Pjazza l-Assedju 1551 - Victoria

Don't destroy one of the few open spaces left in Victoria

On the 26th January 2009, residents from Victoria, together with Alternattiva Demokratika, protested against the building of a new Court premises in the centre of Victoria Gozo and the residential area of Pjazza l-Assedju 1551, which is at the moment being used as a parking area. Apart from this, the residents have not been at all consulted with regards to the plans of the buildings, which will certainly affect their quality of life.

Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Arnold Cassola stated that we (as The Green Party) are not against the building of new premises for the law courts. On the contrary, we are in favour. But we are against it being built in the centre of Victoria because this would bring with it more traffic in the midst of the population with an increased rate of noise pollution and air quality deterioration, and the consequent dangers posed to the health of residents and their children.

I urged the Gozo Ministry and the Home Affairs Ministry as well as Transport Ministry to seriously reconsider their plans and said that given that the present premises in the Cittadella are inadequate to accommodate the volume of legal work, coupled with the consequent concentration of traffic in the heart of Victoria, together with the inadequate conditions of the workers.

My Party is instead proposing that the law courts be moved to the outskirts of the city to a vacant complex formerly rented to Malta Dairy Products (MDP), where commuters could be served by a shuttle bus service.

Not only does it afford ample office space but AD also proposes this new complex includes other services such as a public registry, a regional police headquarters with lock-up cells, the fire brigade and rescue centre, a regional Attorney General office, a regional office for local government and any other department that falls under the Justice Ministry.

This way, Gozitans will be better serviced through these proposals and the much talked-about traffic congestion in Victoria would ease considerably. Don't you think so too?

Residents in the area are worried that the site being put forward by the government is grossly misguided since it will increase the chronic traffic and pollution problem in Victoria and will destroy one of the few open spaces left in the capital of Gozo.

Ramla Blue

On the 21st of this month I reiterated that the pristine area of Ramla l-Hamra in Gozo is still under threat of development. Although, late last year, PN MEP insisted with the European Parliament Petitions Committee to close a petition submitted by Alternattiva Demokratika and residents against the development at Ramla l-Hamra (Gozo) and later opposed its reopening simply because, according to him, there was no authorized development in Ramla to object to, the truth is that there is in fact still the possibility of development in Ramla.

Here in Malta and also in the European Parliament AD will continue working to safeguard what little remains of our countryside after years upon years of ravage and irresponsible governance.

The appeal on the Ramla l-Hamra case is going to be heard by the Planning Appeals Board at the University Centre (Xewkija) Gozo on Friday 6th February at 10 a.m.

Aquatic sports facilities required in Gozo for clubs, schools and the public

On a press statement issued on the 19th of this month, I remarked that Gozo still lacks public aquatic sports facilities and that the lack of development of sports facilities in Gozo is another sign that Gozitans are not treated equally as their Maltese counterparts.

My Party - The Green Party (AD) is supporting the Gozitan Waterpolo Club Otters ASC in their plea for a fresh water pool in Gozo. One national swimming pool already exists in Malta, together with another two covered and heated pools; hence we believe that Gozitans deserve, by right, an indoor heated pool in Gozo.

AD has long been insisting that the government should invest in aquatic sports in Gozo. In our electoral manifesto for Gozo, Alternattiva Demokratika proposed that a pool and aquatic sports facility would form part of the existing sports complex in Victoria where adjacent land is available.

I reminded that a swimming pool in Gozo was part of the Nationalist Party`s manifesto in 1991. But we are still waiting 18 years after.

We urge elected parliamentarians to cross party co-operation in order to safeguard the interests of all Gozitans and Gozo's specific needs. The government should invest in sports in Gozo rather than speculating further on public land.

The Green Party Chairperson Prof. Arnold Cassola also commented on this issue and said that given the socio-educational advantages of aquatic sports in Gozo, he sincerely hope that in the not-so-distant future sports finds itself on the national agenda and is not used only for lip-servicing exercises that seem to have become somewhat of a national pastime.

Prof. Cassola concluded by saying:

"Give Gozitans what is theirs by right. Gozo deserves the construction and development of a common Olympic Standard pool heated to be used both in Winter and Summer for training and available to all clubs, schools and the general public.”

