The police should leave no stone unturned to catch them, and the courts should not be lenient in the sentence given if they are proved guilty. The act was a despicable attempt to ruin what is part of our heritage, and the people who did it ought to be severely punished.
The last month of the year has started, and it is therefore time to start preparing for the Christmas season. Presents will be bought, family reunions organised and outings with friends will be held. Let us celebrate with caution and without excess. Most of all, we should be careful not to mix drinking with driving. We can have fun without too much alcohol.
Wires were hanging dangerously low at Ghar id-Dud in Sliema, close to the bus-stop on the lane closest to the sea, one day last week. The taller people could easily grab them with their hands or, worse, find themselves entangled in them if they were not careful. The authorities responsible, perhaps even the local council, should make sure that the situation is remedied.
The zebra crossing close to the Xaghra tal-Furjana – linking this area with the Phoenicia Hotel block – is one that is used frequently. So much so that it is often impossible for drivers to continue their journey because so many people cross the road there. It is perhaps an ideal place where to install pelican lights. In this way, the traffic would be more under control and pedestrians would not risk anything to cross the road.
There have been quite a number of complaints about the excessive fees that people parking in the Mater Dei Hospital grounds are being asked to pay when they go to the hospital. Last Friday, the Prime Minister promised a revision of the contract. One hopes that this does not take long to materialise. It is not right that people have to spend so much.
Great attention was given to the new littering regulations that were introduced some time ago. But it seems that they have not been enough to act as a deterrent. People still continue to dump their unwanted waste – from the tiniest of objects such as cigarette butts to other larger items – out in the streets. It was said that the punishment would have been higher in important places such as Valletta. Has anything changed? Hardly.
People waiting in the queue to use bank ATMs should show more respect to other people's privacy. Too often, people making use of the system have others literally breathing down their necks, possibly even seeing them inputting their pin-number. It is not right that this happens. People still in the queue should wait four or five metres away from the person using the machine.
Thousands of trees were planted in a massive campaign recently to make up for the 3,000 trees that were uprooted in May. And the afforestation programme continues in a bid to make Malta greener. We all know the importance trees have for our wellbeing. Such initiatives should be regularly held – they do create better awareness about the need to protect the environment and, at the same time, they make our country more beautiful.