Posts Tagged ‘ Malta ’

Balcony scheme or scam?

(Thanks to The Times of 01 December 2009 for their prompt publication of the following letter.)

 

In September 2007, Rural Affairs and Environment Minister George Pullicino announced that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s (MEPA) scheme to give financial assistance in the maintenance or replacement of old timber balconies was being extended to all localities in Malta and Gozo. The scheme, which had been originally launched in 1996, had already had over 300 beneficiaries. This time the benefit offered was 60% of expenses incurred, up to a maximum of €1397.62.

 There was a strong response from the public, amongst whom was my 68-year old mother, who is both a widow and pensioner. Like many others, it was the agreement with MEPA for the reimbursement of part of the expenses that convinced her to carry out the necessary work on her timber balcony. So successful was the scheme that most of the carpenters she approached said they were too taken up by work and would only be available months later. MEPA referred to it as “an unprecedented demand” and refused to fix a budget until the evaluation of all applications was finalised. The absence of any fund to cover the costs involved may have been what led Mr Evarist Bartolo MP to liken this grant to a pre-electoral sweetener, seeing that we were but a few months away from polling day. Eventually, in May 2008 (and 4 months after applications had closed), MEPA announced that over €1,000,000 had been committed.

 Since a year and a half later 500 applicants (including my mother) are still awaiting the agreed refund, I must address the following questions to Minister Pullicino and MEPA:

  1. How many of the applicants for the 2007 scheme were entitled to a grant?
  2. How many have in fact been paid?
  3. How much of the budgeted €1,000,000+ has been given to applicants?
  4. Who is refusing to issue or sign the long-overdue cheques?
  5. When are all the applicants going to be reimbursed?

 While expecting a prompt response to all the questions above, I encourage all those readers affected by this excessive delay to email me at sandro@79664664.com, with their name and surname, date of MEPA’s acceptance letter and amount of refund due. This is to prepare for the next step should the authorities default on their obligations.

 

2009
12/01
CATEGORY
Malta
Politics
TAGS



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Living on the edge of Europe

I come from a minuscule island of 45km length and 13km width while carrying a hefty population of 400,000+ in its belly. That works out at over 1,000 people rubbing shoulders (and it doesn’t take much to excite the elbows to do some elbowing instead) per square kilometre.

I come from a paper sailing boat-sized land that is anchored solidly  in the middle of the Mediterranean, with its bow optimistically facing Europe and its stern snubbing the Arab heritage that fed our nation’s lifestyle, culture and religion for centuries.

 

I come from a rock that is most deceptive to the eye; apparently barren but for the stone and concrete constructions that spread malignantly but certainly not silently. A visitor scanning the remaining untouched surface of the land will, with mouth parched  by a sweltering summer sun, sadly bemoan the lack of lush green that is so abundant in their own water-blessed country. Yet, if only the eye were to drop ever so slightly, the bounty of nature’s colours is there, in full lilliputian glory – escaping from every crack, twisting from under every stone, bursting through each clod of caked earth.

 

I come from a republic that treats its politics like a football match, with every member of parliament trying to score the winning goal (but for added realism occasionally kicking the ball into their own net) and every election being a cup final, replete with flags and foghorns and obligatory carcading and partying for the winning team’s supporters.

 

I come from 35° 50 N, 14 º 35 E.

 

Yes.

  

 I come from Malta.


2009
11/01
CATEGORY
Malta
TAGS


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