I have written many articles during the tenure of both political administrations and they were all constructively critical.

I stopped writing because I found that I was repeating myself too often and if things were actually done as I suggested, then they soon reverted to the normal scenario and status quo was the end result.

It was, and is, quite depressing.

It is very obvious, I hope, to many people, and to me anyway, that at the moment there are many more people living and working and visiting Malta than there were just a few years ago. What does this mean?

Two things. One, a huge amount of money is being brought into the country by these visitors, and the money is being spent on food, rent and general living, and a lot of money is getting into the government’s coffers. When I say a lot, I mean a lot. Millions and millions of euros every year.

As an example, take a foreign company that employs 20 people from abroad, and pays them from abroad, say an average €30,000 per annum each. That’s €600,000 into Malta from one small company. There are thousands of such people living and working here. The mind boggles.

Secondly, a lot of extra people anywhere will create much more wear and tear on the infrastructure and the environment, and they do just that in Malta. This is not a theory, it is a fact. Just look around you. 

We are, or are supposed to be, a proud European country. Let us act that way

That this happens is nobody’s fault in particular; but maybe we can, at least, tell our foreign visitors that when they are in Malta please respect our country.

But once we know this is happening, and is going to happen even more in the future, isn’t it obvious that we should do something about it?

We have the money, and we should have the desire.

Why should we have the desire? Why shouldn’t we do as we normally do and pocket the money and let the world around us deteriorate? I will tell you why. Because if we carry on neglecting the wear and tear caused by success, then this success will slow down and people will rather go to places that are environmentally attractive with clean common areas and internationally acceptable services.

Just look around you. Look at the roads in our prime touristic areas. Look at St George’s Road close to the Hilton. Look at the steps leading to the public gardens, all broken and filthy.

You all know that I could carry on ad infinitum about the neglect in most prominent and important areas of Malta and Gozo. 

They are terrible and we are allowing them to stay that way.

Isn’t that incredible? We are not doing anything to keep up our standards, or if we are, we are not doing enough, and when we do something, we let it go bad again in a very short time with little or no maintenance. It’s as though we don’t see it around us. It’s as though that’s our acceptable standard and we and all our visitors have to put up with it.

There should be an efficient department created, that will continually upkeep all these important areas. Such areas are one of the main reasons that people want to come to visit or stay in Malta.

If these areas are not continuously looked after, then we will become and have the appearance of a third-rate country with the resulting consequences.

We now have the money. Let us use this to the benefit our country. We are not a Third World country. We are, or are supposed to be, a proud European nation. Let us act that way.

I don’t think that anything will be done about what I have said, it never is. That is a pity. We just live in a mess of our own or our visitors’ making, and seem oblivious of the consequences.

What a shame.