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Matthew Vella
By the time parliamentary secretary Edwin Vassallo has finished his speech, it is clear that Paceville’s entrepreneurs, gathered at Business Today’s seminar on revitalising the entertainment capital, held at the Radisson SAS, are not impressed.
His bulleted suggestions talk of “innovative value” and of getting local entrepreneurs to “think about the collective vision needed for the future”.
But he fails to entice any of those present with his sober approach to getting Paceville on his feet. Many complain of the unreasonable curfew on clubs and the presence of bottle shops selling discounted alcohol.
Philip Fenech, the leisure industry’s spokesman from the Chamber of SMEs (GRTU), claims the downward trend Paceville has experienced over the last four years “has never been so drastic and difficult”.
The problems are rising operating costs, lack of consumer confidence, the smoking ban (unsurprisingly), and the cut-price bottle shops which Fenech claims has decreased the frequency of visits of “the real market that matters to Paceville”.
He makes his case for Paceville’s waning popularity, citing sharp seasonal fluctuations and lower tourism volumes, and the lack of consumer confidence. On top of everything, he adds, there’s the bottle shops and their hefty discounting, attracting younger crowds with less spending power. He claims the bottle shops are distorting the market, and after having barred Paceville for the under-16s, the young clubbers are turning to these shops.
One of his laments is the fact that outlets have to switch off their music by 4am, even if they are soundproofed. “Unfortunately, this law is not evenly enforced, which results in unfair competition in the market.”
Entrepreneur Kevin Decesare also chips in on this sore point, questioning Vassallo on what reality he has in mind over Paceville. “The people are out there still drinking even after the clubs switch off their music, and instead turn to other bars. We’re burying our head in the sand here. Why are you drowning out our business?”
Philip Fenech even mentions low cost carriers and the need to get more tourists to the island, and urges the policy makers to take heed of the Paceville business community’s ailments and proposals to bring the entertainment mecca back on its feet.
But Vassallo refuses to be mollified by the gung-ho business approach of his listeners. He talks of the rights of Paceville’s residents, and extends a cautionary note against those attempting to eliminate competition by taking on the small fry. In a curious digression, he professes his deep disagreement with those “selling sex as a mass attraction”, seemingly appalled by the hedonism that rightfully could only take place in Paceville.
Vassallo is mindful of other concerns, and not just Fenech’s list of demands. “Paceville is no Ibiza, and what happens in Ibiza can never be acceptable in Paceville. As a politician, I disagree with Paceville as a place where libertinism reigns with the excuse that we have to earn our daily bread… I don’t agree with businesses which appear to sell sex as a mass attraction. In my political capacity I refuse to issue such permits.”
Frankie Grima, whose myriad businesses include a lap dancing club right in the heart of Paceville, sits quietly. One of the keynote speakers of the day, his speech earlier on doesn’t even take longer than a minute to everybody’s surprise. Vassallo’s preaching from the pulpit doesn’t even spur him on to react.
Fenech’s and Vassallo’s speech could not be more diametrically opposed. While the GRTU’s spokesman says the introduction of the Paceville’s residents parking scheme gives residents priority over entrepreneurs, Vassallo responds by saying their rights have to be safeguarded as well. He also complains about the business community trying to eliminate the competition from smaller businesses.
“Friends, we are all at a crossroads here… if we sell our souls in the impression that we are making money, we would reduced (Paceville) to a poor destination which would have lost the best quality value which our the values which distinguish us from many others,” Vassallo says.
But although Fenech’s hit list clearly sets out what Paceville’s entrepreneurs want, Vassallo still talks of trying to achieve “an entrepreneurial strategy that guarantees success”. It is oblivion to the demands the business community is already setting out clearly?
At the same time, he warns of the exploitation that profit making brings, saying that Paceville must not be turned into some cheap playground.
Little seems to bring Vassallo close to the Paceville core’s complaints, although he says that getting everyone together will enable them to push the momentum forward. What those business people seem to ask for is action, a conscious adjustment of costs and to address infrastructural and economic shortcomings. Not even Vassallo’s moral chastisement could soften up these guys.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
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