Be the first to comment!Over 70 organisations support the call of Gustizzja ghal Artna: Kill the Bills!
 Email item
|  Print item
|
|
Over 70 organisations have joined the call for Gustizzja ghal Artna in light of the “serious and imminent threat our country is facing,” they said.
The organisations added that “his strong and widespread support from Maltese and Gozitan society clearly reflects the collective sense of urgency and concern,” which is expected to manifest itself in tomorrow’s national protest, on Saturday, the 4th of October, in Valletta.
The organisations span various sectors of society, including residents’ associations, student organisations – among them medical, architecture, and law students – as well as groups advocating for social justice, and the protection of historical and environmental heritage.
The call for the immediate withdrawal of Bills 143 and 144, and the three legal notices, has also been endorsed by more than 160 University lecturers and academics, who are warning that this so-called “planning reform” will have extremely dangerous implications for the country’s future.
The organisations in the Gustizzja ghal Artna campaign warned that “this widespread support should serve as a clear warning to the Government that the Maltese and Gozitan people will not accept that their future, and that of their children on these islands, be destroyed for the benefit of a handful of developers with powerful interests.”
The residents’ associations that have rallied behind the call of Gustizzja ghal Artna – hailing from different localities already suffering the consequences of unplanned and uncontrolled development – said that they are “deeply concerned about the implications of these new laws.” Whereas residents’ associations have so far been able to unite to fight against illegal developments that would overwhelm their localities and diminish their quality of life, “this basic right will now also be taken away.”
They stressed that “the right of residents to appeal will be severely restricted and, worse still, the Courts will lose the power to revoke irregular permits. Residents have expressed fear that their rights will continue to be trampled upon. While the powers of the Planning Authority to act as it pleases will continue to grow, any recourse to justice for residents will effectively disappear.”
Young people are also deeply worried about their future. Front Zg?azagh ghall-Ambjent, a youth organisation recently formed in response to Bills 143 and 144 and the three legal notices, has been at the forefront in strongly condemning these new laws and is urging young people to make their voices heard at the national protest.
Students, including KSU, the medical students’ association, and those representing engineering, law, architecture, psychology, and Gozitan students, among others, feel that their future in our country after completing their studies is no longer guaranteed.
The organisations warned that “the new laws being introduced by the Government to serve the interests of major developers threaten to render Malta and Gozo uninhabitable, where quality of life will continue to deteriorate – to the detriment of our physical and mental health.”
The Maltese and Gozitan people are being called to turn out in full force tomorrow, Saturday, the 4th of October, at 10am in Valletta for the national protest Gustizzja ghal Artna: Kill the Bills! The protest will start at the Law Courts and move toward Castille.
Photo: Gustizzja ghal Artna
