News that no monti stalls will be allowed next to the new parliament building has outraged hawkers, with many accusing the government of breaching a pre-election agreement.
“We have been deceived. The government has gambled with our vote,” monti hawkers’ committee member Julian Buhagiar said yesterday.
Mr Buhagiar’s sentiment was echoed by others who expressed their “disbelief, shock and anger” in the wake of Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s decision that the paved street beside the Parliament will remain free of stalls.
“We have been thrown from the frying pan into the fire and have been conned,” one hawker said.
“As a lifelong Labour supporter I never expected such treatment from this government.”
I never expected such treatment from this government
Prior to the last general election the Labour Party had committed itself in writing that if elected to government, it would relocate the Valletta open market to Ordnance Street, including the area between the new Parliament and the Royal Opera House ruins.
The move was planned to go ahead at the start of this year when metal markers defining the space allotted to each of the 74 licensed hawkers were placed on the paving.
However, the process was abruptly halted, following a public outcry against their location next to the iconic Renzo Piano building.
Contacted by this newspaper, Joe Zrinzo, deputy chairman of the Valletta hawkers committee, said the development was news to him.
“At this stage all I can tell you is that I have not been informed about any decisions,” Mr Zrinzo said.
He said the committee would be convening today to discuss the matter. The issue will also be raised in a separate meeting he will be having next week with Dr Cardona.
“My thoughts are how to safeguard the livelihood of the Valletta monti hawkers,” he said.
Dr Cardona told the Times of Malta the government had “definitely” dropped its original plan to have monti stalls placed next to the parliament building. But this meant that the number of stalls would have to be reduced.
In line with this decision, between 10 and 15 of the existing 74 hawkers will have to be compensated by the government for surrendering their licence.
However, this figure is already being contested by hawkers who claim that unless the size of their stalls is reduced significantly, they will still not fit on the one side of Ordnance Street.
“Under the revised plan, stalls would have to be reduced by 37,” sources close to the hawkers committee said.
This has fuelled concerns that some of the stalls might spill over into Old Bakery Street and be at a significant disadvantage because they would be farther away from the commercial hot spot of the capital.
Asked if they would be interested in surrendering their licences, hawkers said they would only consider such an option if the compensation was in the region of €100,000. “If government tables an offer on the same level made a few years ago during the PN administration, I would not even consider it,” the hawkers insisted.
Under this plan, which had been agreed in 2007, the number of stalls was reduced by about 40, with each hawker receiving compensation of about €23,300 (Lm10,000).
keith.micallef@timesofmalta.com