is going to be between the medical establishment and diverse religious beliefs. Can anyone predict the winner?

Turning corners

Mel Quick, Birżebbuġa — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I have looked in vain for the road traffic regulation, which states that “Drivers shall turn right on the right hand side of the road”. If I were paid €1 for each time I have had to brake hard because a car suddenly appeared round the corner on my side of the road, I’d be a rich man! I continue to be convinced that some of the motorists on this island should be issued with one horse and one cart!

The security industry

Denis Chircop, St Paul’s Bay — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

With more than 18 years’ experience in security, of which more than five years in the private sector, I totally agree with the Government that precarious work in security needs to be tackled. The Government must not only manage to eliminate precarious work by refusing to contract companies that do not adhere to employment legislation but also change the legislation itself. The standard of the security services needs to be upgraded. The Government must keep in mind that security services are not only deployed at banks, factories, hospitals and for the transportation of valuables but also at other important but very vulnerable locations around the island. As a member of the European Union, Malta must adopt high security standards in our ports and at the airport. During my studies in security, I looked at the security industry in the UK, where there is a security authority which enforces, adopts and approves the licences. These apply not only to security personnel but also firms and consultants offering security services. Very strict requirements need to be attained to obtain a licence. Unfortunately, sometimes here in Malta individuals can be identified working legally as security...

Shame on the MFA

Simon Copperstone, St Paul’s Bay — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I watched the Malta Premier league decider between Birkirkara and Hibernians. Here is a breakdown of the type of service everyone received from the Malta Football Association, the entity that is always urging people to attend and support local football. I found a mere 40 per cent of the total number of ticket booths open and not even one sign showing where the teams’ respective supporters should be seated, resulting in opposing supporters mingling together. It took me an hour to get my ticket because there were no barriers to guide people in line, leading to everyone pushing to try to get to the ‘ticket booths’. Please note there were also women, children and disabled people in this confusion. Once in, I spent almost 45 minutes in the shamefully disorganised bar to get a drink, served by unbelievably rude bar staff. I cannot understand why we still need to have those little metal windows that look like something out of Alcatraz. I had more policemen at my wedding than there were at the stadium. To make matters worse, when supporters were leaving after the game there was a very ‘balanced fight 15 guys against one. Where were the police? It is never a good idea to allow supporters...

Ministers’ behaviour

Joe Vella, Sliema — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I agree with what was said in Friday’s editorial that “unethical behaviour cannot be tolerated”. It criticised Foreign Minister George Vella and Parliamentary Secretary Franco Mercieca for breaching the code of ethics by continuing to practise their profession privately. The editorial also disagrees with Joseph Muscat when he says that the code is not being breached, adding “that the situation cannot be tolerated any longer”. Like Times of Malta, I do believe that ministers and parliamentary secretaries should abide by the code of ethics and not practise their profession whether against payment or for free. What annoys me, however, is that Nationalist ministers and parliamentary secretaries had been practising privately for ages, and against payment too, and yet no one uttered a word of protest against their unethical behaviour. Why now?

Pension reform – a fresh proposal

Felix Galea, Fgura — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

It is good news to hear the Social Solidarity Minister say the new government is setting up a task force to ensure the sustainability of pensions. It was also mentioned that it was planning to introduce the third-pillar pension giving workers (who can afford it), the possibility of putting money aside to complement their pension income. While the introduction of the third-pillar pension is commendable, what is definitely urgently required is a reassessment of the adequacy of the first-pillar pension, especially for those future pensioners who are totally excluded from the previous government’s pension reforms. As readers may be aware, the maximum pension for persons born before 1962 is currently two-thirds of €339 a week, that is, €226 weekly or €11,752 per annum. This works out at €904 every four weeks, which is simply inadequate for a retired couple to live decently in 2013 let alone some 10 or 15 years from now! The fact is that these persons currently do not pay National Insurance contributions on their weekly earnings above the current maximum threshold of €339 and consequently should not fairly expect to get a two-thirds pension on the earnings above this figure. In brief,...

Resident scheme is not working

Karel van de Wetering, Haarlem, The Netherlands — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I was not surprised to read recently in Times of Malta a story about the possible revival of a Permanent Residence Scheme for non-EU citizens. The previous government had revived it already through Legal Notice 317 for EU, EEU and Swiss pensioners, calling it the Malta Retirement Programme (MRP). Regarding these residents, EU regulations guarantee proper compensation for treatment on the Maltese national health service. And Maltese residing in other EU countries may be treated by the local health service too. It is a complex matter. In any case, the Government already requires that new residents are properly insured, including non-EU nationals. So, this does not apply to health immigrants, unless they reside here illegally. After replacing the original Permanent Residency Scheme in 2001, the so-called High Net Worth Individuals Scheme became a total failure. Malta killed a goose with golden eggs. What “fundamental weaknesses” had to be eliminated remains a question. Greed is not the best motivator to attract foreign residents. Therefore, I predict that the new MRP will be a failure too. Former contractants will not return and new applicants will hardly turn up. First, Malta puts a...

Beware the Hollande way

Jonathan Deeley, Sliema — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

The news that the French economy has officially entered recession upon the second anniversary of Francois Hollande’s Presidency serves as a pertinent warning sign for Joseph Muscat’s apparently warm relationship with the French leader. One can only hope that meetings between the two leaders are confined to the virtues of French cheese and wine rather than to matters of economic strategy. Hollande has, almost singlehandedly, managed to transform his citizens into a collection of les miserables thanks in large part to his ill-advised ‘wealth tax’, which has shown the door to anyone with an entrepreneurial flair. In 2012, at least 10,000 French taxpayers were forced to pay more in tax than they actually earned, Beware the Hollande way and London has now become France’s sixth largest city! As the late British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, had once remarked, the problem with Socialists is that, at the end of the day, they would run out of other people’s money.

Wisdom of folly?

John Azzopardi, Żabbar — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

With reference to the letter by Mary Rose Cassar entitled The Folly, that very same phrase used, “Whither goes thou Malta?”, was uttered by the preacher towards the end of his panegyric on the occasion of St Paul’s Shipwreck feast just before the diocese referendum. That thinly-veiled warning was, of course, on a spiritual level but both messages were ignored. Was that a mere chance fourletter arrangement of words or a good piece of advice? The consequences? We must wait and see.

No EU funding lost

Brian St John, CEO Foundation for Medical Services, Blata l-Bajda — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

I refer to the leader Risk Of Losing Millions Of EU Funds (May 15), particularly to the commentary concerning the oncology centre project falling behind schedule. I believe this merits some clarification – if only to dispel any negative perception that the project is in fact late. The project timelines have remained unchanged. It is expected, therefore, that in line with commissioning and testing protocol, the centre shall be operational by the second quarter of next year. It is evident to the intelligent observer that the commissioning of an exceedingly complex healthcare infrastructure does not happen overnight. Mater Dei Hospital, for example, was handed over on June 29, 2007 – with the migration of patients commencing on November 5 of that same year. The oncology centre will be coming on line progressively. The reported delay of four months is essentially a prudent management assumption resulting from the fact that the public procurement process for the implementation of the extension of the electrical ring from Mater Dei Hospital to the new oncology centre was unsuccessful on two separate occasions. The latest Invitation to Tender for this procurement was published on May 10,...