I never cease to be amased how the Labour Party seems hell-bent on conjuring up one controversy after another. The latest conjecture surrounds the demolition of the oil depot facing the Vittoriosa bastions and overlooking Kalkara creek.
The proposed demolition has been approved by Mepa. The application recommending demolition was submitted by the Restoration Unit within the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs as part of the proposed restoration work on the historic bastions. The Superintendent for Fortifications and Mepa's Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee were in favour of this application. In fact, the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee posited that the bastions should take priority over what was ultimately an industrial building and did not find any objection to the depot's demolition. The Superintendent also pointed out that the beams, supporting the oil depot, were embedded directly into the bastions, with the resultant damage that was being caused.
The only individual opposing this project, which has been allocated EU funds, was the Labour representative on the Mepa board, Roderick Galdes, who, in fact, cast his vote against the project. He didn't stop there; he issued a statement in an attempt to garner public support. This was not the first time the PL voted against national projects being financed by the EU. It became a trend!
As it happened, Vittoriosa mayor John Boxall, a couple of days ago, publicly declared he was in favour of removing the building to reveal the beauty of the bastions and allow the needed restoration works to proceed. So, did Mr Galdes consult at all with the Vittoriosa local council or, at least, with the PL mayor and councillors before voting as he did? If he did so, what feedback had the council given him? If he didn't, why on earth didn't he? - August 27.
Refusing responsibility
Regrettably, we have still not managed to snuff out the omnipresent litter-bugs in our midst. I won't beat about the bush on this one. The government and local councils are responsible for public cleansing but it is the collective responsibility of each and every one of us to keep Malta clean.
About three weeks ago, together with the Prime Minister, I met with employees attached to the Cleansing Services Department and we were shown newly-bought machinery, including three large mechanical sweepers, that are now being utilised. Many of the employees expressed their frustration about the fact that rubbish is blatantly thrown again shortly after leaving an area looking spotless.
I could hardly believe my eyes the other day when I read that during the clean-up of the Tritons Fountain, over 1,000 kilogrammes of rubbish was collected! And this in spite of the fact that the fountain is cleaned three to four times a year by the Works Department at a considerable expense because the fountain needs to be drained and re-filled each time.
This means that loads of people don't give two hoots about littering one of Malta's prime landmarks. This begs the question: Once so many people litter with impunity in public, how much easier do they find it to litter the more remote and sparsely populated parts of the island? And, come to think of it, how many individuals have been fined for throwing paper, bottles or cigarettes in the Tritons Fountain? Is it possible that not a single person was caught red-handed? Or are we all turning a blind eye? Granted, we need to increase enforcement measures but, primarily, this is a matter of attitude, of culture.
We are also striving to keep our beaches clean. We have stepped up the frequency of beach cleaning. We have specifically brought together a team of workers to clean the beaches and all the sandy beaches are being cleaned with sand sifters. The government is committed to the proper upkeep of the Maltese islands but it is our collective responsibility to keep our country clean by putting a stop to this wanton littering - August 24.
Fine tun-ing
The aquaculture industry in Malta today exports about €100 million annually; tuna exports account for about 85 per cent of all exports and giltheads and sea bass make up the remaining 15 per cent. The total number of persons engaged in part-time or full-time work in this industry is equivalent to about 1,000 full-time jobs. Certainly impressive figures.
It goes without saying that it is also, by its very nature, a very sensitive industry. It is therefore crucial to find a sustainable balance to ensure that this activity, which is economically so important for us, is allowed to flourish by creating opportunities for it to compete and expand while simultaneously mitigating its impact on the environment.
Malta has always considered this industry as being one of great importance and this today is assisting us in retaining our competitive edge in spite of ever-increasing competition in the sector. We also have the added advantage that the main operators in the sector have formed an association and this has served to facilitate communication between themselves and with the authorities. The industry today has reached high levels of technology and the Maltese operators are striving to identify areas of improvement.
Although our resources in this sector are limited, locally we are proud to have some of the best experts in the field. Currently, Malta, together with some other countries, is taking an active part in research intended to create an environment where tuna can breed in a controlled setting. If this were to happen, it would be a significant breakthrough - August 22.
Mr Pullicino is Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs.
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