The week at a glance - August 26, 2018

PC Schembri testifies

PC Simon Schembri (centre), a former traffic policeman, walks out of court on Thursday after testifying about the horrific incident three months ago over which a young man is accused of trying to kill him by running him over. As PC Schembri was flung from under the wheels of the car, it was only his effort to continue breathing that kept him alive, the severely injured man
told the court.

What made the headlines

Hundreds of residents object to Central Link Project: More than 650 residents formally objected to the Planning Authority over the controversial Central Link project, aimed at alleviating traffic congestion in Attard. The €55-million plan would entail a new bypass adjacent to people’s properties, raising concerns about pollution, loss of agricultural land and the marginalisation of part of the village, among others.

‘No chance’ Malta would accept migrants: As tensions between Malta and Italy continued to rise over migration, sources on Sunday told the Times of Malta that there was no chance the island would accept migrants picked up by the Italian coast guard a few days earlier. The migrants did not need to be rescued and did not accept rescue. The newspaper was told: “They were not our responsibility.” On Wednesday, however, the Armed Forces of Malta rescued 100 migrants and recovered two bodies from a boat that was taking in water about 68 miles south of the island.

Employers object to new leave rules: Changes to vacation leave regulations prompted objections from employers concerned they might lead to higher payrolls. The new rules expand annual leave accrual to periods of maternity or sick leave, ban the revocation of leave once granted and restrict the use of annual leave for shutdowns. An employment and industrial relations lawyer writing in the newspaper questioned how much consultation the government had engaged in with social partners. The government bowed to the pressure and suspended the rules the next day.

Probe on Venezuela scam ‘ongoing for two years’: Maltese police have been working with US federal agents for two years in an investigation into an alleged Venezuelan money-laundering racket, the newspaper learnt. Sources said it was one of the biggest investigations the police had orked on in recent years. According to a criminal complaint filed in Miami courts last month, huge sums of money were siphoned off from Venezuela’s State oil company, which included €511 million allegedly wired to Maltese firm Portmann Capital Management in 2014 and 2015.

Concern over ‘unauthorised’ tunnel survey: The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage complained that an archaeological survey for the Santa Venera tunnel project was carried out without consultation. The superintendence also expressed concern that a building earmarked for demolition could have cultural value.

Air Malta accumulating millions in fuel debts: An agreement on the monthly payments for fuel to be made to Enemed by Air Malta is no longer being respected, prompting a Cabinet discussion. Energy Minister Joe Mizzi was quoted saying Air Malta should pay its dues, while Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi insists the airline needs more time to settle its surging bill. The next day Air Malta rejected the claim, calling it a fabrication.

‘We made no mistake on direct order’: The Department of Information denied it made a mistake in publishing in The Government Gazette a €274 million direct order to manage a new facility at St Vincent de Paul hospital for 10 years. The Parliamentary Secretary for Active Aging, Anthony Agius Decelis, had said publishing the details was “a mistake made by the management” which publishes the Gazette. The government insists the Department of Contracts did not breach any public procurement rules, even though EU regulations make it clear a new tender should be issued if the original value of a public tender increases by more than 50 per cent. In this case the increase from original tender to direct order was 400 per cent.

Sliema tops table in offices bid: Sliema Wanderers FC plans to convert its indoor football pitches at Tigné Point into offices and retail outlets, probably the first project of many across the island as sports clubs seek to take advantage of new laws allowing them to commercialise their premises.

What trended

Pavement politics

Saying nothing is sometimes the best public relations strategy, as the catering establishment lobby discovered this week.

The lobby reacted viciously to criticism from Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manché, saying he should focus on managing traffic flows on the Strand instead of criticising restaurants for spilling their tables onto the street.

It would be hard for the lobby group to devise a reply to rile a greater proportion of Times of Malta readers if it tried.

“The arrogance is unbelievable,” whistled one reader, in what would go on to be the article’s most upvoted comment.

“Dear owners,” another wrote. “Your catering establishment is from your door to the back of the building. The pavement is not part of it.”

A handful of readers valiantly tried to steer the conversation towards the problem itself and possible solutions to it, but they were completely drowned out by the chorus of oppobrium directed towards the catering lobby.

In the midst of the unfolding PR bloodbath, one reader stood out for his lateral thinking approach to the dilemma.

“A very good reply,” he observed drily. “Maybe they should put tables and chairs in the middle of the road and ask for traffic to be diverted.”

Size is everything

Real estate mogul Frank Salt thinks that Maltese homes are just too big, and he said so in an opinion piece that prompted plenty of debate.

Some readers agreed, arguing that it was time Malta went down the UK route, with property taxes based on land area.

Others argued countries in northern Europe tended to have smaller homes for practical reasons that did not apply in Malta: “You need a lot of material to heat up a building when it’s snowing outside,” one gentleman wrote.

Others felt that having smaller houses would be treating the symptom rather than the cause.

I wonder how big Frank Salt’s house is?

“Why not address the root of the problem and admit that the country is overpopulated?”

The vast majority of readers, however, heaped scorn on the opinion piece. “Properties too large?” asked one reader incredulously. “When most people cannot afford more than the equivalent of a pigeon coop?”

Some felt the property market veteran was just looking out for number one – “the smaller the properties, the more flats can fit in and the more commission [agents] make” – while more than one reader had one simple question: “I wonder how big Frank Salt’s house is?”

What they said

“On average, men on this treatment lived one year longer than their prognosis. Our team managed to increase longevity by 300,000 life years.”

Prof. Johann Debono, a Maltese doctor who spearheaded a breakthrough in the fight against prostrate cancer and is being awarded a prestigious professorship by Queen Elizabeth II.

“It is a clear case of keeping a brothel. The women were part of a commercial partnership and were paid from the takings of the business.”

Arthur Azzopardi, the lawyer of a massage parlour owner, arguing that four Colombian women who were charged with prostitution had not been trafficked for sex but employed under a profit-sharing arrangement.

“I also learned how little properties and possessions mean. I find it very difficult to remember why they were important at one time.”

Christina Gillgren, née Gatt, talking about her experience of sailing halfway around the world with her husband.

“The way these increases are being calculated means they are not addressing the needs of low earners, those on pensions or those surviving on benefits.”

Alleanza Kontra l-Faqar, an anti-poverty organisation, arguing cost-of-living increases are not helping those who need it most.