I regularly read The Malta Independent giving special attention to the Letters to the editor since from there one can judge the pulse of the voter.
My observations, this time, are not aimed at any particular political sector but rather in reaction to various articles written in this newspaper (and others).
From the various articles I gather that:
• Malta should receive preferential treatment, politically and economically.
• The rest of the world owes Malta guaranteed full-time employment coupled with the highest standard of living possible.
• The ruling government is always wrong.
• The opposition is always right.
• The government should always accommodate every individual’s particular needs even if they conflict with established norms.
• Progress always conflicts with the environment.
• Rudeness by bus drivers is a sure way of attracting repeat business especially from tourists.
• Dual pricing means “one price for Maltese, a higher one for tourists”.
• Filth, torn benches on buses add character to public transportation in Malta.
• Bus drivers’ uniforms consist of open shirts, rolled-up short shorts, pressed and laundered once a week.
• Street hawkers have the right to dictate where and when they sell their wares irrespective of their impact on Valletta’s World Heritage status.
• Unions always know better than governments.
• Plant closures are most definitely always the fault of government policies.
• The entrance to Valletta and the ravaged remains of the Opera House are left in their present state because they are greatly admired by visitors and locals alike.
• Bird shooting (irrespective of species) is an age-old inherited right which no government or other world body have the right to control.
• Tax evasion is a pastime.
• No-smoking law is optional depending on the smoker’s needs.
• Driver education is mandatory only after the operator has been caught contravening the law.
• Bellyaching about how bad things are is yet another pastime.
• Under-the-table jobs do not count for unemployment status.
• Demand more services from the government but expect no new taxes.
• IT investments, SmartCity, Mater Dei, new roads, decent airport, Delimara power station, etc. were extravaganzas.
• Tree-planting in public areas is provocative and civic-minded individuals should uproot and/or destroy with impunity.
• Monuments, Neolithic temples and such are a nuisance and a waste of space.
• Election campaigns are merely five years long between general elections.
I must stop here lest the editor deems the list too long.
Joe Martinelli
London, Ontario