Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar’s ‘Putting Residents First’ conference held recently under the auspices of President Myriam Spiteri Debono, gave residents the opportunity to express concern and frustration over collateral damage from overdevelopment, excessive noise and the widespread abuse of public space in Malta and Gozo.

During the conference FAA reiterated its commitment to “a better quality of life through an accessible, healthy environment for all residents.”

Guest speakers Lawrence Zammit, Economist, Aldo Calleja, Audiologist, Perit Carmel Cacopardo, and Andrea Depasquale, Restorer, set the topics of the conference attended by residents, mayors, local councillors and MPs.

FAA noted however, that a recurring theme and pervasive expression repeated by representatives of the PA, ERA, OHSA, Lands Department, CRPD, Transport Malta and Police throughout the debates was: “It’s not our remit.” Yet it resulted that “this is the outcome of flawed legislation which in 2017 divided responsibility across various authorities,” said FAA.

FAA stressed that “enforcement duties, previously centralised under the police, are unaccounted for by the new law that inexplicably fails to clearly stipulate which authority is ultimately responsible for enforcement. This legislative void has created a vacuum of accountability, leading to the rampant issues Malta is currently facing.”

Representatives from the various authorities present “openly expressed frustration with how the ‘system’ is designed to fail their objectives, with residents concluding that authorities are restrained by politicians’ lack of commitment to provide strong enforcement legislation,” stated FAA.

Disturbingly, FAA highlighted that when asked about the authorities’ efforts towards achieving the common good, the representative from the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD), stated that “the authorities do not consider disabled people part of the common good.”

“This highlights a fundamental and deeply concerning shortcoming within the current regulatory framework, underscoring an alarming disregard for inclusivity and explaining the lack of commitment to ensure safe access on Malta’s pavements and squares,” said FAA.

It went on to say that, “notably absent at the conference were the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) which failed to send representatives to participate on the panels. Their lack of engagement was particularly disappointing given the direct impact of these issues on Malta’s tourism and construction sectors.”

The frustration of the public present at the conference was “palpable,” stated FAA, and urged all relevant authorities and political stakeholders “to address the severe repercussions of these issues on residents’ mental and physical health and wellbeing, stressing the need to engage constructively in finding immediate and long-term solutions. The time for excuses, fragmented responsibilities, and passing the buck is clearly over. The collective quality of life for all residents depends on decisive action now.”

Moving forward, FAA said that it will “steadfastly continue its endeavours to voice residents’ concerns, tirelessly striving to protect their quality of life, both now and for future generations. To further strengthen this collective voice, FAA will meet each authority in order to identify measures that they can take to address these pressing concerns without delay.”

President Myriam Spiteri Debono concluded the conference by saying, “on numerous occasions, I have stressed the importance to not allow economic prosperity and progress convert itself into regress by hindering our nation’s health, our environment and also our basic standard of living. Social wellbeing, quality of life and sustainable growth are elements that should not be overlooked; they should never be sidelined in favour of economic advantages. On the contrary, economic growth should be seen as the driving factor towards an improvement of our quality of life in favour of our urban, our natural and our social heritage.”

FAA stated that,”a better quality of life should not be a byproduct of growth; it should be the aim of economic growth.”

Photo: FAA

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