A few weeks ago, the Romanian Prime Minister resigned with all of his government in the wake of a night club tragedy which killed more than 50 young people.
Don’t expect Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to do the same following what took place in a Paceville night club early on Sunday, although of course the extent of the incident was much smaller. If he did not resign after his promise to have a power station ready in two years was not fulfilled, he will not resign now.
But we certainly expect more from a Prime Minister other than his expression of anger for what took place in Paceville.
He has now said that action will be taken to see that regulations are followed. But he is still unsure what to do and how to go about doing it, so as not to irritate the many owners who are making a fortune each and every weekend.
Everyone has known for years that the rules that have been set are not adhered to. Week after week, under-age people are allowed to enter places they should be prohibited from, alcohol continues to be sold to 14- and 15-year olds and people continue to smoke in enclosed places.
But, worst of all, safety and security measures leave so much to be desired in some of the establishments, not to say most.
And yet it is only now that the Prime Minister has woken up to realise that all this is taking place.
Paceville has been allowed to degenerate over the past years, and I’m not talking from the moral point of view. I’m referring to the regular flouting of established laws, and this is simply because the limited resources police have make it impossible for them to monitor what is going on in the streets, let alone in each and every bar and night club.
Fights and brawls have become frequent occurrences too, and only God knows the amount of drugs that is traded and consumed in Paceville outlets, streets and alleys. And yet it is only now that an incident has taken place – and thankfully it was not as dramatic as the one in Romania – that the Prime Minister has realised that action is needed. So much for having a vision and a roadmap.
It is similar to what happened after the Paqpaqli accident a month ago –it is only after people were injured by a car that careened onto the crowd that safety issues will be seen to. By the way, what happened to the magisterial inquiry on that one?
The Prime Minister is under the microscope on another matter, perhaps more serious, given the tragic happenings in Paris last Friday.
The granting of Maltese visas, residency permits and passports to foreigners has earned the attention of foreign politicians and, subsequently, of the international media – and not for the right reasons.
Many questions are being asked on how terrorists are making their way into Europe. A passport found near one of the attackers showed that he had entered Europe through a migrant corridor known for its lax controls and ease in obtaining transit documents.
God forbid that somehow Malta is in anyway linked with such a vile act because of its lax attitude in opening up its doors – and consequently that of Europe.
Twenty-seven years ago, Malta’s name was linked to the Lockerbie bombing, and each time the story is brought up in the media, the Malta connection is mentioned.
Let’s all hope that Malta’s name will not come up again with such negative connotations – be it Paris, or the next terrorist attack, wherever that may be.