No more golden eggs

Sliema, St Julian’s and Gżira badly need investment and a waste collection overhaul. Although we have five-star hotels, we have one-star public infrastructure.

Credit: Shutterstock

Many of us are acquainted with Aesop’s fable about a farmer who became rich by selling his goose’s golden eggs. Hoping to get rich instantly, the greedy and foolish farmer strangled the goose in order to get hold of all her golden eggs.

Many consider St Julian’s, Gżira and Sliema to be our golden goose. Many have indeed found gold here. However, I dare query, have we become so greedy and foolish that we are strangling our golden goose?

There are several variables leading to such a degeneration.

Rampant overdevelopment by a number of greedy fat cats as well as a lack of a holistic planning approach are very important factors.

Two other variables are contributing to such a situation.

These are the lack of public investment and the disgraceful out of control garbage crisis.

Although private entrepreneurs are still investing in the area, sadly, the government is not and, although we have five-star hotels, we have a one-star public infrastructure.

Pavements, promenade, street furniture and public gardens are crying out for an upgrade and maintenance. Even the drainage system has reached saturation point with frequent spillovers. To add insult to injury, vandalism by inebriated individuals is rampant and enforcement non-existent.

Pointing fingers at the local councils is unjust. Local councils do not have the necessary funds. Neither are they allowed to raise funds. They rely entirely on the government’s allocation and benevolence.

While the government wants Malta to become “a hub of tourism excellence”, the same government fails to put money where its mouth is.

During these last 10 years, what projects/maintenance programmes can the Labour government be credited with? Not much. The regeneration of Spinola Gardens has been shelved for over two years while works at the ferries have been at a standstill for months.

Responding to a parliamentary question of mine, the government revealed that, during 2022 only a pittance of €20,000 worth of upgrade/maintenance was undertaken in St Julian’s whereas Sliema received a mere €10,000.

The other distressing issue is the problem of accumulated uncollected garbage.

There are stacks of garbage bags against walls, on pavements and in other open spaces all day long and all week. The situation is untenable, appalling and getting out of control. Residents are exasperated. Rodents are having a field day, feasting on garbage left out for days. The deteriorating situation is having an adverse effect on our standard of living and public health. The MHRA also lambasted the government, noting that such shabbiness is hurting the tourism industry.

Recently, mayors and numerous residents assertively voiced their concerns. The minister responsible for local government must stop his sweet talk and urgently present a realistic action plan to deal with the garbage crisis. Why is the government so obstinate, refusing to acknowledge that we even have such a crisis? Why is Minister Owen Bonnici acting like an ostrich?

We urgently demand a tailor-made garbage system that addresses our realities.

Centralising garbage collection was a classic example of a desktop exercise by an out-of-touch government. The current garbage schedule may be working perfectly in tranquil villages but, surely, it is not working in these urban busy neighbourhoods.

A ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy cannot work. It never did and it never will.

The main culprits are the numerous short-let tenants and a number of commercial outlets and, while the latter are obliged by law to have a private collector, they fail to do so.

A number of suggestions have been made, including the introduction of green wardens to issue hefty fines, the suspension of the operating licence of any commercial outlets failing to make use of a private garbage collector and additional collections/timetables, particularly during the summer months.

Other proposals include barcoded garbage bags, underground bring-in sites, the installation of CCTV cameras, the further regulation of the short-let sector and the compulsory introduction of garbage rooms.

Where there is a will, there is a way, the adage goes. Sadly, the government has no political will. Its lethargy boils down to political expediency.

However, it is in the interest of all stakeholders to stop strangling the goose. We must make a stop to such foolishness and unsightliness.

Remember Aesop’s fable: a strangled goose and no golden eggs.

(This article was published on Times of Malta – 26 August, 2023)