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| OPINION | Wednesday, 22 August 2007 Christians or barbarians? Pamela HansEn Pyromania comes to a head with the Stella Maris feast. I know it sounds sacrilegious, I think it is. The most venerable lady in Christianity, the mother of Christ – in this case Our Lady Star of the Sea – is used as an excuse to give vent to the release of an intense obsession with extremely loud explosives.Life was hell for those who live around Manoel Island. They have been subjected to regular intense bombardments daily, all week. Starting on Monday 13th and coming to a crescendo on Sunday with the evening bombardment starting at 7pm with no lull for over three hours. At 8.30pm we got some colour and more loud explosions, and then more explosions until 10pm if not later, by which time my ears where actually aching. Three hours of constant, nerve racking, ear-splitting explosions. And it is legal! Or is it? Chapter 9, Section 338 (dd) of the Criminal Code states that whoever “wilfully disturbs the public peace” is breaking that code. But it seems that just like the Cabinet decided to ignore warnings on safety of explosives factories, it extends its blessing to this gross flouting of the law. People can release as many horrendously loud explosives as they like, for as long as they like, as long as it is in honour of a saint. I am not ill, yet the bangs were causing me distress. I dread to think what the patients at St Luke’s must have gone through from last Monday week until Sunday. And why are doctors just shrugging their shoulders? Surely, they must see the distress this abominable practice is having on their patients. I am sure that if health and safety checks are made on the noise levels they are well over the limit. It is not enough for the authorities to cosmetically tackle the problem by arresting a few illegal manufactures of fireworks. There is a lot more to be done. The amount of stress caused by the “blitz” is criminal. A letter to the papers last week, rightly, decried the behaviour of foreign students who were seen lighting a towel and throwing it from a balcony in Bugibba. A dangerous silly prank, but can you blame foreigners who think that pyromania is a tolerated local tradition? One of pyromania’s common causes is attention and sensation seeking. Unfortunately, Catholic saints are used to feed this gross antisocial need to blast explosives on a daily basis throughout the summer season. Although the Curia had released a study pointing out the excesses of the use of pyrotechnics in Malta, it does not seem to have had much effect. I cannot imagine how the Stella Maris Parish Priest can go through with the religious ceremonies with a clear conscience. Lovers of pyrotechnics will, as usual, use the creative art aspect of fireworks and say that the petards are part of the creative process, the louder the better. And one would be intolerant if, for example, one begrudged the fireworks festival once a year. The coloured displays with moderate bangs on several nights a year at a reasonable time would also be tolerable. It is the excessive, unremitting noise that is intolerable. Some people have to leave their homes when feast time comes round in their neighbourhood. Do we non-pyromaniac citizens have any rights? Or is just the barbarian fanatics who have the right to destroy the little bit of calm and tranquillity we get at weekends and feast days. Any comments? |
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NEWS | Wednesday, 22 August 2007 Herrera dismisses row with Micallef as horseplay Amnesty Malta will not campaign for abortion rights Zapatero’s EUR1,000 gift brings students to Malta No room for saints in environmental disasters – Gozo Minister More bodies found between Malta and Lampedusa Mind your language... students Ta’ Cenc EIA – developers accuse MEPA of censorship Michael Falzon withdraws resignation |
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Managing editor Saviour Balzan | Tel. ++356 21382741 | Fax: ++356 21385075 | Email
Managing editor Saviour Balzan | Tel. ++356 21382741 | Fax: ++356 21385075 | Email