opinion



Bank charges, security lapses and wedding photographs

The monetary small-fry, security-mad TV presenters and Malta’s answer to the Beckhams all get SAVIOUR BALZAN’s treatment this week

HSBC’s decision to move forward with charges for conservative or low-income customers has had a negative impact on the bank’s image.

It is strange that the bank has cooked up a negative feeling towards its operations.

The Lm4 charge, however insignificant, has created a wave of criticism. It is no big secret that the bank is after corporate clients and considers these measures appropriate in the circumstances.

Yet, even the Malta Financial Services Centre has reacted to the various complaints and said it was displeased with the introduction of these charges and the method of their implementation.

The MFSC has not stopped here; it has asked the Office of Fair Trade to look into the new bank charges. I doubt whether anything irregular is found here.

In a world of choice, I think that HSBC has every right to choose whichever customers they like. But I thought it silly that they introduced these new tariffs in a local financial environment where cashflow, uncertainty and business confidence is rather low.

The Bondi plus TV programme, evidently short on political topics, has chosen to focus once again on security lapses. It has raised many questions but has failed to identify the real culprits.

Until now, the ineffective Director of Museums has been singled out and portrayed as the epitome of incompetence, but what about his minister?

Bondi plus – like many other PBS programmes - has only very slightly questioned the credibility of Dr Galea.

I am one of the first people to start huffing puffing when suggestions are made for round-the-clock security; I agree with Michael Falzon, the Water Services Corporation chief, that we should stop creating an impression that this country is in need of a security clampdown.

It is not. But the Mnajdra temples are another question altogether because of their intrinsic value. They have suffered at the hands of vandals and disenchanted locals.

It happened in the nineties and it occurred once again last year. It is unclear who carried out the vandal acts and no one has been caught.

The Planning Authority has not even considered removing illegal small buildings that surround the temples which have enforcement notices on them or hides which are built over public land.

Ministers responsible must answer when their departments do not deliver. Yet this does not mean that the watchman who decides to miss work and go fishing or the head of department who is careless and inefficient should not pay for their faults.

They all should.

But overkill, and the general absence of accountability has made this an impossible task.

Claudette Pace, the TV presenter, singer and producer, is offering the media the golden opportunity of getting her wedding pictures exclusively. But there is a hitch, to receive them one has to pay.

Now, if there was ever a time to laugh or cry, this is the moment of truth.

Perhaps some private television stations would be more interested in this exclusive offer, although I am not quite sure if they would pay.

She has herself to blame if people die laughing at the proposal.

I am sure if Nicole Kidman was getting married in a chapel in some forgotten corner of Malta we would all flock to take pictures of the event. But we would not buy them.

We could consider covering it but frankly hardly anyone would be willing to eat at their budget to buy the pictures.

Unless that is, one has money to throw away.

And the reasoning for this is simple, Nicole Kidman appearing in white virginal attire would have little or no special dent on media sales in Malta.

Which takes us back to Claudette. Nicole Kidman and Claudette Pace have few similarities. Indeed Claudette probably has a much better voice and less impressive bank account.