The capital city currently offers a new setting that nobody would have ever expected, the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) said yesterday.
GRTU referred to “clownish action” on the government’s part with regard to the fact that hawkers that operate the Valletta open-air market (monti) are now being allowed to park their commercial vehicles for free, in the central parts of the capital, particularly in St George’s Square, at peak shopping hours.
In a tough-worded statement, GRTU said it has issued a notice to the government, saying that unless the clownish action in Valletta stops, it will withdraw all its support for the Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA) scheme that recently replaced the old system for entry into the capital.
The statement added that unless the government provided adequate solutions, GRTU will be issuing a directive to business and shop owners in Valletta to refrain from paying CVA parking charges and their trade licence fees.
GRTU said that apart from members of parliament and minister’s permanent secretaries, the Valletta hawkers are the only privileged people to have been provided with free parking in the capital’s commercial and historic centre.
Other self-employed people who work in Valletta have invested millions of liri, said GRTU, adding that among them, they generate double the number of employment opportunities than SmartCity will generate.
Not only are these people not provided with free parking, but they have to pay taxes, the highest fees for trade licences, employees’ salaries and they also have to face the bureaucracy brought about by EU regulations and directives. These business and shop owners are making huge sacrifices to improve commercial activity in the capital, said GRTU.
The statement added that the law that the government drafted behind closed doors should have provided for adequate parking space for the hawkers’ vehicles, but nobody in his right mind would have expected this to mean that the hawkers are privileged enough to be provided with the best parking facilities in Valletta.
In a counter-statement, the Investment, Industry and Information Technology Ministry denied that the law was drafted behind closed doors. Rather, GRTU had all related documents and therefore approved the proposed parking space for hawkers.
The ministry admitted that St George’s Square is not the ideal space for hawkers to park their vehicles and said the square deserves to form part of the pedestrian zone in the heart of Valletta.
However, the ministry added that previously, the hawkers used to park their vans in an area outside St John’s Co-Cathedral and the new space that is being provided in St George’s Square has no new impact on businesses.
Moreover, the ministry said the free parking was provided on the basis of the nature of the hawkers’ commercial activity and the fact that they need to carry merchandise from their vehicles to their stalls.
The government truly appreciated GRTU’s support for initiatives in favour of the capital and its commercial activity, the ministry said.
It added however, that it would be a big mistake for GRTU to make do with all their positive efforts in favour of Valletta due to their own oversight.
The government is convinced that even in this case, workable solutions may definitely be found to allow business owners to operate without difficulty while keeping a low level of congestion in the capital’s streets, the ministry concluded.