The value of a small, compact political party, devoid of the compelling urge to obtain power at all cost, is what makes Alternattiva Demokratika attractive to its supporters.

Whereas both the Malta Labour Party and the Nationalist Party shy away from tackling an overdue piece of legislation, because it is not politically advantageous, Alternattiva Demokratika alone had the courage to campaign for the repeal of the unjust rent laws.

Privately, many people concede that existing laws that were drafted in another era, to solve the particular problem of the time, have become a monstrous injustice. It is an injustice when the owner of a property is held responsible for the upkeep of a rented property which yields less than a pepper corn rent. In practice one has to pay 2005 rates plus VAT for repairs out of 1939 rents.

This has created a situation where nobody wants to rent to Maltese citizens because the law is far too one-sided. The way these old rents are inherited and generally manipulated to preclude the property ever returning to its rightful owners, who all too often are manifestly poorer than their tenants, is the issue that Alternattiva Demokratika wants to do something about.

I wish Alternattiva every success in their just campaign. It is up to us too ensure that justice prevails over archaic laws that have served their purpose and are now the root cause of so much hardships.

Victor Spiteri

Attard