Not all property is public

In his opinion article “Shooting yourself in the foot” (4 March) Saviour Balzan wrote that “the country lanes, the shoreline, the cliffs and the valleys do not belong to us but to the hordes of unattractive and impolite sunburnt troglodytes who, when confronted, turn into saliva drooling Orcs.”
I’m pretty sure that all the places Mr Balzan mentioned are private property, owned by either government, the public, private companies or individuals. The latter includes various people from all walks of life, among them, hunters.
I find it unfair that one is robbed of one’s own property by individuals who believe that they have the right of way everywhere, not only through public pathways and country lanes. I state this from recurring personal experience. Some people even have the cheek to squat on private property while the owner is present, and it’s useless talking to them as in many cases they act just like Mr Balzan’s “saliva drooling Orcs”.
Nowadays, the availability of what estate agents describe as “recreational” land is on the increase. One can easily find agricultural land, pockets of maquis, plots in valleys and even land around the seashore and over cliff faces.
The public only has the right of way through public property, and not through private property and private paths. The latter includes pathways through private property for use by an individual or two who would otherwise not be able to access their own land. Sometimes, this kind of private path is “obstructed” by gates or signs, but only by individuals who have legal right of passage.
Just because some individuals safeguard their land more than others, does not mean that they are breaking any law. On the other hand, if some individuals make use of land that is not theirs, or without the permission of the owner, then they should be stopped.
Whatever is revised in any laws and regulations, private property will still belong to its rightful owner/s, and remains theirs to enjoy however they wish. Be it a backyard, a garden or a piece of land in the countryside, it is always the property of its owner.
Nyal Xuereb
Gharghur