Not much was really made in the news this week of the Malta Tourism Authority’s call for a curb on tuna penning, pending further studies of its impact.

ToonToday: Tee-time for the MLP

But this event had a certain amount of significance, nevertheless.
Here is a government entity doing what it is supposed to do – defending its patch – rather than bowing to pressure or keeping mum because of other related issues or for fear of repercussions from certain quarters.
The tuna penning industry has made the news for a number of reasons this year, but the threats it can produce have not really been taken seriously by the masses. Protests have largely been restricted to environmentalists and Maltese fishermen, both of whom have their own agendas.
It is, admittedly, a fine balancing act to preserve our environment while allowing important areas of industry to develop, but now that the MTA has stuck its money’s worth in, the tuna penning issue is bound to be looked at with a little more scrutiny.
The tourism authority’s call for an embargo on developments in this industry is not a mere gesture – it is a serious warning that tuna penning is impacting Malta’s tourism business, especially the diving sector.
This, at a time when most players in the tourism industry are in agreement that the way forward must be to tap out niche markets.
One presumes that the MTA’s words have not been produced out of thin air for the sake of ruffling feathers – they must have been triggered by complaints from tourists, either firsthand or via Malta’s diving schools.
And we can make a good guess at what those complaints were: "an unprecedented level of sea pollution and unpleasant odours", were some of the words that appeared in the MTA’s statement.
It is perhaps not surprising to hear that the PA has turned down the MTA’s call for an embargo on future developments, as we report in this edition of our newspaper. The PA will use the argument that it is obliged to process applications in line with current policy, rather than rock the developer’s boat. But at least the authority has admitted that aquaculture operations need better regulation and has requested the drafting of a national policy for this sector.
And hopefully the news that a government entity is concerned about the impact this area of industry could have on tourism – which still provides so many people’s bread and butter – will serve as some food for thought for those sitting on the PA board.

Healing the physicians

As Malta’s doctors prepare to step up their protest action, it will be interesting to see whether the public will be on their side or not.
Workers always take a gamble when the protest action they take directly affects the people. And sometimes it doesn’t pay off, especially when it is mapped out for maximum effect, like the petrol pump attendants who threatened to close their garages over the holiday period.
The doctors have a social responsibility and have undoubtedly thought through the measures that they will be bringing into effect tomorrow very carefully. Yes, there will inevitably be grumbles from people who have bookings at the outpatients clinics tomorrow.
But just as people have a right to be seen by a doctor, the medical profession have a right to pay and conditions that reflect the high level of responsibility and pressure they have in their work.
The action they plan might be drastic, but their complaints date back a long time. And the government should not bank on a disgruntled public to help swing the issue in its favour. It might do well to remember the very bitter pill that Margaret Thatcher had to swallow a long time ago in the UK in the form of a nurses’ strike.