From Mr R. Galea

I have participated in the Carnival festivities of the past few years.

I am writing this letter to express my disappointment with the Carnival organising committee, under the auspices of the cultural department, as I think I am being discriminated against when compared to my other colleagues.

Having come second in the 2003 Carnival, (thus having the right to participate in the 2004 edition) I was not allowed to take part because my brother was participating as well and they decided that it was either me or my brother.

In 2005, I was allowed to take part in the Carnival festivities and applied for a subsidy for maintenance work that needed to be done in the place where I was constructing my float but, unlike others, I was not given a single cent. That year I came first in category C, and was thus promoted to category B. This year, just one month before Carnival, my electricity supply was cut, thus leaving me in the dark when the most important part of the float’s construction was being done.

Nothing was done to help me and I ended up working in the dark, as the electricity supply was never restored.

Since then, I and other participants who used the hangars in Horns Ditch had to be moved because of the Park & Ride project, and while the others were given alternative places, I was left in the lurch. When I contacted the committee to ask for help, I was completely ignored, even though I offered to pay for some services that the other participants got for free, like electricity connection and rent.

I had plans for next year’s Carnival and would have presented a strong challenge to anyone in my category, as it was my intention to improve upon last Carnival’s performance, where I came second.

As one can see, I have not been given the chance to do so, as I have no place to work in, and no one in the organising committee seems to give a toss about my situation.

Rayvin Galea

Floriana