GRTU and small businesses are part of my gene pool. I have been attending GRTU meetings, as a child and Executive Council meetings now as a council member for the best part of my life.

Imbued with this tradition, I cannot but unequivocally assert my firmest belief that small businesses are the life-blood of our nation. To this end, I have always done my utmost to ensure that this belief is given a voice in any forum where I was present. It is therefore very surprising for me to learn from the papers the assertions made by Mr Hubert Agius and Mr Reuben Buttigieg. Reading their submissions, one might be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that I alone constitute the Mepa board.

Nothing Fishy…

The application to relocate the existing fish farms that are at present one kilometre away from the Marsascala coast to six kilometres out was approved by the Mepa board with an overwhelming vote in favour.

That is the main reason I voted in favour of the relocation: in the interests of the community, not to let the farms remain so close to shore. This does not mean that the fish farm industry is any less important but the negative impacts which have hitherto been generated will not be moved off-shore, and the additional overheads for the fish farm operators are an intrinsic part of their corporate social responsibility. Mr Buttigieg could have opted to keep me abreast of events by informing me of his section’s deliberations. He did not and that was his decision. I stand by mine.

As an independent member nominated by the Prime Minister, when sitting on the Mepa board I vote according to the evaluation I make of the project, see the analysis made by the professional staff employed at Mepa and, above all, evaluate the value and strength of public submissions.

However, it is up to the 16 board members to decide on an application. I am just one of that number. It was reported that the GRTU was against the fish farm project. This subject was never presented to the GRTU executive committee when I was present, so I have no such official GRTU stand in favour or against. It would be a dark period for the business community if the GRTU were to support the notion of leaving the fish farms just 1km away from the shore.

…and nothing smelly

It was in the same community spirit that I voted for the regeneration of the Sant’ Antnin Plant. Standing as it is, the plant is doing no service to the area. The vote in favour will not only reduce the size of the plant, it will also remove once and for all the obnoxious smells emanating from it. So, what does one do in favour of the common good – vote against a better quality of life? Vote against a better and more

attractive environment? Hardly. Those were my motivations in voting in favour of the regeneration of the Sant Antnin Plant, no more and no less.

In the Arena

The media also reported Mr Vince Farrugia attributing political motivations in my regard. To be honest, the political orientation of the members of the Executive Council has never been an issue, as on regular basis we criticise the government in power at the time.

So I can only conclude that Mr Farrugia is very wrong in his illusion of a pro-government political plot. Funnily enough, for all the big talk, I was the only council member who actually took up the cudgels against the government in a court battle and eventually won. So much for being partisan.

Block votes

The reports in the media gave the impression that I was on a block vote list. This is not so. Indeed, I was with Mr Agius when both of us received a copy and although I was not happy to see it, I can accept that, in a democratic society, everybody can try to get votes, and then it is up to the intelligent voter to decide what he does with the block list. Some support it, others dump it. Mr Agius was one of those who insisted that the votes be counted behind closed doors, to my complete disapproval. In the history of GRTU, all votes have been counted in front of everybody. And the electoral process is one that the current Executive Committee may take an examination of to make the electoral process more detailed, transparent, fool-proof and in line with the most modern security techniques to ensure that democracy prevails.

It is not in the nature of the convinced to be shifted from their opinion through intimidation, overt or covert. Nothing is above the law and no clause in any document can be considered valid if interpreted to be against Maltese legislation. It would also be futile to expend efforts to try to twist the GRTU Statute. That is a social contract and such subversive attempts are noting but a lost cause.

GRTU continues to change like a living organisation to cater for new challenges as years go by. That is a dynamic GRTU, which today covers the widest variety of commercial sectors. It is not a personal interest group that espouses a national interest in order to secure personal votes. GRTU is the association which cares for retailers and traders. We are the sector that generates the biggest segment of the Maltese economy and employs a high percentage of the employees in the private sector, while we are the most targeted sector of the economy.

It was always the case that business people get together behind the GRTU and fight for their rights. GRTU has a long history of victories and examples of how to get together to reap the success together. The strength of GRTU has been created through unity throughout the years, and whenever there were differences, these were always settled by internal negotiation. But I never remember a case where somebody questioned a clean democratic election. The interests of small businesses and the national interest are intertwined. That is what GRTU believes. That is what I believe.

Joe Tabone is a board member of GRTU and Mepa