This column first appeared in Malta Today

1. A moratorium on development permits

You can guffaw all you like, but it’s the only way. We do not need any more construction, whether it is for more blocks of butt ugly flats, more hotels, expanding the footprint of existing developments or taking over more ODZ land. Just stop. And if anyone has their fingers itching to build something, they can just buy a set of Lego blocks.

This moratorium will have a ripple effect on the rest of the problems plaguing the country, starting from over-population and all the issues which we are suffering as a consequence, from being unable to handle the mounds of rubbish to the electricity grid not being able to handle the demand.

There are those who scoff at this suggestion who claim that it will bring Malta to a halt and yet they then turn around and screech loudly on FB that Mater Dei cannot cope, that our health centres are bursting and that traffic is a nightmare…and yet, inexplicably they cannot (or will not) connect the dots as to why.  Trace back these dots however and it all falls into place, because it all started when building restrictions were lifted.

2. Tighter control on work permits  

On a regular basis, various government entities swoop into various areas to carry out inspections to check whether there is anyone working here illegally.  On Friday it was reported that one such raid took place in Paceville, and 36 people were arrested.   Funnily enough, these raids never come up empty-handed and the reason is obvious: it is clear to anyone with eyes in their heads that this is another of Malta’s most pressing issues.

The reason so many people flock to this island is because there is work to be had, whether legal or not. You do not see people going to Italy for work, because the job market is so dire that Italians are leaving their beautiful county to come here to find employment. (Meanwhile the Maltese are busy buying homes with acres of land in the Sicilian countryside for the same price of a mediocre apartment in Malta). 

The influx has to be controlled at source, and if that means that someone wanting to open a new cafe will find it imposssible to find staff, well then so be it.  We are saturated with coffee shops anyway.

3. Clean up Paceville, in more ways than one

In a recent panel discussion, Philip Fenech, the Chaiperson of the Paceville Administration, claimed that Paceville was worse in the ‘80s than it is now. 

Oh, please. Does he think those of us who actually frequented PV in the ‘80s have such short memories?

There is absolutely no comparison between the PV I remember, with its bars and clubs where we all met friends and had fun safely, to the chaos of gentlemen’s clubs, out-of-control behaviour and general sleaze there is now. Yes there were drugs for those who wanted them, but they were not so in your face, and while the occasional fight did break out, it was the exception, and not the norm.

There needs to be a clean sweep; get rid of those strip clubs and make it possible for young people to enjoy PV again without their parents being worried that they will be caught up in the midde of some drug deal or get their face slashed (or worse) in a violent altercation gone wrong.

Mr Fenech also suggested that those who do not enjoy PV can choose not to go. This type of reasoning is why so many people feel this country is beyond redemption. The 5-star hotels charging 5-star prices which surround PV must take great comfort in knowing that, rather than upgrading the area, the Chairperson expects them and their guests to simply lump it (or perhaps never leave the hotel at all).

4. Update our laws to reflect today’s reality

The story this week of a young woman who received a suspended sentence because she admitted to using pills bought over the Internet to induce an abortion is just one example of laws which are now archiac.

This woman should not go through life with a tarnished police record at a time when what she needs is psychological help and support. It is useless for our MPs to cry crocodile tears, because they are the ones who can remove this bit of legislation. “My interpretation is that medical professionals are not compelled to do so (report), although it is definitely within their remit,” Health Miniser Jo-Etienne Abela said.  Well, that statement is no use to this woman now is it?

The fact remains that the doctors did report it and she was charged in Court.

The Minister added that, “What worries me is that if someone develops a potentially life-threatening complication after having an abortion, they might be discouraged from seeking medical assistance.”  

It should worry him, because such attempts at abortions are happening. Rather than crucifying these women (or making doctors liable for not reporting), our politicians should ensure that this part of the law is changed.

5. Tighten laws for better enforcement and consistency 

A recurring theme whenever judgements are handed down by our Courts is that the general public cannot understand the lack of consistency.

Grave crimes seem to receive suspended sentences (putting criminals back on our streets with sometimes devestating results) while relatively minor crimes feel the full force of the law.  Once again, it is only politicians elected to Parliament who can do something about this by tweaking existing legislature to ensure judgements which are fair, which truly reflect the nature of the offence, and which are more comprehensible to us mortal folk.  

6. Get a grip on air b’n’b

There are countries where it has been made illegal for apartments or houses in certain residential areas to be used for air b’n’b.  They have experienced what we are now experiencing and have done something about it.  Instead of learning from their mistakes, we have plunged headlong into repeating them, turning once quiet areas like Swieqi, which used to be a haven for families raising young children, into an extension of the mess which is Paceville.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and it shouldn’t have to be.  But someone has to offer us an alternative and right now I don’t see any concrete proposals from the Government-in-waiting. All I read are platitudes and stating the obvious. “The PN says this…” and “the PN says that…” and not much else.  

We need, and we deserve, a leader of a political party who takes the bull by the horns and says, here is what we are gioing to do if we are elected.  Then, of course, (and here is the crunch) the party has to actually do what it promised rather than buckle at the knees in submission at the slightest opposition.