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.

Sorry to repeat again: 'Fortifications Restoration Project’

Today the Hon. George Pullicino, Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs of our Republic addressed the public seminar on 'Fortifications Restoration Project' . What a great coincidence with the letter published on The Times today by the Xewkija resident Frankie Vella!

Pullicino is saying (no repetitions) that a fortune is to be spent on the restoration and rehabilitation of Malta's most important fortifications to make them an integral part of the country's cultural product. Priority is being given to the lines of fortifications in Valletta, Vittoriosa, Mdina and the Cittadella in Gozo. (See video on The Times by clicking HERE).

Great!

This discourse, we read about since two years ago. Read HERE.

For example Minister for 'all' the Gozitans said on the 19th May 2006 that

"Restoration work is currently under way on the outer north westerly walls of the Gozo Citadel. The work, which is being funded by the Gozo Ministry, involves the consolidation of part of the fortified wall system, the reconstruction of a totally collapsed stretch of the same wall and the complete removal and replacement of highly weathered stone to allow, amongst other things, the reestablishment of original 17th century features."

Read more HERE.

On the other hand, people like Frankie, and Joseph had been highlightening the
I suggest you read Joseph's contribution by clicking HERE (with photos) on the Gozonews.com

"...ruins which stand not as monuments of the past but as evidence of the present disregard by the current government with regards to that which is of historical value in the centre of Gozo. Whether this is due to an inability to fund this site or a utilitarian objectivity stating that there is no perceivable monetary return for this investment it is subject to debate."

Frankie Vella's letter can be read HERE. I like the title: Cittadella under attack from weeds.

Let's continue fighting the attack or are we no more living in the feudal system?

Muntun minn naha taghna?

Illum Anglu hadni mieghu naraw il-kampjonat tal-European Championship Cup. Qalli mmorru narawha l-Awrora. Qatt ma mort mieghu nara loghba futbal l-Aurora. Gieli mort mieghu fil-Liverpool club fix-Xewkija. L-Awrora hemm big screen tajjeb hafna u iehor hdejh. Il-loghba tal-Liverpool vs Arsenal kienet fuq il-Big Screen bis-sound mentri fuq l-iscreen l-iehor kien hemm ic-Chelsea kontra xi tim tork.

L-Awrora kienet mimlija irgiel. Xejn nisa hlief wahda mill-bartenders kienet tfajla. Irgiel pjuttost imdahhlin fl-eta', ghalkemm kien hemm xi ftit guvintur. Kien hemm hut anglu minn Nadur u maghhom kien hemm iehor li qalli li hu minn ta' Kappuna ghandu jkun. Hdejhom kien hemm siggu vojt li jien hsibt li merfugh ghal Anglu. "Le huj...Anglu fuq quddiemnett jaqghad"

U spiccajna fuq quddiemnett jien u Anglu. Hassejtni qiesni go knisja bis-siggijiet ....bil-kemm tista' thares lura ghax tara ghexiren ta' ghajnejn iharsu fuqek. Bdejt noqghod attent kif incaqlaq rasi li ma mmurx intellef il-veduta lil ta' warajja. Kelli flixkun birra u gelgiltu bil-mod.

Fl-ewwel half l-Arsenal laghbu vera tajjeb. Skurjaw l-ewwel l-Arsena u qrib it-tmiem tal-half time skurjaw il-Liverpool. Anglu qam minn postu jghajjat u jgholli jdejh - qisni jien kieku rbaht is-Super 5!

Fil-halftime hrigna barra halli nisimghu ftit il-kummenti. kien hemm il-bicca l-kbira tan-nies li jzommu mal-Liverpool, xi ftit ma' l-Arsenal u hafna li la jzommu ma' l-Arsenal u lanqas mal-Liverpool. Kien hemm xi erba' nies li nafhom imma l-bicca l-kbira le. Kien hemm Pawlu li ta' sikwit ikun id-dar taghna jirrangalna xi switch jew xi kanna ta' l-ilma. Tkellimna tikka qabel beda it-tieni half. Ghadda wkoll Salvu Grech, hu l-mara ta' hija Lino.

Skurjaw il-Liverpool u mbaghad l-Arsenal u mbaghad penalty li skurjaw il-Liverpool u goal iehor il-Liverpool. Gew 4 bi 2. Ragel imdahhal fiz-zmien tela' bil-wieqfa fuq mejda jghajjat hekk kif skurjaw ir-raba' goal il-Liverpool. Kienet ovvja li issa rebhu il-Liverpool.

Kif spiccat il-loghbha kulhadd donnu sparixxa f'sekonda. Wiehed li ma nafux minn Adam gie fejni u staqsieni waqt li pponta subajgh lejn xwejjah liebes gerzi griz: "Dok il-muntown minn naha taghkim jew?"

Ippruvajt inhares lejn wiccu biex nara jekk nafux. 'Il-muntun' baqa' l-hin kollu dahru lejja. Ma stajtx naghraf min hu. Iddejjaqt nghidu li hu minn naha taghna bhallikieku tan-naha taghna mhumiex imtaten.

"Ma nahsibx li mill-Gharb" ghidtlu jien.

"Miz-Zebbug mene jew?"

"Jista jkiwn" ghidtlu jien.

Imma mbaghad kelli kurzita' l-ghaliex dan il-povru ragel ta' xi 70 sena huwa muntun skond dan.

"Isma' siehib. Ghalex muntown?"

"Ghax ge warajna u spicca qaghad bil-qieghde quddiemne...u minfowq il-hejn killiw ilablab fuq il-leghbe l-ohra. Muntown miz-Zebbiwg dok"

"Hmm" ghidt f'qalbi. "Mhux difficli tkun muntun hawnhekk" hsibt jien.