Moviment Graffitti is organising a protest in front of the Malta Developers Association (MDA) offices this Tuesday following the building collapses that have happened around the island.
Graffitti has invited residents and resident associations from various localities in Malta to show their displeasure at the way they have been treated by the developers’ lobby “and their dictatorship. The protest is set to kick off from St Luke’s Hospital at 6pm.”
Graffitti has repeatedly warned about the sad state of affairs. “Developers do as they please all over Malta, to the detriment of residents who have to face, day to day, noise, dust, road closures, traffic, illegal dumping of waste, physical hazards, and the arrogance of the developers who clearly have no interest in anything but making millions. All this is happening with the tacit blessing of the Planning Authority, which rarely takes action against these developers, and of other authorities who never intervene. Even after the first accidents – including numerous deaths in various construction sites – nobody stepped up to take responsibility. To boot, the MDA arrogantly stated that these are ‘accidents that happen.’ It was only after people started losing their homes, together with bad PR and media pressure, that the government started to address this uncontrollable problem.”
Moviment Graffitti made a list of urgent demands in order to safeguard the safety of residents around Malta:
They called for: “an end to the boundless arrogance and bullying of developers on residents; A limit to permits issued by the various authorities and an end to the laissez-faire in the planning sector; A restriction on the hours in which construction and excavation works can be carried out, and a limit on the number of road closures and parking slots stolen from residents; A law that imposes decent standards to safeguard the residents’ health and safety in areas close to construction sites; A serious enforcement of the laws regulating construction, to give, without exception, protection and dignity to workers and residents alike; And that responsibility is taken for the permanent deformation of the islands, particularly when such incidents are involved.”
Several NGOs, including Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar and Zminijietna, have said that they will support and join the protest.