Going through the copies of letters I wrote, which were published in the press, I came across one that appeared in The Malta Independent on Sunday on 20 February. It concerned the gas shortage and was entitled “Heads should roll but they don’t”.

It could be, or might well be, or probably will be, or will certainly be a longer lasting cold winter. At least the signs are there. September 2005 feels a little cooler than the last few years. It could be my imagination, of course. Whatever!

Usually, the coldest days in Malta are in the first few weeks of the year. That always invariably coincides with a scarcity of domestic liquid gas cylinders. I cannot forget the ordeals I had to go through last winter, queuing and carrying empty and then full gas cylinders from to my car parked tens, sometimes even a couple of hundred yards, away.

If the people at Enemalta do keep any kind of records, they ought to know the number of gas cylinders there are in households. Only they supply them. They ought to keep track of the number at least, even for the sake of financial reconciliation since a substantial of money is paid as a deposit on the cylinder! I hope their auditors demand records of these transactions. If they do, it is comparatively easy to get the basic details.

From these records and from the records of sales between 1 January and the end of February 2005, they can now project the demand and preplan for the eventuality. That is if they are proactive and really suitable for the extremely well-paid and well-fringed posts they occupy at the expense of the taxpayer.

The events which occurred at the beginning of the current year only suit a third-world underdeveloped country. Malta is small, therefore easily manageable (to those who really want to manage). The logistics are miniscule. Therefore a repeat will be unacceptable.

One has to bear in mind too that, with the threat of a pandemic flu during those precise weeks hanging over our heads, when the time of our need comes around, they deliver. We do not want to queue again. Queuing will aggravate contagion and expose us to what might well be mortal peril. Besides we need to heat our homes to protect ourselves from diseases like chills, colds, bronchitis etc.

Even if we do not get the pandemic flu, the government must see to it that those who have been placed in a post to deliver, must deliver. The alternative is let heads roll, starting from those who placed them there. Twice is twice too many.

I also appeal to the powers that be to reveal to the man in the street any and all attempts (this year they were successful) to create artificial bottlenecks in order to foment discontent among the people. Enough of this for the moment.

Only, one does really hope to see the end of spit-showering bouts.

Frank Galea

ZEBBUG