On Thursday evening I was taken on an individual guided tour of Zejtun. Kudos to the mayor and Wirt iz-Zejtun for all the signposting (plakkastorja), I had not been to Zejtun in a few years and I was impressed by the sense of community and how traditional the village core has been maintained in terms of architecture and aesthetics. No high rise buildings, beautiful palazzi, well kept alleyways.
For once it seems the UCA laws have been adhered to. This is what tourists come for and this is what makes us unique, our outstanding architectural and historical heritage and our traditional hospitality, resilience and generosity of spirit. These are our main sustainable selling points, NOT mass tourism.
And yet both main political parties haven’t been able to preserve what makes Malta special for posterity. A system whereby contractors pay for the electoral campaigns of politicians is bound to come at the long term cost of the environment and our architectural legacy. I cannot understand this, because these people (the politicians and contractors) have children. When is enough money enough? Don’t they love their country? What will be left of Malta for their grandchildren? Why should we as citizens have to sign a dozen petitions each day to protect ourselves from the very institutions like the PA which are there to protect us? We have all the laws in the world both local and EU, but what is the point of any of them if they are not enforced? The environment, the air we breathe, the rock beneath our feet should not be politicized. I want to hear birdsong not the sound of drilling, squeaking of cranes and concrete being churned, which is really, let’s call a spade a spade, the new ‘ghanja’ of these Islands. It’s so very sad to see village core upon village core, field upon field, ‘protected’ by UCA and ODZ legislation be encroached and trammeled upon by the values of capitalism each day. This rampant greed where the very few become richer is so short term. During times of COVID we need to reclaim our countryside more than ever.
In the times we live, the well being of our country should not be weighed in terms of economic growth. This is an outdated model that does not serve the world today. In this age of global warming and pandemic, Governments around the world should be using this time to devise new community based models of sustainable living.
Anyway I’m glad we still have places like Zejtun to remind us of what we are still in time to save. It all boils down to a question of ethics and aesthetics. Thank you to Joseph Degabriele for the tour!
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