X'wahda din...sirna "ambjentalisti"

Dawn il-ġranet, grupp ta' għaqdiet ambjentalisti ħarġu stqarrija fejn isemmu biss uħud mill-kandidati tal-Pee Enne għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Parlament Ewropew. U kif jinzertaw l-affarijiet hux? Din tassew ħaġa kbira tafux. Il-Gaia Foundation, in-Nature Trust, il-Birdlife u Friends of the Earth bħall-għaqdiet volontarji l-oħra tradizzjonalment jibżgħu jieħdu pożizzjoni li tifagħhom ma’ naħa jew ma’ oħra minħabba li b’hekk jistgħu joffendu lil naħa jew oħra tal-membri tagħhom stess skont il-lealtà politika tagħhom. Iżda issa jidher li l-affarijiet qed jieħdu xejra oħra. L-importanti hu li bħalma l-Għaqdiet ma jiddejqux jieħdu ritratti ma' George Pullicino lejlet xi elezzjoni, bl-istess mod ma jiddejqux jghidu iswed dak li hu iswed u abjad dak li hu abjad. Fi tmiem il-ġimgħa gejn mistoqsi mill-ġurnal ILLUM bħala s-segretarju ġenerali ta' Alternattiva Demokratika - il-partit ekoloġista Malti. U jien tgħajt dawn il-kummenti.... Fil-każ tal-għaqdiet ambjentali jidħol aspett speċjali billi Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party minkejja l-impenn tiegħu f’ħafna, oqsma hu partit ekoloġista msieħeb fil-European Green Party. Bilkemm jista’ jkun hemm dubju dwar l-impenn ambjentali tal-AD u għalhekk jistona ħafna l-fatt li l-AD tintefa’ fl-istess keffa mal-partiti l-oħra fl-istess nifs li jinxteħet dubju dwar l-appoġġ li jistgħu jgawdu xi kandidati minn partiti oħra mill-partit tagħhom dwar kwistjonijiet ambjentali. Mistoqsi kif laqgħet din l-istqarrija l-AD, is-Segretarju Ġenerali Victor Galea qal li ma jħossx li l-għaqdiet ambjentali riedu jonqsu lill-AD. “Tant hi ovvja li partit ekoloġista ikun qrib il-ħsieb u x-xewqat tal-membri ta’ dawn l-għaqdiet li ma ħassewx il-ħtieġa li jsemmuna jew li jsemmu b’isimhom lil Arnold Cassola u lil Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros. Il-kandidati tagħna f’din l-elezzjoni,” qal Galea, “l-impenn ambjentali tagħna fissirnieh b’ħidma politika ta’ 20 sena u l-għaqdiet ambjentali jafu sew li m’għandhomx għalfejn iħegguna nagħmlu dak li dejjem għamilna. “Dak li hu diskors ġdid għall-partiti l-oħra hu d-diskors ta’ dejjem tagħna. Konna nieħdu għalina kieku l-għaqdiet taw wieħed x’jifhem li l-kandidati tagħna m’għandhomx l-appoġg sħiħ tal-partit tagħħom fuq kwistjonijiet ambjentali bħalma għamlu liż-żewġ kandidati li għoġobhom isemmu.” Sadanittat Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas ħarġet stqarrija hi wkoll biex tirringrazzja lill-għaqdiet ambjnetali tal-appoġġ li wrewha. Triccas marret ħafna lil hemm mill-għaqdiet meta ddeskriviet il-kampanja elettorali tagħha bħala “l-ewwel kampanja elettorali nazzjonali Maltija ambjentalment sostenibbli.” Mistoqsi jagħti r-reazzjoni tiegħu Victor Galea qal li dejjem jieħu pjaċir meta jara li hemm min beda jifhem id-diskors tal-politika ekoloġika. “Biex issarraf dan l-impenn bis-serjetà Triccas trid twiegħed li jekk titla’ fil-Parlament se tappoġġa lill-grupp ekoloġista tal-Green Group u mhux lill-Partit Popolari Ewropew li għandu rekord mill-agħar f’dan il-qasam,” temm igħid Galea.