When fireworks tragedies occur, as they do with seemingly increasing frequency these days, we talk; and talk; and talk. Then a few weeks pass, another item hits the headlines, and we forget. That includes us, the media, and them, who ultimately are the only ones who can do something about the situation, the politicians.
It would be a shame if last week’s death toll does not prove to be the watershed, the belated line in the sand drawn by all of us to do what we can to limit the chances as much as possible – eliminating danger is impossible in any pursuit, even sitting comfortably on a chair – of this type of tragedy happening again.
There is a danger that it might be forgotten quickly, however, since the focus of the discussion has shifted somewhat to how a community should have reacted to the tragedy rather than what steps can be taken to limit the possibilities of a repeat.
The insensitivity displayed at the beginning of last week by the head of Xagħra’s central feast committee is chiefly to blame for this, as he stood before a television camera and brazenly said the feast would proceed as usual because none of the deceased was from the village – ignoring a fact obvious to everyone else that if Malta is, for population purposes, a city, then Gozo is a town, with all the community solidarity that brings with it. And these comments were compounded by a misunderstanding over the objectives of a fund set up for the victims’ families.
In the event, the feast did go ahead, though it did so in a hugely scaled down manner which eliminated the use of fireworks and fanfare. What took place was a rather sombre procession (though it would have been better to hold no external feast at all). And the comments regarding the fund were clarified. So the parish’s real transgression was a lack of public relations, which is understandable to some extent since the media spotlight is seldom thrust upon it. It got caught like a rabbit in the glare of car headlights in the dead of night.
So that leaves us with the real issues. Safety within the confines of fireworks factories is obviously one of them, and the government – as well as the opposition leader (see his article on the opposite page) – seems to be willing to take some sensible steps, albeit belatedly, in that regard.
However, the issue runs much deeper than that. The place where the latest tragedy occurred is an area of scenic beauty, where many people – tourists and locals alike – enjoy taking a stroll and are encouraged to do so by our tourism authorities. People who have no connections whatsoever with the fireworks industry could easily have died in this incident. The historic San Dimitri chapel is at constant risk of being damaged or destroyed, not just by this fireworks factory but by another in the vicinity. We do not seem to care.
To get to this area, fireworks must be transported through the narrow streets of Għarb, which means residents’ lives are being put at risk every time a truck laden with explosive material passes through. The tragedy in Naxxar two years ago shows what can happen when a fireworks accident occurs in a residential area. Do we really want to see another replay?
Yet despite the precedents, the risks to third parties and the cost to human life, the government has done virtually nothing to improve safety for these innocent people or irreplaceable buildings.
It has ignored pleas by someone like Georg Sapiano to ensure fireworks factories are at a safe enough distance from residential areas and it has failed to consider the possibility of creating a handful of carefully regulated manufacturing areas that would replace the numerous factories that are all accidents waiting, in gruesome turn, to happen.
So, till the next time?