Free for all

It remains a forgotten problem; a topic which simply fails to kindle any harsh public reaction. But you do not need to go far to understand what this is all about.

Take a walk out of your town or village and into the countryside – that green belt that is continuously fighting for some air between sprawling white buildings. And there, in the open, just notice the way private land has been turned into out of bounds territories. Small, illegally built dwellings surrounded by high walls.

The culprits are not only farmers or hunters but the other kind, who will usually dive deep into a patronising discussion on how the environment is being shafted.

Everywhere you look, countless private fields have been cordoned off and converted into comfortable picnic areas with cement platforms, toilets and cooking areas. The illegalities are in your face and no one, it seems, has the inclination or the time to hit out at the anarchy that rules.

Yet, this kind of illegal development is as bad as the highly controversial permits for high rise. The Planning Authority is too busy looking at the big picture of planning permits and the Envrionment and Resources Authority is too taken up by its own agenda.

No wonder most Maltese will not rally in large numbers to protect the countryside because those (and there are many) who have the privilege of owning private land believe they have the right to do as they please.

There is total anarchy in the countryside. And if that was not bad enough, one cannot forget the numerous tracts of public land taken up by squatters whether this is along the Cottonera lines or the garigue around Miżieb and Aħrax. No one is willing to take a stand and reverse this trend or to set some standards.

And on the political level, they are so high browed that they cannot even consider this a problem.

• • •

We finally have the full parliamentary group in place even though parliament still has to convene. There are so many new names that even those of us who are seasoned in politics will need some time to get accustomed to the new faces.

I have this good feeling that on both sides of the political spectrum there are some worthy names and young people. The time was ripe for the political parties to invest in a younger generation and one that looks at the world from a different view point.

Bernard Grech took the plunge and following Robert Abela’s lead removed some old faces and replaced them with new ones. It has to be seen what they will offer when it comes to discussion and proposals but it is very likely that parties will have a tough time imposing a common voice or push for a one-message approach on all MPs.

As things stand, Grech is here to stay. He will need to react less to criticism, take the flak gracefully, be more daring and prioritise the topics for his political discourse. He should spend most of the coming months restructuring the party and not engaging in petty political arguments.

He should be coming up with crazy and commendable reforms, such as doing away with NET and calling for an end to all political party stations.

Time will tell, if Grech will learn from his mistakes and those of his predecessors. On the other hand, the timely advice given to the Prime Minister to review the salary structure and support system for Maltese MPs and cabinet ministers appears to have fallen on deaf ears. What a pity, more so when our country is in real need of professional and full time MPs.